The Educational Gaming Environments group (EdGE) at TERC embarked on a research project to study serious online collaborative gaming environments as a vehicle for engaging the public with National Science Digital Library (NSDL) resources. The goal of the project was two-fold: to design and test serious games that use a prototype virtual resource center; and to build a community and framework for creating a Serious Games Pathway to deliver NSDL resources into this burgeoning community with the aim of facilitating STEM learning. As part of this endeavor, the external evaluators under the
The data collection for this project involved three audiences: (1) a post-event survey completed by participants at the 'Eight-Legged Encounters' event, (2) a club experience survey completed by middle school students in an after-school club, and (3) focus groups, observations, and end-of-course evaluations conducted with students in the BIOS 497/897 'Communicating Science through Outreach' seminar class at the University of Lincoln, Nebraska. Year two data collection was completed from September 2013 - March 2014. Appendix includes survey.
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University of Nebraska-LincolnEileen Hebets
The Baltimore Museum of Art (BMA) contracted Randi Korn & Associates, Inc. (RK&A) to evaluate Go Mobile, a mobile website designed to help visitors deepen their Museum experience through audio, video, and links to related works. The main objective of this study was to explore the quality of visitors’ experiences with Go Mobile to inform future development of Go Mobile. How did we approach this study? The BMA recruited 26 volunteer participants primarily through the BMA’s Facebook page. Participants were asked to spend one hour at the Museum: 30 minutes using Go Mobile in the BMA’s Contemporary
The evaluation examined the overall visitor experience (time spent, main message comprehension, response to exhibition look and feel) in the 1,100-square-foot Animal Attraction as well as the exhibition's multimedia content delivered via 18 iPads. Specifically, researchers explored iPad usability and visitors’ reactions to the iPad content, especially compared to static labels found in other areas of Animal Attraction. Findings indicate that the iPads appealed to all visitors segments and that iPad users spent more time in the exhibition than visitors who did not use the iPads. However, many
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California Academy of SciencesJon DeuelJessica Brainard
Goodman Research Group, Inc. (GRG), a Cambridge-based research firm specializing in the evaluation of educational programs, conducted the summative evaluation of StarTalk. The overall focus was to examine how well the joint presentation of science and humor reaches a public audience, including an audience not typically exposed to informal science learning, and how well it engages and informs them, such that they are motivated to continue learning more. Primary evaluation research questions included: 1. To what extent does exposure to StarTalk lead to increased interest in and knowledge of
Produced by National Geographic Television and funded in part by the National Science Foundation (NSF), Alien Deep is a multi-platform media project designed to increase public literacy about: the fundamental principles and concepts underlying ocean systems and functions, the importance and challenges of oceanographic research and exploration, and the impact of the ocean on humanity and humanity’s impact on the ocean. The centerpiece of the project is a five-part mini-series that premiered on the National Geographic Channel in 2012. In addition to the five episodes, which were also made
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Knight Williams Inc.Valerie Knight-WilliamsDivan WilliamsRachel TeelEric AndersonGabriel Simmons
Knowledge of Climate Change Among Science & Technology Museum Visitors reports results from a national study of what the American public understands about how the climate system works, and the causes, impacts and potential solutions to global warming. This report describes how knowledge of climate change varies across Science and Technology Museum visitors. Using a straight grading scale, 38% of both occasional and frequent museum visitors received a passing grade (A, B, or C), compared to 19% of non-visitors. While knowledge levels vary across the groups, these results also indicate that
This report details a nine-month summative evaluation of the Underwater Dome Exhibit at the Seattle Aquarium. The study was undertaken to inform the Aquarium's development of short- term, cost-effective updates to improve visitor satisfaction and experience in the dome. The study sought to develop a baseline understanding of how visitors use and react to the exhibit, as well as to determine whether or not visitors understand that the dome represents the Puget Sound. Data was collected using observational and survey instruments (included in the appendix of this report).
This report presents findings based on the largest and most international study of zoo and aquarium visitors ever conducted worldwide. The study used a pre- and post-visit repeated-measures survey design to evaluate biodiversity literacy - biodiversity understanding and knowledge of actions to help protect biodiversity - in zoo and aquarium visitors. In total, more than 6,000 visitors to 30 zoos and aquariums around the globe participated in the study. Appendix contains survey.
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World Association of Zoos and AquariumsAndrew MossEric JensenMarkus Gusset
The summative evaluation of the Farming for Fuels classroom program and family event was conducted over two years. Two interim reports were delivered with preliminary results about specific areas of focus. This final report described the overall evaluation study methods and results, and made recommendations for potential revisions and improvements to the program. The evaluator worked with the program team at the Creative Discovery Museum to generate a list of questions to guide the evaluation study. The questions covered each of the major audiences for the program: museum educators, teachers
In evaluating the success of teacher development programs, valid and scalable measures of teaching practice are needed. We have developed and validated the Science Lesson Plan Analysis Instrument (SLPAI) for quantitative evaluation of teacher-generated multiday lesson plans. This paper presents the SLPAI as a complement to surveys and classroom observation, and demonstrates its use in 2 pilot studies. The SLPAI was used formatively to measure the teaching practices of incoming program cohorts and tailor program instruction. It was also used to track changes in teaching practice and pedagogical
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Christina JacobsSonya MartinTracey Otieno
This research examined the nature of parent–child conversations at an informal science education center housed in an active gravitational-wave observatory. Each of 20 parent–child dyads explored an interactive exhibit hall privately, without the distraction of other visitors. Parents employed a variety of strategies to support their children's understanding of unfamiliar topics, including describing evidence, giving direction, providing explanation, making connections, and eliciting predictions. Parents' education was associated with both the amount of time dyads spent exploring exhibits and