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Conservation Education: Effective Program Design

This course is full. Wait list applications are being accepted.

  • February 4-9, 2008, Wheeling, WV
  • $650 for AZA Individual Members and $750 for Non-members    [join AZA]
Types of credit available

Please Note:
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 waitlist letter once acceptance decisions are made. If you have any questions about your acceptance status, please email us at .

Registration

Until October 12, 2007, preference for admission will be given to applicants who are AZA individual members. After October 12, applications will be processed in the order received.

Download the Registration Form (in PDF). 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.

Travel and Accommodations

For information on travel and lodging, please see the Professional Training in Wheeling page.

Goals
  1. To provide zoo and aquarium educators with a comprehensive overview of how to design, develop, implement and evaluate education programs and exhibit interpretive elements.
  2. To prepare educators for leadership through interdisciplinary collaboration.
  3. To inspire educators to become actively involved in conservation action through on-site programming and local and international education initiatives and partnerships.
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). Class size limited to 35 participants.

Course Instructors

Allyson Atkins
Manager, Animal Programs
Disney Animal Kingdom

Candy Bates
Canalway Interpretive Specialist
Ohio and Erie Canalway Association

Rachel Bergren
Director, Conservation Awareness
Shedd Aquarium

Mike Chamberlain
Guest experience Programs Manager
Monterey Bay Aquarium

Chris Delorey
Director, Education
Brevard Zoo

Lars Erdahl
Vice President, Education
Minnesota Zoo

Kirsten Perez
Director, Education
Los Angeles Zoo

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.

Sample Course Schedule
(this will change for 2008)

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