Poster on NSF grant DRL-1114467 (""Collaborative Research: Full Scale Development: Native Universe - Indigenous Voice in Science Museums"") from the 2012 ISE PI Meeting.
Poster on NSF grant DRL-1008546 (""The Handheld Signing Math & Science Dictionaries for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Museum Visitors Research Project"") at the 2012 ISE PI Meeting.
Presentation on NSF grant DRL-0714629 (""Collaborative Research: Cosmic Serpent - Bridging Native and Western Science Learning in Informal Settings"") presented at the CAISE Convening on Professional Development and Informal Science Education, February 2nd, 2012.
Presentation on NSF funded Nanoscale Informal Science Education Network (DRL-0940143), presented at the CAISE Convening on Organizational Networks, November 17th, 2011.
Presentation on NSF grant DRL-1010844 (""STAR Library Education Network: A Hands-on Learning Program for Libraries and Their Communities"") presented at the CAISE Convening on Organizational Networks, November 17th, 2011.
The Australian Museum, Sydney, has been working with students aged 5–18 from a coalition of around 20 schools to gain advice on the development of exhibitions, programs, and the design of learning experiences, particularly regarding the use of digital environment. This paper discusses some of the results of this working relationship.
This study utilized digital media in the form of still photographs and video-clips of students’ visits to a science centre to stimulate recall of the visit and to explore the extent to which students were cognitively engaged, specifically looking at the meaning they constructed. Students were asked what was happening in the clip or photo, how the exhibit “worked” what they thought the exhibit was trying to show them, and whether or not they enjoyed the exhibit. The study found that the visits to science centres were highly memorable experiences for students and that students were highly
In this study, the authors consider the pros and cons of providing structures that focus inquiry at exhibits. Their research examined visitor behaviors with and without specific prompts at an exhibit. They found that the provision of additional materials and textual explanations limited visitor engagement at the exhibit to the express purpose defined by the added materials/text. Without the additional props, visitors were more exploratory and inventive in their uses of the exhibits; however, in these cases visitors often did not focus on a particular conceptual idea that the exhibit developers
In this paper, Rhoads argues that exposure to museum resources and exhibitions can greatly benefit people with dementia—that is, those suffering the loss or decline of memory and other cognitive abilities. She calls for museums to think beyond their current offerings and develop tailored programs for people with dementia and their caregivers.