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Summative

Black Holes: The Other Side of Infinity - Summative Evaluation of Planetarium Show with Students

June 5, 2006 | Media and Technology, Informal/Formal Connections
With support from the National Science Foundation, Denver Museum of Nature and Science and Thomas Lucas Productions have produced a planetarium show entitled, Black Holes: The Other Side of Infinity. The 20-minute full-motion program uses scientific simulations and data-based animations to illustrate the death of stars and the birth and characteristics of black holes. Multimedia Research implemented a one-group pretest-posttest summative evaluation focused on appeal to and impact on upper elementary school students. Participating fourth graders (n = 104) and fifth graders (n = 64) were drawn from four public schools in urban, suburban and rural areas around Denver, CO. A researcher administered a pre-viewing questionnaire as part of the regular classroom activity. About one week later, the students took their museum field trip to see Black Holes: The Other Side of Infinity. The day after the field trip, the researcher administered the post-viewing questionnaire. The summative evaluation focused on the following major outcomes: In what ways did the show appeal to elementary school students? To what extent did the show achieve its intended viewing goals? The summative evaluation showed that Black Holes: The Other Side of Infinity successfully both entertains and educates the upper elementary age student.

TEAM MEMBERS

  • 2013 06 04 B Flagg Photo
    Evaluator
    Multimedia Research
  • Citation

    Funders

    NSF
    Funding Program: ISE
    Award Number: 0337286
    Resource Type: Evaluation Reports
    Discipline: Space science
    Audience: Elementary School Children (6-10) | Educators/Teachers | Museum/ISE Professionals | Evaluators
    Environment Type: Media and Technology | Films and IMAX | Informal/Formal Connections | K-12 Programs

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