Grantee questionnaire

NOAA Bay Watershed Education and Training (B-WET) Program National Evaluation System

Attachment 2 NOAA_B-WET_Grantee_Survey 2013-02-04

Grantee questionnare

OMB: 0648-0658

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Attachment 2: NOAA B-WET Grantee Survey

Greetings! Please answer the following questions in reference to the most recently-completed grant year of your current NOAA B-WET grant. You will be asked about a range of practices and outcomes that represent the diversity of Meaningful Watershed Educational Experiences (MWEEs) offered by B-WET-funded programs, some of which may not apply directly to your project. It is acceptable to answer “not applicable” (N/A) in those instances.

For the purposes of this questionnaire, we assume that Meaningful Watershed Educational Experiences (MWEEs) are investigative, project-oriented, sustained activities that include one or more outdoor experiences, consider the watershed as a system, and are an integral part of a school instructional program. MWEEs for students are projects that provide K-12 students opportunities for these activities. MWEEs for teachers provide K-12 teachers opportunities for professional development to build their confidence and capacity to implement MWEE activities with their students. MWEEs are enhanced by NOAA products, services, or personnel; support regional environmental and natural resource management priorities; and are designed to increase students’ and teachers’ understanding and stewardship of watersheds and related ocean, coastal and Great Lakes ecosystems.

We realize that not all MWEEs are designed in the same way and that your organization does not necessarily only offer one type. For the purposes of this survey, please respond in reference to NOAA B-WET-funded MWEEs and professional development. Also, because we are attempting to generalize, we will ask you to consider a “typical” MWEE offered by your organization. Please consider your most frequently offered B-WET-funded MWEE as “typical.”

All responses will be kept anonymous, that is they will not be associated with you and your organization. THANK YOU in advance for your candor and thoughtfulness in answering the questions that follow.

Note: The term “organization” is used generically to mean the B-WET funds “awardee.” The awardee may be one nonprofit organization or an academic institution completing the work, or the awardee may be an institution that is serving as the leader of a partnership of organizations that are completing the work. If you are the latter type of awardee, please respond on behalf of your collective group of partners.

Note: We apologize for redundancy in information you have previously provided to NOAA B-WET as part of your award.

It will take between 30-60 minutes to complete this survey, depending on the nature of your project. You can close the survey and return to the same place as long as you use the same computer to continue completing the survey.

If you have questions about this survey, please contact either your regional B-WET manager or Bronwen Rice, B-WET National Coordinator ([email protected]). Thank you.

OMB Control Number: 0648-xxxx Expires: xx/xx/20xx

Paperwork Reduction Act Statement

Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 30-60 minutes per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other suggestions for reducing this burden to Bronwen Rice, NOAA Office of Education, Herbert C. Hoover Building, Room 6863, 14th and Constitution Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20230. Responses are voluntary and collected and maintained as anonymous data. Information will be treated in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act (5 USC 552). Notwithstanding any other provision of the law, no person is required to respond to, nor shall any person be subject to a penalty for failure to comply with, a collection of information subject to the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act, unless that collection of information displays a currently valid OMB Control Number.

Did you or your organization operate a NOAA B-WET funded program this past grant year?

SKIP TO END IF ANSWERED NO ABOVE

Please enter your NOAA B-WET award number. Your NOAA B-WET award number has 14 letters and numbers, such as NA12NMF4638049. The award number will be used ONLY to 1) identify your B-WET region, not your organization, and 2) allow us to link information you provide with that of data that may be provided by your project’s teachers.

To what extent were you (personally) involved in:

	Not at all 1	2	3	4	To a great extent 5
Developing your organization's most recent funded B-WET grant proposal (on your own or through collaborating with an external grant writer)
Implementing your organization's most recent B-WET-funded grant
Evaluating your organization's most recent B-WET-funded grant (on your own or through collaborating with an external evaluation consultant)

In what 5-digit zip code is your organization located?

In which region(s) were your organization's MWEEs offered this past grant year? (check one)

California
Chesapeake Bay
Great Lakes
Gulf of Mexico
Hawaii
New England
Pacific Northwest
Other (please describe) ____________________

What is the total amount of funding you received this past grant year from NOAA for your B-WET project?

$1-20,000
$20,001-$50,000
$50,001-$100,000
$100,001-$200,000
$200,001-$300,000
$300,001 or greater
None

What is the total amount of funding for this project, from all sources, this past grant year?

$1-20,000
$20,001-$50,000
$50,001-$100,000
$100,001-$200,000
$200,001-$300,000
$300,001 or greater
None

Including this past grant year, for how many years has your organization received funding from NOAA B-WET for the currently-funded project?

1 year
2 years
3 years
4 or more years

For how many years total has this B-WET project been in existence, including years not funded by NOAA B-WET?

1 year
2 years
3 years
4 or more years

For what type of organization do you work? (choose one)

Academic institution (community college, college, university)
Business/Corporation
Local government
State education agency
State natural resource agency
Non-profit organization (including informal education institutions)
School/school district
Other (please describe) ____________________

Overall, what grade would you give the support you received from your region's NOAA B-WET staff over the past grant year?

Briefly describe why you selected this grade.

If offered, how likely is it that you will make use of each of the following to help you implement your B-WET-funded programs?

	Extremely unlikely 1	2	3	4	5	6	Extremely likely 7
One-on-one time with B-WET program staff (i.e., regional or national coordinators)
Facilitated networking with other B-WET grantees in my region
Facilitated networking with other B-WET grantees from other regions
Email listserv, web forum, Facebook page, or other tools for virtual interaction with other grantees
Access to local NOAA subject-matter experts
Information about and access to current NOAA data sets
NOAA materials and lesson plans relevant to watersheds
Suggested "best" or "preferred" practices for MWEEs
Assistance with evaluating MWEEs
Assistance with grant management
Opportunities to learn about watershed science
Opportunities to learn about local or regional environmental issues
Opportunities to learn about local or regional policy efforts impacting environmental education
Opportunities to learn about national policy efforts impacting environmental education
Opportunities to learn about climate literacy principles
Opportunities to learn about ocean literacy principles

(BRANCHING QUESTION)

Which of the following B-WET-funded programs did your organization provide? (choose no or yes for each line)

	No	Yes
MWEEs for students/youth who are between the ages of 4-18 (or grades PreK-12)
MWEE professional development or support for teachers
Other (please describe)

TEACHER PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Which of the following types of B-WET-funded MWEE professional development did you typically provide over the past grant year?

	No	Yes
One day workshops (usually less than 8 hours)
Teacher institute (usually on consecutive days that cumulatively consist of 40 hours or more
Multi-day workshops (events that last at least 6 hours, but are less than 40 hours, e.g., a three-day workshop on a specific topic or a series of five Saturday sessions)
A college-level course
Professional development provider training (training for individuals who provide teacher professional development)
Individual teacher coaching and support (e.g., curriculum planning, shared teaching, demonstrations and/or other forms of in-school or in-field support)
On-line professional development support (e.g., courses, webinars, discussion forums)

For about how many teachers, schools, and school districts did your organization provide professional development or support (e.g., trained in workshops, coached at schools or in the field) this past grant year as a result of your B-WET grant? (Please provide one number, NOT a range.)

About ____ teachers served

About ____ K-12 schools served

About ____ school districts served

What percent of the participating teachers taught the following grade levels? (total should equal 100%)

______ PreK

______ Elementary

______ Middle

______ High

______ I don't know

Did the majority of participating teachers teach science?

No
Yes
Don't know

About how many hours of MWEE professional development and/or support did your organization typically provide for any one teacher this past grant year?

None
1-2 hours
3-5 hours
6-10 hours
11-20 hours
21-40 hours
41-60 hours
61-80 hours
More than 80 hours

About how many hours did a typical teacher participate in outdoor activities as part of your organization's MWEE professional development this past grant year?

None
1-2 hours
3-5 hours
6-10 hours
11-20 hours
21-40 hours
41-60 hours
61-80 hours
More than 80 hours

To what extent was your organization's MWEE professional development content aligned with:

	NA	Don't know	Not at all 1	2	3	4	To a great extent 5
School district education standards
State education standards
National education standards
Regional environmental/natural resources management priorities

Were NOAA resources used as part of MWEE professional development for teachers?

DISPLAYED IF ANSWERED YES ABOVE

Which NOAA resources were incorporated into your organization's typical B-WET-funded MWEE professional development?

	Not sure	No	Yes
Information from NOAA studies or reports
Data collected by and accessible through NOAA, IF YES: Name the NOAA data source:
NOAA expert (e.g., scientist, educator, Sea Grant staff member, policy expert)
NOAA curricula and education programs, IF YES: Name the curricula or programs:
NOAA labs or facilities, IF YES: Name the lab or facility:
NOAA National Marine Sanctuary
NOAA National Estuarine Research Reserve

What education methods were used during your MWEE professional development? (select No or Yes for each method)

	Not sure	No	Yes
Outdoor field trip (i.e., excursion to learn about natural history and ecology in the outdoors, may or may not include data collection)
Field work (i.e., scientific study carried out somewhere other than in a classroom/laboratory, includes data collection)
Place-based education (i.e., an interdisciplinary instructional strategy that uses the local environment and community as the context for teaching and learning)
Scientific-inquiry-based learning (i.e., an instructional strategy that gives students the opportunity to explore an idea or question. To arrive at an answer or to better understand the concept, students often collect and analyze data)
Issue investigation (i.e., an interdisciplinary instructional strategy that engages learners in investigating complex, real-world environmental issues and problem-solving as the context for teaching and learning)
Service learning (i.e., an instructional strategy that integrates meaningful community service with instruction and reflection to enrich the learning experience, teach civic responsibility, and strengthen communities)

DISPLAYED IF ANSWERED YES TO SCIENTIFIC INQUIRY ABOVE

Which of the following science inquiry steps did you include? Engaged teachers in:

	No	Yes
Formulating scientific questions they can answer using data
Making predictions or hypotheses
Collecting data or using existing data
Analyzing and interpreting data
Making conclusions and adjusting predictions/hypotheses
Developing presentations of their findings

As part of your B-WET professional development workshops or institutes this past grant year, did your organization typically include the following:

	No	Yes
Presented information and examples illustrating how other teachers have integrated MWEEs into their curriculum
Discussed how teachers may be able to integrate MWEEs into their own curriculum or classroom activities
Discussed alignment of MWEEs with state, regional, or national standards
Provided examples of how MWEEs align with standards
Engaged teachers in aligning MWEEs with their school or school district standards
Allowed teachers time to plan how they will implement MWEEs
Engaged teachers in the same activities/practices they can use with their students
Included more than one teacher from individual schools
Presented how NOAA data can be used to support student scientific inquiry
Discussed how to use NOAA data to obtain knowledge about local issues
Shared examples of how other teachers have used NOAA data with their students
Allowed teachers time to plan how they will integrate the use of NOAA data

What types of support did your organization typically provide to teachers participating in MWEE professional development this past grant year?

	No	Yes
Assisted teachers with conducting field trips or field work
Assisted teachers with establishing schoolyard habitats
Assisted teachers with establishing restoration projects
Co-teaching in teachers' classrooms or in field
Provided coaching in participating teachers' classrooms
Provided demonstrations in teachers' classrooms
Assisted with the use of equipment or technologies
Communicated with teachers through personal phone calls or email
Communicated with teachers through newsletters or web-site (e.g., an online community)

Which characteristics describe your organization's typical MWEE professional development this past grant year?

	No	Yes
Helped make connections to local community organizations and resources
Facilitated interactions with NOAA scientists/staff
Facilitated interactions with natural resource professionals
Provided teacher stipends
Offered continuing education credits
Offered graduate credits
Provided equipment
Provided instructional/educational/curriculum materials
Provided information on how to obtain grants or funding for MWEEs

Did teachers participate in any of these activities to protect and/or restore ocean, coastal and/or Great Lakes watersheds DURING their MWEE professional development?

	No	Yes
Created a schoolyard or backyard habitat
Installed a rain barrel at school or at home
Gave presentation(s) about the local watershed (e.g., for school, other organizations)
Participated in or organized event(s) to raise awareness about the importance of watersheds
Participated in or helped coordinate a clean-up of a local stream or beach
Participated in a restoration activity (e.g., planting trees)
Limited or avoided the use of household chemicals including fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides
Told others about ways they can protect their local watershed
Monitored water quality over a period of time

It is a goal of my organization’s B-WET-funded professional development that teachers will be able to:

	NA	Don't know	No	Yes
Define the term “watershed”
Identify their local watershed(s)
Identify how watersheds are connected to the ocean via streams, rivers, and human-made structures
Identify the functions that occur in a watershed (transport, store, and cycle water)
Recognize that both natural processes and human activities affect water flow and water quality in watersheds.
Identify connections between human welfare and water flow and quality
Identify possible point and non-point sources of water pollution
Identify actions individuals can engage in to protect/restore water quality in watersheds

It is a goal of my organization’s B-WET-funded MWEE professional development that teachers will:

	NA	Don't know	No	Yes
Teach more about watersheds
Be more likely to implement MWEEs
Be more likely to implement MWEEs after they are no longer supported by our organization
Be more likely to use NOAA resources to enhance their students' MWEE experiences
Be more likely to guide students through taking action to protect or restore watersheds
Be more likely to use science inquiry instruction
Be more likely to use the outdoors for instruction
Be more likely to use local community resources as part of instruction
Be more likely to use interdisciplinary approaches to instruction
Be more enthusiastic about teaching science
Be more likely to act to protect and/or restore ocean, coastal, or Great Lakes watersheds

STUDENT MWEEs

Please answer the following questions with regard to the instruction your organization provides directly to students (not the instruction provided by teachers).

About how many students, schools, and school districts were served directly by your organization this past grant year as a result of your B-WET grant? (Please provide one number, NOT a range.)

About ___ students served

About ___ K-12 schools served

About ___ school districts served

What percent of the students/youth directly served by your organization were in each of the following grade levels? (total must equal 100%)

______ PreK

______ Elementary

______ Middle

______ High

______ Other

______ I don't know

What percent of the participating students’ schools are Title 1?

Don't know
Less than 20%
21-40%
41-60%
61-80%
81-100%

What percent of the participating students speak English as a second language (aka English Language Learners)?

Don't know
Less than 20%
21-40%
41-60%
61-80%
81-100%

To what extent were your organization's MWEEs aligned with:

	NA	Don't know	Not at all 1	2	3	4	To a great extent 5
School district education standards
State education standards
National education standards
Regional environmental/natural resources management priorities

Which of the following did your B-WET-funded programs provide for students during this past grant year?

	No	Yes
Off-site field programs during the school day
Schoolyard-based programs during the school day
Classroom-based programs during the school day, including distance learning experiences
After-school or weekend programs (e.g., science clubs)
Summer programs
Events for youth with their families

On average during the past grant year, a typical student spent ____ hours being taught by your organization’s staff during a B-WET-funded MWEE.

None
1-2 hours
3-5 hours
6-9 hours
10-16 hours
17-24 hours
25-40 hours
More than 40 hours

On average during the past grant year, a typical student spent ____ hours outdoors being taught by your organization’s staff during a B-WET-funded MWEE..

None
1-2 hours
3-5 hours
6-9 hours
10-16 hours
17-24 hours
25-40 hours
More than 40 hours

On average, a typical student participated in your organization's B-WET-funded MWEEs over the course of:

One day
2-6 days
One week
2-3 weeks
One month
2-3 months
4-8 months
A full school year (about 9 months)
A full calendar year
Multiple years

Were your organization’s typical B-WET-funded MWEEs focused only on science concepts, or on concepts from multiple disciplines (e.g., science, math, social studies, literature, art, music)?

Only science concepts
Concepts from multiple disciplines, including science
Other

Were NOAA resources used as part of MWEES for students?

DISPLAYED IF ANSWERED YES ABOVE

Which NOAA resources were used as part of MWEEs for students?

	Not sure	No	Yes
Information from NOAA studies or reports
Data collected by and accessible through NOAA, IF YES: Name the NOAA data source:
NOAA expert (e.g., scientist, educator, Sea Grant staff member, policy expert)
NOAA curricula and education programs, IF YES: Name the curricula or programs:
NOAA labs or facilities, IF YES: Name the lab or facility:
NOAA National Marine Sanctuary
NOAA National Estuarine Research Reserve

What education methods were used by your organization’s staff with students during your organization’s typical B-WET-funded MWEEs? (select a response for each method)

	Not sure	No	Yes
Outdoor field trip (i.e., excursion to learn about natural history and ecology in the outdoors, may or may not include data collection)
Field work (i.e., scientific study carried out somewhere other than in a classroom/laboratory, includes data collection)
Place-based education (i.e., an interdisciplinary instructional strategy that uses the local environment and community as the context for teaching and learning)
Scientific-inquiry-based learning (i.e., an instructional strategy that gives students the opportunity to explore an idea or question. To arrive at an answer or to better understand the concept, students often collect and analyze data)
Issue investigation (i.e., an interdisciplinary instructional strategy that engages learners in investigating complex, real-world environmental issues and problem-solving as the context for teaching and learning)
Service learning (i.e., an instructional strategy that integrates meaningful community service with instruction and reflection to enrich the learning experience, teach civic responsibility, and strengthen communities)

DISPLAYED IF ANSWERED YES TO SCIENTIFIC INQUIRY ABOVE

Which of the following science inquiry steps did you include? Engaged students in:

	No	Yes
Formulating scientific questions they can answer using data
Making predictions or hypotheses
Collecting data or using existing data
Analyzing and interpreting data
Making conclusions and adjusting predictions/hypotheses
Developing presentations of their findings

Did students participate in any of these activities to protect and/or restore ocean, coastal and/or Great Lakes watersheds during your organization’s B-WET-funded MWEEs? (please indicate no or yes for each activity)

	No	Yes
Created a schoolyard or backyard habitat
Conserved water at school to protect the local watershed
Installed a rain barrel at school
Reduced litter at school
Gave presentation(s) about the local watershed (e.g., for school, other organizations)
Participated in an event to raise awareness about the importance of watersheds
Helped clean up or take care of a local stream or beach
Participated in a restoration activity (e.g., planting trees)
Told others about ways they can protect their local watershed
Monitored water quality over a period of time

It is a goal of my organization’s B-WET-funded MWEEs that students will:

	NA	Don't know	No	Yes
Know more about the ocean
Know more about climate change
Feel more connected to their local watershed
Express greater caring and concern for watersheds
Be more confident in their ability to protect and/or restore watersheds
Be more likely to act to protect and/or restore watersheds
Be better able to make informed decisions about how to protect or restore watersheds
Be better able to conduct scientific investigations
Be more likely to express an interest in pursuing science careers
Perform better academically in science
Perform better on state standardized tests
Be more engaged in their science learning

It is a goal of my organization’s B-WET-funded MWEEs that students will be able to:

	NA	Don't know	No	Yes
Define the term “watershed”
Identify their local watershed(s)
Identify how watersheds are connected to the ocean via streams, rivers, and human-made structures
Identify the functions that occur in a watershed (transport, store, and cycle water)
Recognize that both natural processes and human activities affect water flow and water quality in watersheds.
Identify connections between human welfare and water flow and quality
Identify possible point and non-point sources of water pollution
Identify actions individuals can engage in to protect/restore water quality in watersheds

PROGRAM EVALUATION

Which of the following best describes the situation with regard to evaluation(s) of your organization's B-WET-funded programs?

Don't know
No evaluation has been conducted and there are no plans to complete one
No evaluation has been conducted, but there are plans to complete one
An evaluation is being conducted, but it is not yet finished
One or more evaluations has/have been completed
Other (please describe) ____________________

DISPLAYED IF ANSWERED ONE OR MORE COMPLETED ABOVE

What type of evaluation has been completed?

	Not conducted	Completed but no report is available	Completed and report is available
Needs assessment (determines the need for a project by considering aspects such as available resources, extent of the problem and need to address it, participant interest and knowledge, etc. This is also known as front-end evaluation.)
Process/implementation (examines the implementation of a project, focusing on the effort invested in the project and its direct outputs. For example, an implementation evaluation might measure how the project is being delivered, who participated, and whether they were satisfied with it). Note that this type of evaluation is NOT the same as a program report!
Outcome (shows the programs’ direct effects on target outcomes and provides direction for program improvement. For example, outcome evaluation may show that a program was (or was not) successful in changing participants’ knowledge, attitudes, skills, intentions, or behaviors)
Impact (seeks to assess the broader, longer-term changes that occurred as a result of a project such as in improved environmental quality)

DISPLAYED IF OUTCOME OR IMPACT CHOSEN ABOVE

Please answer the following questions with regard to the outcome or impact evaluation your organization completed. If your organization completed more than one outcome or impact evaluation, please answer the following questions based on the evaluation with the most rigorous research (e.g., valid/reliable instruments, appropriate sampling, use of control/comparison groups, content analysis of qualitative data, etc.) methods:

Which of the following best describes who led the evaluation?

Don't know
Internal staff member (someone who is an employee of your organization)
External consultant (someone who is not an employee of your organization) If selected, please provide consultant/firm name: ____________________
Other (please describe) ____________________

Do the evaluation results include evidence of:

	Don't know	Not measured	No	Yes
Increases in knowledge about watersheds (participants learned new information)
Changes in attitudes toward watersheds (participants’ changed their beliefs, opinions, feelings, or perspectives)
Increases in the skills needed to engage in behaviors to protect and/or restore ocean, coastal and/or Great Lakes watersheds (verbal, mental, or physical)
Increases in intentions to act on behalf of watersheds
Participants engaging in actions that protect or restore watersheds
Improved water quality (positive changes in physical watershed that can be attributed to participants’ actions)
Improved academic performance

NOAA B-WET IMPACT

Please indicate to what extent you agree or disagree with the next 6 statements.

As a result of NOAA B-WET, the public is more familiar with NOAA, such as NOAA science, resources, and experts.

N/A
Strongly Disagree 1
2
3
4
5
6
Strongly Agree 7