Nanoscale science and engineering study and create materials and devices on the molecular scale. The Nanobiotechnology Center, a National Science Foundation supported Science and Technology Center, collaborated with Ithaca, New York's Sciencenter, a hands-on museum, and Painted Universe, Inc. an exhibition design-and-fabrication team, to create It's a NanoWorld, a 3,000 square-foot, hands-on traveling exhibition. Edu, Inc., an external evaluation group, led front-end research and formative evaluation to guide and refine development of the exhibition.
Summative evaluation investigated visitors' experiences and the degree to which the exhibition met its intended learning goals. Lessons learned were catalogued to guide development of future informal science education related to emerging technology. The summative evaluation used a pre-post study to investigate what content children acquired and exit interviews to explore children's understanding of concepts presented as well as any misconceptions related to the learning goals. Exit interviews with teens and adults revealed the extent of their understanding of the exhibition and its science content. The summative study found that visitors said It's a Nano World is a fun, inviting, and engaging hands-on exhibition. Pre-test and post-test findings showed increased understanding of key science vocabulary - for example, "cells" and "nano. The appendix of this report features interview protocols.
Summative evaluation investigated visitors' experiences and the degree to which the exhibition met its intended learning goals. Lessons learned were catalogued to guide development of future informal science education related to emerging technology. The summative evaluation used a pre-post study to investigate what content children acquired and exit interviews to explore children's understanding of concepts presented as well as any misconceptions related to the learning goals. Exit interviews with teens and adults revealed the extent of their understanding of the exhibition and its science content. The summative study found that visitors said It's a Nano World is a fun, inviting, and engaging hands-on exhibition. Pre-test and post-test findings showed increased understanding of key science vocabulary - for example, "cells" and "nano. The appendix of this report features interview protocols.
Document
Associated Projects
TEAM MEMBERS
Douglas Spencer
Evaluator
Edu, Inc.
Cornell University
Contributor
Victoria Angelotti
Evaluator
Edu Inc.
Sciencenter
Contributor
Citation
Funders
NSF
Funding Program:
ISE/AISL
Award Number:
0426378
Funding Amount:
1869025
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