Exploring Engagement with the EcoSchools Platform

• Title: Exploring Engagement with the EcoSchools Platform: An Interactive Display Board Exploratory Evaluation.
• Lead by:  Kaitlyn Ashmore, MA candidate, Community Psychology, Wilfrid Laurier University, Research Associate at VERiS
• Supervisor: Dr. Manuel Riemer, Department of Psychology, Wilfrid Laurier University, Director at VERiS
• Dissertation Advisory Committee: Dr. Livia Dittmer, Wilfrid Laurier University, and Dr. Elizabeth Kurucz, University of Guelph
• Funding: SSHRC Partnership Engage Grant
• Approved by: Wilfrid Laurier University Research Ethics Review Board, REB#8953

Rationale and Objectives

This research aims to address the gap in literature on the engagement levels with the EcoSchools Canada’s new online platform following its transition from paper submissions. In addition, it seeks to explore the effectiveness of sustainability-related posters on engagement with the platform, specifically through the implementation of an Interactive Display Board that I designed and proposed during a placement completed January-May 2024 with the Waterloo Region District School Board. The objective of this research is to evaluate how the integration of the Interactive Display Board affects user engagement (Eco-team and school staff) with the EcoSchools platform. The research seeks to understand user experiences and report the outcomes from interacting with the Display Board.