• For inclusion in Progress toward proposed goals – Educational Goals:
Breakdown of PIRE Participants
• 63 unique individuals participated in PIRE Activities:– 33 Field Course Participants– 9 Traveled to complete research (not including those who
also attended the Field Course)– 21 Traveled to attend other activities such as meetings,
conferences, workshops, outreach, etc. (not including those who attended the field course or traveled for research)
Amazon-PIRE Fellows, 2007- Present
• 7 Students have been awarded Fellowships
• All:– U.S. Citizens– U of A Graduate Students– White, Non-Hispanic– Have traveled to Brazil
with the program at least once
– Have attended Field Course
U.S. Field Course Participants, N=33 2008-2009
*Other Participants were citizens of Columbia, U.K, Mexico, Hungary, and Spain
U.S. Field Course Participants, N=33 2008-2009
*Other U.S. Universities included Rice University, San Diego State University, Duke University, and University of Georgia
U.S. Field Course Participants, N=33 2008-2009
Participants Traveling for Research (Not Including Field Course N=9)
*Other Participants were citizens of Canada, China, Columbia, and France
Participants Traveling for Research (Not Including Field Course, N=9)
*Other U.S. Universities included University of New Hampshire
Participants Traveling for Research (Not Including Field Course, N=9)
Participants Traveling for Activities Other than Field Course and Research
(n=21)
*Other Participants were citizens of the U.K.
Participants Travelling for Activities Other than Field Course and
Research(n=21)
*Other U.S. Universities University of Florida and University of Missouri St. Louis
Participants Travelling for Activities Other than Field Course and
Research(n=21)
• For inclusion in Barriers/Challenges• You can use the map for your discussion of
recruitment and say we’ve explored this problem using Root Cause Analysis interviews with students and faculty.
Lack of interest in working in Brazilian
Amazon
Problems exist in recruiting
students to international collaboration
programs
Perception: It is difficult to work in the Amazon
Logistical challengesDistance
Cost
Obtaining VISALack of experience with people who
have worked in the Amazon
Cultural perception that Amazon is “end of the earth”
Health issues
Media portrayal of region
Lack experience of actually being there
Prefer working in Lab
Not adventurous
Lack of awareness that program exists among
target audiences *
*Target audiences:•Undergrads elsewhere•UA/Harvard Grad Students•Minorities
Lack of visibility on EEB, hydrology, geosciences websites
Advisors aren’t getting
information
Not paying attention to info. they do get
Lack of personal contact
Lack of time Personal relationships not being used
Not maintaining relationships (attending conferences, etc.)
Personal relationships with staff underdeveloped
Unable to recruit those who are both aware of the
program and interested (Students and post-docs)
They don’t apply
Personal relationships with students underdeveloped
Numerous competing opportunities
Don’t move fast enough in offering (they find other opportunities)
Lack of communication
Lack appropriate materials for target audiences
Lack word-of-mouth
Students don’t look for programsStudents get discouraged/
think it is too hard to get in
Students don’t have access to sources that advertise (email listservs, universities)
Lack of money/support for students to participateNot a high priority
(federal government)
Government doesn’t understand the benefits of international collaboration- more concerned with # of people with higher degrees (PhD’s)
Language barriersLack of opportunities to learn language
PROBLEM 2SUMMARY MAP9/09
Positive Course Feedback• 100% of participants rated the course as “one of the best” or
“better than average” as compared to other courses they have taken.
• 86% of responding participants indicated they learned “more than usual” to “an exceptional amount” in this course as compared to other courses they have taken.
• 91% of responding participants indicated in-class activities were “usually effective” or “almost always effective” in helping them learn.
• Open-ended feedback - participants greatly enjoyed their experience at Caxiuana including working closely with the course instructors, forming new relationships with foreign students and researchers, and the learning and research opportunities available at the facility.
Identified Areas for Improvement• Many students mentioned language barriers caused difficulty in
completing field and group work, and recommended language crash-courses be a prerequisite for participation in the Field Course
• Additional hands-on and calculation demonstrations were requested
• Students mentioned confusion over abbreviations, graphs, and equations presented in lecture due to varying scientific backgrounds
• Students requested details in daily lecture pertinent to the current field site (e.g., the flora, soil characteristics, carbon dioxide profiles, etc.)
• Students requested additional references in lecture to possible field projects related to the topic
• Students requested additional time to complete reading assignments prior to the course
Amazon-PIRE Evaluation Strategy
Provided by Evaluation Team under the direction of Ralph Renger, PhD Associate Professor
Mel & Enid Zuckerman College of Public HealthUniversity of Arizona
Levels of Evaluation for Amazon-PIRE
Impact
What effect did participating in the program have on
participants?
Short, Intermediate, Long Term Outcomes
Process
Was the program delivered as
intended? How can program delivery be
improved?
•Course Feedback•Protocol Adherence
Oversight
Describes the Amazon-PIRE
Program and its participants
•Counts•Demographics
Evaluation Strategy for Amazon-PIRE
Evaluation Strategy Oversight & Compliance
Program Monitoring
Impact/ Merit & Worth
(Online Registration) X X (baseline)
Pre-Course Survey X X (baseline)
Daily Feedback Forms X
Post-Course Survey X X
Project Structured Interviews
X
(Online Follow-up) X X
Root Cause Analysis X
Impact Evaluation
1. Conducted Root Cause Analysis Interviews with students and staff to gain better understanding of problem and identify short-term, intermediate, and long term outcomes
2. Met with Key decision makers to align Amazon-PIRE activities to identified root causes and identify areas of overlap – Field Course– Fellowship– Meetings– Research/Fieldwork Trips
Barriers exist to international collaboration
Lack funding for international
research
General shortage of government
research money
Lack political
motivation
Political concerns with using
taxpayer dollars for foreign programs
Lack sight of benefit to U.S.
in having international collaboration
Cultural differences (different attitudes toward work/ambition, 1st/3rd world tensions/imperialistic
motives, cultural prejudices on both sides
Language barriers
People don’t learn the language
Lack opportunity to learn language
Time investment
Unaware of availability
People focus on research goals, not
understanding local culture
Short time spent internationally
Many objectives while on-site Cultural ignorance about
one another
Lack technical/ infrastructural
capacity (including workforce/staffing)
(no motivation to reduce) Bureaucratic issues with our and other governments
(import/export, travel, permissions/visas)
Logistical problems with remote research (power,
cost of transportation, data transfer and quality)
High cost and low technical feasibility of
solutions (ex. solar power, satellite data)
Ignorance of technical know-how
Barriers to communication
Differences in quality of education
Lack previous international collaboration
Scientists have different levels of training
Training is very different in different countries
There is no international standard for training
Lack of credibility
Poor international relationshipsScientists don’t
know each other long enough Scientists are reluctant
to share informationInstitutional Bureaucracy
Lack of face-to-face International Contacts
Absence of opportunities to meet international
scientists in one location
There are not a lot of scientists in the
Amazon (esp. Pará)Lack of fellowships
Few advisors & role models
Uncertainty in asking for assistance in a particular project
Don’t know what types of assistance to
ask of people
U.S. partners don’t know existing jobs/roles/ responsibilities of
international collaborators on a project
MAP 1 9-18-09
Antecedent Conditions targeted in 3+ Activities
AntecedentConditions targeted in 2 or fewer Activities
Impact Evaluation
Next Step:Determine how to measure and evaluate these
items– Establish indicators and data collection protocols
Evaluation Steps for Coming Year
• Continue to develop Online Registration & Follow-up Databases – To assist in collecting Oversight and Impact data
for all program components and store it in a single location
• Refine feedback forms and group interviews• Include activities other than Field Course in
Evaluation