Exploratory evaluation of a sustainable bioenergy education program

Abstract

As part of a USDA-NIFA grant, Oklahoma State University hosted a weeklong bioenergy professional development session for 16 agricultural education teachers, science teachers, and Extension educators across the United States. The workshop consisted of several classroom and laboratory sessions, which were modeled after the train-the-trainer method of professional development. The participants also experienced several field tours and learned about and observed the cutting-edge bioenergy research being conducted at Oklahoma State University. Participants were exposed to multiple laboratory-based, bioenergy-related experiments throughout the week. To determine impact of the professional development on educators' content knowledge, survey research was conducted prior to and at the end of the week. Then, approximately 11 months after the conclusion of the weeklong workshop, the participants were administered a modified version of the instrument to gauge their retention of the content and to determine the rate at which they applied the material presented at the workshop to their students. The study found educators' bioenergy content and pedagogical knowledge confidence levels increased substantially (in excess of one point on a four-point scale) as a result of their participation in the workshop. Although their knowledge of bioenergy declined 11 months later, their self-perceived scores ranged between good knowledge and great knowledge, indicating the workshop made a positive impact on educators' content understanding and their ability to apply bioenergy concepts in the classroom.