Ohio Energy Project

Who are the people you serve with your mission?

Ohio Energy Project (OEP) has been serving students, teachers, and communities since 1988. Offering hands-on science programs to learners of all backgrounds, OEP serves tens of thousands of Ohioans annually in energy education. School budgets should not be barriers to science. With this in mind, OEP offers all programming free of charge to eliminate barriers to entry and ensure all learners have access to critical content poised to spark curiosity about energy. And to ensure energy education equity, OEP focuses much of its efforts on under-resourced school districts and communities by prioritizing programming in schools reporting a free or reduced lunch rate of 50% or higher.

How is your organization collecting feedback from the people you serve?

Electronic surveys (by email, tablet, etc.), Paper surveys, Focus groups or interviews (by phone or in person), Constituent (client or resident, etc.) advisory committees,

How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?

To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals,

What significant change resulted from feedback?

With a shifting classroom environment, one concern many teachers voiced was the need for more digital support. Whether teaching in person, hybrid, or remotely, many teachers shared that digital resources and tools are necessary for efficient instruction. To better support our teachers and schools, OEP customized and implemented the Canvas Learning Management System--an online classroom management system that allows teachers to organize all of their OEP content digitally and share curriculum, activities, videos, etc. with students and families at the click of a button. This resource has been well received with many teachers sharing that this platform allows them to seamlessly integrate OEP curriculum into their lesson plans no matter the classroom environment.

With whom is the organization sharing feedback?

The people we serve, Our staff, Our board, Our funders, Our community partners,

How has asking for feedback from the people you serve changed your relationship?

OEP is proud to provide a comprehensive, standards-based curriculum that was designed by teachers for teachers. In order to uphold these standards, feedback is critical from the educators we serve. Through an extensive survey and evaluation process conducted at the end of each program year, OEP provides teachers the opportunity to make suggestions, voice concerns, and truly shape the curriculum and materials provided to them. As a result of this process, OEP teachers feel ownership over the curriculum and programs they participate in, resulting in a high retention rate year after year. Because of this, OEP has fostered long-term relationships with thousands of teachers across Ohio.

Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?

We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We take steps to get feedback from marginalized or under-represented people, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We look for patterns in feedback based on demographics (e.g., race, age, gender, etc.), We look for patterns in feedback based on people’s interactions with us (e.g., site, frequency of service, etc.), We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive, We tell the people who gave us feedback how we acted on their feedback, We ask the people who gave us feedback how well they think we responded,

What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?

We don't have any major challenges to collecting feedback,