Our Partners
Benefits of Hands-On Training
Helping Volunteers Build Mental Models
Covering 32 acres on the shores of Lake Michigan, the Racine Zoo is a beautiful sanctuary that is home to around 75 species of animals. The zoo employs 25 full-time staff members who are supported by both adult and teen volunteers.
The Challenge: Preparing Volunteers for Their First Shift
The Racine Zoo decided to focus on updating volunteer training using concepts they learned from the SEE learning cohort. While the Zoo offered a great variety of volunteer positions, they did not have a specific training tailored to each role, and they realized that the ones they did have were not as effective as they could be.
With the aim of trying out a truly small experiment, the team focused on improving a single training: the Commissary position. This role helps zoo staff prepare food for the animals.
For the past few years, the training had consisted of a short 20-minute meeting at the zoo where staff read the guidelines off of a paper and gave a brief tour of the commissary kitchen. While this was better than no training at all, volunteers reported feeling unprepared for their first shift and didn’t quite know what to expect. Meanwhile, the Commissary Keepers (the staff who work with these volunteers) had also mentioned that many new volunteers struggled with using a kitchen knife efficiently and chopping food to the right size.
The Small Experiment: Revamping Training
The Racine Zoo wanted to help new volunteers feel capable going into their first shift, with a good start of a mental model about the tasks they would be doing, so they knew what to expect. Staff decided to make the training longer and more in-depth, including hands-on practice chopping food under the guidance of the lead Commissary Keeper. They also turned the handout of guidelines into a SEE-informed powerpoint presentation that incorporated engaging visuals and used the slide format to chunk related ideas in a visual manner. After the training session, volunteers went home with a printed copy of the guidelines and a digital copy of the slideshow so they could refer back to them.
Connections to SEE
While designing the training, the Zoo pulled ideas from all three of the SEE domains. To foster greater understanding, they made sure to start with the basics, like What does the word “commissary” mean? They tried to focus on sharing the essential information without added clutter. By providing hands-on practice time with the tasks they would perform, volunteers could build a mental model of what to expect on their first shift. It also gave volunteers an opportunity to meet each other and the lead Commissary Keeper so they would have an idea of who they may be working with. As they had done in the past, Zoo staff gave a tour of the kitchen area to help volunteers familiarize with the space and feel comfortable in it, and know where to go on their first day.
In consideration of the volunteers’ bandwidth, they thought about how to cater to different learning styles so everyone could receive the information in a way that supported their understanding. The slideshow presentation for visual learners with Zoo staff presenting it out loud for auditory learners, and practicing chopping food for the hands-on learners. During the hands-on training, the lead Commissary Keeper gave a demonstration and then provided individual feedback, showing them different tips and tricks to help them develop their chopping skills.
To incorporate meaningful engagement, they included a slide in the powerpoint to share how volunteers are making a difference for not only the animals but also the staff and the Zoo as a whole. In addition, they made sure to allow time to go over any questions the volunteers had.
Mandinka, the Sudan-Plated Lizard, eats his 'salad,'prepared by a volunteer.
The Results
At the time of publishing, the Racine Zoo had completed two new Commissary training sessions with nine new volunteers. One of the volunteers had completed their first shift, and the Commissary Keeper said “She was great and super helpful!” The lead Commissary Keeper who attended the training and helped the volunteers practice gave this feedback,“I do like the new style of training, (but) it will never be able to fully cover everything before their first shift. But I think it’s good!” Zoo staff will continue to ask for feedback as more volunteers go through the training and start signing up for Commissary shifts.