MEERA - Making Evaluation Easy


BGCI: The global network Our work Our supporters and partners Join in Resource centre Publications Our newsletter Events BGCI Congresses Latest news News archives Tools Access and Benefit Sharing IPEN PlantSearch GardenSearch Fundraising links Tech tools Jobs Botanic garden information Definition The history of botanic gardens Botanical illustration Living collections Role of botanic gardens Commercial activity Seedbanks Botanic gardens and conservation Herbaria Information management systems Starting a botanic garden Promoting a botanic garden Education centre Climate change information centre PlantSearch GardenSearch Sign up to our newsletter:	Resource centre > News > MEERA - Making Evaluation Easy Print this Page MEERA - Making Evaluation Easy 15th August 2007 One fascinating paper at the 4th World Environmental Education Congress outlined the development of a unique tool that is sure to come in useful for botanic garden and other educators around the world. BGCI’s recent survey on education botanic gardens found that, although educators were carrying out limited evaluation, most sites still were not examining the effectualness of their programmes. The lack of expertise and understanding of putting evaluation into practice has been recognised as a problem for environmental educations the world over (Zint et al 2007). To address this, a group of researchers and educators in the USA, led by Michaela Zint of the University of Michigan, have developed MEERA; My Environmental Education Evaluation Resource Assistant. This is a web-based tool for planning and learning about environmental education evaluation. Although still under development, MEERA already offers assistance in why and how to conduct evaluation, a series of tools and methods to run your own evaluation, a discussion forum and mailing list, with case studies of evaluation in practice to be included soon. Have a look at what is already available, and let the team developing MEERA know what you think! This tool seems to be shaping up nicely and should be of enormous benefit to botanic garden education worldwide. http://meera.snre.umich.edu/ Evaluation As educators, is there any point on carrying on developing and presenting education programmes, designing interpretative signs and communicating with the general public unless we know that we are being effective in achieving our objectives? Read more... Back to Archive	More News Canada’s botanic gardens network meets to discuss plant conservation 15th December 2008 Gala Benefit Dinner in aid of BGCI's Southeast Asia programme 15th December 2008 Meeting of West Africa Botanic Gardens Network (WABGNET), Abuja, Nigeria 12th December 2008 Plants as plates at Oman Botanic Garden! 1st December 2008 Have your say! BGCI Membership Questionnaire 2008 BGCI is striving to improve the services that we provide to our members. We need your help in order to do this. Please take 5 minutes to submit our Membership Questionnaire.