A Market Analysis for Adult Outdoor Education in Five Western States

Organizations that offer Outdoor Education programs for adults are concerned with how to best attract people to their programs. Effective program design begins with a clear understanding of the people to be served. A marketing orientation--meeting the needs of participants--has begun to pervade non-profit management; specific information on the adult market for Outdoor Education remains limited. The purpose of this study was to identify and characterize segments based upon the benefits people seek from such an experience. Secondly, this analysis describes current programs 1n a five state region and identifies discrepancies between available and needed services. A mail survey of past participants of three residential programs (Audubon Camp of the West, National Wildlife Federation Summits and Teton Science School Seminars) was conducted in 1984. Participants were asked their reasons for attendance and their preferences for location, topic, accommodations and other program features. Demographic background such as age, sex, and income, was recorded. Thirty Outdoor Education organizations reported on their existing programs. The proposed method of segmentation--cluster analysis--failed to yield identifiable market segments using the forty three benefit variables selected from similar studies 1n outdoor recreation. Subsequent work in this study was devoted to testing alternative means of segmentation in order to identify a restricted list of variables capable of differentiating the sample public, somewhat specialized at the outset by virtue of past participation 1n Outdoor Education programs. Vacation-oriented and development-oriented segments were shown to significantly differ and the preferences of each described. Each organization appears to be serving slightly different types of people, with the clientele varying in the degree of comfort desired, concern for serious study and cost-consciousness. The overall market for adult Outdoor Education is primarily motivated by a desire to study and be close to nature. Social aspects, quest for knowledge and stimulation, and enjoyment of quiet beauty were also important considerations. Existing services and facilities 10 the five state region match expectations of participants with the exception of accommodations and meals provided. Many organizations continue to program for young adults even though the dominant age group is twenty-six to fifty-five years old with characteristic needs and interests. This market study and literature review form the bas is for recommending improvements in adult programming. A marketing point of view should enable Outdoor Educators to develop learning opportunities in the outdoor classroom that are not only inspirational, but attractive, convenient and affordable for selected target markets

The Research Recap

The Research Recap is a podcast miniseries consisting of one-on-one interviews with faculty and graduate students involved in research at the University of Iowa. The project consisted of an episode miniseries, each with an interviewee discussing their research in a context that someone unfamiliar with the field could understand. Episodes give details about university research that demystifies these knowledge-generating processes, breaking down “research” into projects, collaborations, and processes. Additionally, episodes include the host answering relevant audience questions submitted via email, giving listeners an opportunity to directly engage with the discussion. The project was released incrementally on the Soundcloud platform, and aired on KRUI’s The Lab to further diversify the listening base

Asynchronous Continuing Education for Iowa’s Green Industry Professionals

A collaborative two-part project between Iowa State University Horticulture Extension and the Iowa Nursery and Landscape Association (INLA) resulted in an online, asynchronous training program to prepare green industry professionals for the Iowa Certified Nursery Professional (ICNP) exam, and to provide advanced training through webinars. Since 2008, members have accessed a set of 20 training modules that cover plant identification and content on the written portion of the certification exam. In the 6 years since the modules have been used, the pass rate for the written portion of the exam has increased from 57% (2005–07, 18 participants) to 85% (2008–13, 49 participants). A survey administered to participants between 2008 and 2013 gathered information on participant demographics, interest in learning in an online format, usefulness and applicability of information in preparing for the exam, module usability, and how the modules impacted their learning. Participants felt that the modules were an effective way to deliver content (4.45 out of 5) and reported they were comfortable using a web-based format to learn (4.89 out of 5). Advanced training was delivered to members through three webinar series: five webinars in 2011 and four webinars each in 2012 and 2013. Although attendance to the live webinar sessions was limited, the archived versions have been accessed a number of times

Influencing Unrealistic Optimism In Young Women’s Perceived Risk Of Skin Cancer

Past research has shown that individuals have a strong tendency to believe that they are less likely than others to experience negative health outcomes (Weinstein, 1980). This tendency to be “unrealistically optimistic” can contribute to greater engagement in risky health behaviors, and in turn, greater actual risk of the negative health outcome. Within the current study, factors previously shown to influence unrealistically optimistic health perceptions (i.e., images of risky/protective health behavior, peer risk estimates, personal risk/protective factors) were directly manipulated to examine their effects on young women’s perceived risk of developing skin cancer. Participants were 363 Caucasian women between the ages of 18 and 24 who completed an online study via MTurk. The study entailed an Image (high risk, low risk, no image) x Peer Information (given, not given) x Personal Factors List (risk, protective, none) 3 x 2 x 3 factorial design. Results showed no significant differences in risk estimates among participants who received the “unrealistic optimism diminishing” conditions vs. those who received the “unrealistic optimism enhancing” conditions, and neither group differed from those who received the control conditions. However, a significant main effect for Peer Information indicated that participants who received peer information estimated their absolute risk and comparative risk as significantly lower than those who did not view peer information. Findings from the study provide a better understanding of the factors that contribute to young women’s risk perceptions regarding skin cancer

Reflective Writing as an Assessment for Student Analysis and Synthesis Ability in a Landscape Design Course

Horticulture graduates entering the field of landscape design and installation must be able to integrate technical skills with practical applications. This requires higher-order thinking skills such as critical thinking, which can be practiced through various teaching and learning strategies in an undergraduate curriculum. The objective of this project was to develop a series of three reflective writing assignments in a landscape design course to help students improve their critical thinking skills of analysis and synthesis. Scores on an 18-point quiz question for 110 students enrolled in Beginning Garden Composition (HORT 380) from 2005 to 2009 were compared. The comparison was between 2 years when the reflective writing assignments were not part of the course and 3 years when the assignments were included in the course. Quiz scores increased significantly for the students who completed the reflective writing assignments (average of 16.2 out of 18) compared with students who did not complete the assignments as part of the course (average 10.2 out of 18)

The Impact Of Social Norms On Young Women\u27s Health-Related Risk Perceptions, Intentions, And Behaviors

Research has shown that social norms may influence individuals’ engagement in potentially dangerous behaviors. The current study examined the influence of descriptive norms and injunctive norms on risk perceptions, intentions, and behavioral outcomes for tanning and binge drinking. Participants were 359 Caucasian women between the ages of 21 and 25 years old residing in the United States who completed online surveys via Amazon’s Mechanical Turk (MTurk). The study employed a 3 (Descriptive norm information: high risk estimate vs. low risk estimate vs. none) x 3 (Injunctive norm information: approval vs. disapproval vs. none) x 2 (Target risk behavior: tanning vs. binge drinking) factorial design. It was expected that exposure to high risk (vs. low risk) estimate information and disapproval norm information (vs. approval norm information) would produce higher personal risk estimates, weaker intent to engage in the target behavior, and less engagement in that behavior during the follow-up period. The results showed that descriptive norms impacted risk estimates in the expected direction, and injunctive norms impacted behavior intentions in the expected direction. However, exposure to social norms did not influence subsequent behavioral outcomes. Findings provided insight into the varying relationships between social norms and young women’s risk perceptions as a function of different types of health-related behaviors