February 8-13, 2010
Oglebay Resort
Wheeling, WV
The Conservation Education: Effective Program Design professional training course is designed to provide zoo and aquarium educators with a comprehensive overview of how to design, develop, implement and evaluate education programs and exhibit interpretive elements.
Course Tuition
$850 for AZA Individual Members
$950 for Non-members
Course Registration
Download the Registration Form. Please note that you can use Adobe Acrobat Reader to type your responses directly into this form, print, and return by mail or fax. You may also print the form, write in your information and return by mail or fax. Each course has a registration form specific for that course.
Checks sent for course payment will be cashed immediately upon receipt as per standard business practices. Cashing your check does not indicate that you have been accepted into a course. You will receive an acceptance letter or wait list letter once acceptance decisions are made.
If you have any questions about your acceptance status, or for additional details please contact the AZA Professional Training Department or call (301) 562-0777.
Travel and Accommodations
Please wait until you are admitted into the course before making your reservations. You will receive a confirmation letter containing detailed information regarding your accommodations and transportation once you are admitted. For general information on travel and lodging, please see the Professional Training in Wheeling page.
Curious about the costs associated with this course?
The Conservation Education: Effective Program Design Cost and Logistics page will help you estimate the total cost of attending, including registration, hotel, and ground transportation.
Course Scholarships
The following scholarship opportunities are currently available to aquarium and zoo professionals for the Conservation Education: Effective Program Design course.
Target Audience
Zoo and aquarium staff with education responsibilities will benefit from participating in this course (educators, volunteer/docent coordinators, exhibit design staff, children's zoo staff, librarians, marketing, development and P.R. staff).
Course Credit
Continuing Education Units (CEUs)
Graduate Credit
Course Topics
The topics in this course are organized into three focal areas that are integrated throughout the week: instructional design methodology, management tools and techniques, and conservation. Activities, lecture, demonstration, whole group discussion and team exercises are incorporated.
Area 1: Instructional Design Methodology
- Analysis: Identify audiences, recognize their characteristics and different learning styles. Use front-end analysis techniques to determine audience needs. Examine case studies. How do visitors construct meaning from their experiences at zoos and aquariums?
- Design: Develop goals, objectives and outcomes, analyze available resources, determine age- and audience-appropriate content, outline the steps of instruction. Practice design of formal and non-formal programs. Apply these concepts to the design of exhibits and graphics.
- Development: Develop the program content using a variety of resources and media. Determine effective uses of distance learning technology including Web-based education. Examine the messages we convey and what we know about the messages zoo and aquarium visitors take away. Explore the benefits and challenges to working with program and contact animals.
- Implementation: Discuss a variety of program implementation and marketing strategies in the breadth of zoo and aquarium programming including fee-generating programs, school programs, teacher training outreach and youth programs.
- Evaluation: Learn and practice formative and summative evaluation techniques for education programs, exhibits and graphics.
Area 2: Management Tools and Techniques
- Topics and activities in this area are designed to help education professionals establish and maintain effective working relationships with staff in other departments, plan for future program expansion, obtain and manage financial resources, explore their role within their organization, and become actively involved in AZA activities. Topics and activities include:
Grant writing
Networking
Effective Teams
Education Strategic Planning
Budgeting
Working with AZA
Informal lunch discussions with staff from other AZA disciplines
Area 3: Conservation
- Topics in this area will provide educators with opportunities to examine case studies of institutional, community and collaborative conservation education initiatives at zoos and aquariums. Sessions on in situ conservation education will explore working locally and internationally through SSPs, TAGs and CAPs. With a representative of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, we'll discuss how to implement regional conservation education projects. Informal lunch discussions will provide opportunities for exchange of information with field researchers.
Course Schedule
Download the course schedule (subject to change)
Course Instructors
Allyson Atkins
Curator of Education, Animal Programs and Environmental Initiatives
Walt Disney World Resort, Disney's Animal Kingdom
Rachel Bergren
Vice President, Education
Lincoln Park Zoo
Chris Delorey
Director, Education
Brevard Zoo
Lars Erdahl
Vice President, Education
Minnesota Zoo
For additional details please contact the AZA Professional Training Department or call (301) 562-0777.