Sharing Place Names of Hanauma Bay: A Multimedia Prototype

Abstract

The Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve is recognized worldwide as a model of sustainable resource use that hosts almost a million visitors annually. Educating visitors about the ecological and cultural systems of Hanauma Bay can lead to a deeper understanding, appreciation, and stewardship for the place. The goal of this instructional design project was to develop a multimedia module prototype that would educate and encourage Hawai‘i residents to visit Hanauma Bay. The module utilizes interesting stories about the cultural and natural history of the bay related to the naming of locations and is designed to reach out to an audience beyond the physical park boundaries by utilizing virtual and web-based media. Thirty education and outreach specialists in Hawai‘i’s natural resource agencies and environmental programs evaluated the effectiveness of this resource tool. Their findings highlighted great interest in this prototype module. Participants felt access to a variety of related visual and video files provided an effective and engaging educational resource tool. Input to improve this module included increased information and stories about each site using a variety of media such as audio files or video of aerial flyovers to give more encompassing images of the locations. The implications of this virtual education strategy for non-formal learning and outreach education are also discussed.