Collaborative Capacity Building in the Zoo Setting
Presentation by Tom Beatman, PhD, Visitor Experience Research and Evaluation Manager, Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium®
Facilitator: Tom Beatman, Ph.D., Visitor Experience Research and Evaluation Manager, Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium®
Title: Collaborative Capacity Building in the Zoo Setting: Confirming conservation outcomes from education outputs
Abstract: While conservation education is now a ubiquitous feature in the mission statements of zoos & aquariums, there remains a limited body of evidence to support the paradigm that zoo and aquarium educational efforts produce meaningful conservation outcomes from their audiences. As a result of this challenge, many institutions are establishing or already have a culture of evaluation and research for their education departments. This talk summarizes the ongoing visitor experience research and evaluation efforts at Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium. Major focuses include baseline evaluation of education programs and visitor-facing content, and the ongoing content assessment being performed both internally and for other zoos’ interpretive content. A major facet of this exploratory research is examining the relationship between the distribution of content domains in exhibits and visitors’ learning outcomes as they relate to these domains. The aim of this talk is to highlight potential opportunities the Zoo’s educational programs and material present offer for the local academic community, to allow for productive research partnerships and collaborations and build the Zoo’s evaluative capacity.
About the Facilitator: Dr. Tom Beatman oversees visitor experience research and evaluation at the Omaha Zoo, examining visitor engagement and conservation impacts, as well as developing collaborative research projects with other institutions and universities. His research interests include how science communication in informal science learning environments can expand affinity towards biodiversity and reshape individuals’ vocabulary to better understand complex systems and large number scales. This interfaces with evolutionary relationships, our understanding of these relationships, and our ability to penetrate our inherent cognitive biases. Dr. Beatman is fascinated in how an understanding of (evolutionary) relationships between different organisms can overcome the culturally learned biases towards these perceived outgroups to improve empathy. Tom earned his PhD in Integrated Bioscience from the University of Akron. His dissertation developed material that uses game-design knowledge, education theory, and biology content to produce tools to communicate complex biological processes utilizing a mix of evolutionary, developmental, and educational psychology.
About the Teaching Practices Workshop Series: Offered as a collaboration with the Center for Faculty Excellence, we aim to expose UNO and affiliated educators to new educational strategies, including within the high-impact realms of inquiry-based learning, undergraduate research, and inclusive teaching.
Note: A link will be sent out for virtual access after registration.
Presentation by Tom Beatman, PhD, Visitor Experience Research and Evaluation Manager, Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium®
Facilitator: Tom Beatman, Ph.D., Visitor Experience Research and Evaluation Manager, Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium®
Title: Collaborative Capacity Building in the Zoo Setting: Confirming conservation outcomes from education outputs
Abstract: While conservation education is now a ubiquitous feature in the mission statements of zoos & aquariums, there remains a limited body of evidence to support the paradigm that zoo and aquarium educational efforts produce meaningful conservation outcomes from their audiences. As a result of this challenge, many institutions are establishing or already have a culture of evaluation and research for their education departments. This talk summarizes the ongoing visitor experience research and evaluation efforts at Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium. Major focuses include baseline evaluation of education programs and visitor-facing content, and the ongoing content assessment being performed both internally and for other zoos’ interpretive content. A major facet of this exploratory research is examining the relationship between the distribution of content domains in exhibits and visitors’ learning outcomes as they relate to these domains. The aim of this talk is to highlight potential opportunities the Zoo’s educational programs and material present offer for the local academic community, to allow for productive research partnerships and collaborations and build the Zoo’s evaluative capacity.
About the Facilitator: Dr. Tom Beatman oversees visitor experience research and evaluation at the Omaha Zoo, examining visitor engagement and conservation impacts, as well as developing collaborative research projects with other institutions and universities. His research interests include how science communication in informal science learning environments can expand affinity towards biodiversity and reshape individuals’ vocabulary to better understand complex systems and large number scales. This interfaces with evolutionary relationships, our understanding of these relationships, and our ability to penetrate our inherent cognitive biases. Dr. Beatman is fascinated in how an understanding of (evolutionary) relationships between different organisms can overcome the culturally learned biases towards these perceived outgroups to improve empathy. Tom earned his PhD in Integrated Bioscience from the University of Akron. His dissertation developed material that uses game-design knowledge, education theory, and biology content to produce tools to communicate complex biological processes utilizing a mix of evolutionary, developmental, and educational psychology.
About the Teaching Practices Workshop Series: Offered as a collaboration with the Center for Faculty Excellence, we aim to expose UNO and affiliated educators to new educational strategies, including within the high-impact realms of inquiry-based learning, undergraduate research, and inclusive teaching.
Note: A link will be sent out for virtual access after registration.