There is a recognized need to rigorously examine the efficacy of approaches to supporting informal learning. In this study, we used a 2 × 2 factorial experimental design to test the impact of a computer guide on 3 proximal measures of visitor learning at an interactive math exhibit. In total, 128 families were systematically assigned to engage with the exhibit either with or without access to a supplementary computer kiosk. Visitor groups with access to the computer spent longer, on average, at the exhibit and engaged in more mathematical behaviors compared to other groups. However, based on
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Oregon Museum of Science and IndustryScott PattisonScott EwingAngela Frey
PlanetMania is an iOS and Android mobile app game produced by Maryland Science Center and Eduweb, Inc. in 2012 to accompany the Center's latest permanent exhibit, entitled Life Beyond Earth. Multimedia Research carried out a summative evaluation of the PlanetMania app, focusing on the app's usage in the exhibit, appeal, value and learning outcomes. The evaluation is a pre-post quasi-experimental study in which a sample of 24 9-11 year olds were interviewed prior to and after experiencing the app and exhibit as well as observed during their exposure to the app and exhibit. The app game combines
PERG conducted the formative and summative evaluations of Windows on Earth, a project led by the Center for Earth and Space Science Education (CESSE) at TERC. The project included numerous partners and contributors who focused on the development of the Windows on Earth software, exhibit and website, as well as four museums who participated in the development and evaluation process: Boston's Museum of Science, (MOS), the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum, (A&S), the St. Louis Science Center (SLSC), and the Montshire Museum of Science (MM) in Vermont. The project also coordinated some programming
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Judah LeblangJoan KarpTERC IncJodi Sandler
The American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) received a NOAA-ELG grant for a three-year project, entitled Exploring Earth Systems: Expanding Data Visualizations Experiences for Museum Learners (or Data Visualizations). The project focuses on the development, testing, and distribution of Visualizations for the Earth and Bio content strands of the AMNH's Science Bulletins program. The Visualizations are short media pieces that use satellite data to tell the story of Earth processes on land, in the oceans, and in the atmosphere, with the larger goals of helping viewers to understand the dynamic
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Susan FoutzAmerican Museum of Natural History
The American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) received a NOAA-ELG grant for a three-year project, entitled Exploring Earth Systems: Expanding Data Visualizations Experiences for Museum Learners (or Data Visualizations). The project focuses on the development, testing, and distribution of Visualizations for the Earth and Bio content strands of the AMNH's Science Bulletins program. The Visualizations are short media pieces that use satellite data to tell the story of Earth processes on land, in the oceans, and in the atmosphere, with the larger goals of helping viewers to understand the dynamic
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Susan FoutzAmerican Museum of Natural History
This document outlines front-end and formative evaluation findings including baseline use; improving attraction and holding power and interactions; and improving interfaces. While we found that people like the globe and will stay and interact especially with the redesigned kiosk, there is still room for improvement in support for information transfer and meaning generation, as well as opportunities for retaining user choice and control while adding usability features such as narration.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Shawn RoweKatie StoferCéleste BarthelNancee HunterHatfield Marine Science Center
Given its ongoing commitment to universal design and the integration of technologies into the museum experience, the Museum of Science decided to employ a handheld Multimedia Tour to accompany Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination, an exhibition about the real world meeting Star Wars technologies. With the help of leading tour guide developer, Antenna Audio, a 22-stop tour was produced featuring narration, Behind the Scenes interviews with individuals who had worked on the films, Star Wars film clips, still photos and the ability to send information home. An American Sign Language version
On two Saturday mornings, December 3 and December 10, 2005, two groups of Deaf adults were invited to participate in a focus group to try out the Multimedia Tour in the Star Wars exhibition and provide feedback on both its effectiveness and how it could be improved. The purpose of the focus group was to gain rich in-depth feedback from many people at once, particularly because it is so difficult to capture Deaf users in our exit interviews due to language barriers. Focus groups followed a topical framework surrounding what visitors enjoyed about the handheld, improvements they might make to
A research study was conducted to help inform UC Davis's Tahoe Environmental Research Center (TERC) about the greater Lake Tahoe area community's perceived value of the center and two 3D visualizations included as part of their guided tour of the center. Research questions focused on how various local groups perceived the center, how TERC can better engage locals and tourists alike, the potential for the current 3D visualizations (Lake Tahoe, Earthquakes) for impacting attitudes and behaviors about the Lake and how the Lake Tahoe 3D visualization impacted middle school students during a school
Touch-sensitive devices are becoming more and more common. Many people use touch interaction, especially on handheld devices like iPhones or other mobile phones. But the question is, do people really understand the different gestures, i.e., do they know which gesture is the correct one for the intended action and do they know how to transfer the gestures to bigger devices and surfaces? This paper reports the results of usability tests which were carried out in semi public space to explore peoples’ ability to find gestures to navigate on a virtual globe. The globe is presented on a multi-touch
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Jim SpadacciniMarkus JokischThomas BartoschekAngela Schwering
Most tabletop research presents findings from lab-based user studies, focusing on specific interaction techniques. This means we still know little about how these new interfaces perform in real life settings and how users appropriate them. This paper presents findings from a field study of an existing interactive table in a museum of natural history. Visitors were found to employ a wide variety of gestures for interacting; different interface elements invited different types of gesture. The analysis highlights challenges and design conflicts in the design of tabletop interfaces for public
This Communicating Research to Public Audiences project focuses on the Reedy Glacier Antarctic research of Brenda Hall (OPP 0229034) and its relevance to the residents of and visitors to Maine. Collaborators include the University of Maine, the Maine Discovery Museum, the Acadia National Park and Cadillac Mountain Sports (an environmentally active retail company with several stores around the state). The primary deliverable is the development of an interactive software program that presents information and experiences in a two-tiered concept approach -- on the Reedy Glacier and its connection to Maine and on the process of science. The software is being configured into kiosks at the three partnering organizations, into a DVD format for informal and formal settings to be distributed at cost and onto a University of Maine Climate Change web portal currently under separate development. The project web site will provide source code for the portal design so others may use it to create portals and modules of their own. The Maine Discovery Museum intends to create additional exhibitry on the topic with resources outside this proposal, and the Acadia National Park will use the programs in teacher education workshops.