This report explores the reach, engagement and impacts of the Young Ocean Explorers web platform. Young Ocean Explorers (YOE) offers an interactive web platform and learning resources to engage schools and young people aged 5-13 years with the ocean environment.

The evaluation is draws from the following data sources:

• Analysis of YOE website analytics

• A survey of teachers using the YOE resources

• Focus groups with students from two schools

• Interviews with teachers from five schools.

YOE reach and engagement

Analysis of website data indicates that YOE has a high reach, and that there is active engagement with the site content. There were between 15,000 and 112,000 visitors each month to YOE between February and August 2018. Engagement with the site, in terms of completing content through to conclusion (considered to be a high bar for engagement), varied from approximately 1500 to 13,400 visitors. Accessing YOE peaked in March 2018, likely to be as a result of Sea Week activities across New Zealand.

Teachers who had registered with the YOE website were invited to take part in an online survey, where they were initially asked if they were using YOE in their teaching. Two-thirds of teachers (67%) registered with the platform were using YOE, and a further 31% intended to. Only 2% were not intending to use the platform. The survey data indicates YOE is being used with a wide range of ages, spanning years 1 to 8.

Value of YOE in teaching

Approximately four out of five teachers (79%) indicated YOE was really helpful, and a further 18% said it was generally helpful. More than half of teachers using YOE (57%) had done so on six or more occasions. The relevance of YOE content to existing curriculum was the most frequently cited reason that teachers found the content helpful in the classroom, along with being engaging and relatable for students.

Almost all teachers reported that children enjoy YOE a great deal (83%) or a reasonable amount (16%). Teachers noticed that their students were excited by the content; engaged with the material, the videos in particular; eager to discuss and share their learning, within and outside the classroom; and inspired and engaged by the young presenter. Students reported that they enjoyed YOE because it was fun, it was relatable to them as individuals and, they were able to learn a great deal from the website. Students said that the young presenter, who was just a bit older than themselves, on YOE was inspiring and it made the videos more relatable. When asked ‘how likely is it that you would recommend YOE to a friend or colleague?’ on a scale of 1 to 10, 61% of teachers gave a 9 or 10 rating, and a further 17% gave a 7 or 8 rating. This equates to a very high Net Promoter Score of 49.

Impacts of YOE

Among teachers using YOE, there is a clear indication that YOE is contributing to students’ knowledge, particularly for the marine environment in general, the risks to the marine environment, and things they can do to protect the ocean. For students in the Auckland and Northland regions, YOE is making a strong contribution to understanding of the marine environment in the Hauraki Gulf.

There was wide agreement among teachers using YOE that the platform and resources inspire young people in the following ways:

• Reducing the amount of plastic they and their families use (90% indicating either a reasonable amount or a great deal)

• Learning more about the marine environment (95%)

• Keeping our communities clean (86%)

• Making changes in the school about plastics and waster (79%)

• Picking up rubbish every day (80%)

YOE appears to be making a positive contribution to changes around the school. Between 17% and 19% of teachers thought that YOE was inspiring schools to pick up more rubbish around the school, reduce plastic use, and reduce waste; a further 58% to 60% of teachers thought that YOE was supporting changes that were either happening or they were planning to make. This is particularly so in the Auckland/Northland region, for reducing waste and plastic use.

Students reported that the ‘Stop Plastic’ YOE video made them want to pick up plastic and help solve the plastic issue in the oceans, and to reduce littering. Students were able to report changes made at the school and home to reduce plastic consumption, often as a result of actions led by the students themselves.

Potential improvements

While many teachers said that there were no improvements needed, some suggestion for improvement were:

• Printable follow-up resources to support and extend learning

• Links to further information on topics and projects/initiatives beyond YOE

• The inclusion of experiments and research projects

• More interactive resources

• Visiting schools

• Videos for younger students (suggested by students themselves)

Overall, the combination of data sources sends a strong signal that YOE is highly engaging on issues facing the marine environment, and is proving successful motivating changes in schools, and in the lives of school children, to protect our oceans and the Hauraki Gulf.

For more information:

Young Ocean Explorers www.youngoceanexplorers.com

Steve Hathaway: Steve@stevehathaway.com