Teacher Comments on College of Exploration Online Workshops

This is a summary of some of the main findings from our ongoing evaluation and research related to our online workshops from the last six years. Teachers have highligted why they participate and the benefits they gain from their participation.

Why teachers participate in College of Exploration Workshops in their own words:

•  Love the topics

•  Top quality information and current research that are not available elsewhere.

•  Learn from and interact with scientists/experts

•  Convenient, flexible and easy to use online format

•  It's collegial! Meet with others with similar interests, expand their network and share ideas.

Teachers say that classroom-ready activities and materials, good teaching tools, connections to standards, and opportunities to earn graduate credit are great incentives !

Teacher-reported Benefits:

•  True sense of community among participants

•  Access to scientific experts

•  Sharing ideas with peers

•  Outstanding and current science content

•  Increased understanding of ocean topics

•  Excellent source of educational resources

•  Practical information to infuse in their classrooms

•  Convenient and cost-effective

•  Participation anytime, any place

•  Effective blend of multimedia

WHAT TEACHERS HAVE SAID ABOUT OUR ONLINE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

“This is an exciting way to learn…to have access to this level of expertise in one course is beyond anything I have experienced before.”

(SSE Project Ocean STEWARD, 2000)

“The online conference created a virtual collegial setting for discovery and discourse.” (SSE Project Ocean STEWARD, 2000)

“This workshop exceeded my expectations. It was truly first class.” (SSE Project Ocean STEWARD, 2000)

“It made a remarkable impact on me professionally and personally.” (SSE Project Ocean STEWARD, 2000)

“The variety of experts and participants gave a wonderful balance of different perspectives and experiences” (Understanding Tsunamis workshop 2005)

There were more resources than I dreamed existed, and I have already shared many of them with teachers in my schools. (Coral Reef Workshop, February 2002)

“Having everyone asking and responding to questions in this format has been in some ways better than a 'classroom' because we have had time to digest questions and responses and interact.” (Coral Reef Workshop, February 2002)

“I was able to interact with those in the field and those having firsthand knowledge of the topic.” (Understanding Tsunamis 2005)

“I now feel much more comfortable in the topic area and have a lot of new resources to help students understand their world. “ (Understanding Tsunamis 2005)

People from other countries and states, each sharing their knowledge and experiences as well as ideas has been wonderful. What better way to learn.” (Understanding Tsunamis, 2005)

“The virtual field trips were great because they allowed me to ‘see' things far away from my home.” (Understanding Tsunamis, 2005)

“Excellent selection of keynote speakers, very engaging and knowledgeable. (Classroom Exploration of Oceans, 2003)

Back to the main evaluation page.