This Research in Service to Practice project, a collaboration of Pepperdine University and the New York Hall of Science, will establish a network of STEM-related Media Making Clubs comprised of after-school students aged 12 - 19 and teachers in the U.S. and in three other countries: Kenya, Namibia and Finland. The media produced by the students may include a range of formats such as videos, short subject films, games, computer programs and specialized applications like interactive books. The content of the media produced by the students will focus on the illustration and teaching of STEM topics, where the shared media is intended to help other students become enthused about and learn the science. This proposal builds on the principal investigator's previous work on localized media clubs by now creating an international network in which after-school students and teachers will collaborate at a distance with other clubs. The central research questions for the project pertain to three themes at the intersection of learning, culture and collaboration: the impact of participatory teaching, virtual networks, and intercultural, global competence. The research will combine qualitative, cross-cultural and big data methods. Critical to the innovation of the project, the research team will also develop a network assessment tool, adapting epistemic network analysis methods to the needs of this initiative. This work is funded by the Advancing Informal STEM Learning (AISL) program, which seeks to advance new approaches to, and evidence-based understanding of, the design and development of STEM learning in informal environments.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Eric HamiltonKatherine McMillanPriya Mohabir
resourceprojectWebsites, Mobile Apps, and Online Media
The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (BSO), in collaboration with the Psychology Department of the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC) and Octava (a technology company), are conducting a pilot exploratory research project to assess the effectiveness of delivering informal science learning (ISL) to adult audiences through live music in a concert hall environment. The first half of the study is being timed to coincide with the 2016 annual meeting in Baltimore of the League of American Orchestras. Audiences will be introduced to the core idea that symmetry is a central concept both in science and in music, and they will experience these ideas via the orchestral music of pieces such as Aaron Copland's Appalachian Spring and Beethoven's Symphony. No. 5. The project goals are: to test whether and the extent to which informal STEM learning can occur among adults (ages 18+) during live orchestral performances and how the science content may enhance the audience experience; and to develop assessment tools for measuring audience learning and retention of scientific concepts delivered in connection with live musical performances both through interactive technology and through traditional program notes. It is funded by the Advancing Informal STEM Learning (AISL) program, which seeks to advance new approaches to, and evidence-based understanding of, the design and development of STEM learning in informal environments. This includes providing multiple pathways for broadening access to and engagement in STEM learning experiences, advancing innovative research on and assessment of STEM learning in informal environments, and developing understandings of deeper learning by participants.
The pilot study will investigate the interaction of key variables related to the audience composition, the learning formats (use of app technology, program notes, or not), and the science concepts. The tablet application technology, under continued development by Octava, presents unobtrusive program notes that act as a concert companion in real time as a concert proceeds. The mixed methods research methodology will produce quantitative and qualitative data using pre- and post-test instruments and focus group interviews. A follow-up questionnaire will be sent to participants six weeks after the performances to ascertain whether what was learned was retained over a period of time. Dissemination of project findings will be to professionals in science, science education and music fields.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Jessica AbelLinda BakerTonya RoblesCarol Bogash
Goodman Research Group, Inc., (GRG), Cambridge, MA, conducted the formative evaluation of The Music Instinct project. The NSF-funded project aims to bring to PBS viewers the strong evidence of the connections between music and science, as well as to facilitate a deeper understanding of both fields. The Music Instinct project, presented by WNET/Thirteen, in collaboration with Mannes Productions, includes a two-hour television program, a website, and ancillary educational materials. The purpose of the formative evaluation is to obtain timely information to support and guide the producers as they
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Rucha LondheMiriam KochmanNivedita RanadeIrene F GoodmanWNET/ThirteenMannes Productions Inc.
The Great Immensity is a play with music created by the New York-based theater company, The Civilians. With support from the National Science Foundation (NSF), this production explores humans' relationship to the environment focusing on critical issues of conservation and climate change. It premiered at the Kansas City Repertory Theatre (KC Rep) from February 17 through March 18, 2012. This summative evaluation employs the Framework for Evaluating Impacts of Informal Science Education Projects (Friedman 2008) to assess the play and its ancillary programs' impact on adult and student audiences
The Exploratorium will develop a series of Internet resources on three popular topics -- cooking, gardening, and making music -- to encourage users in science education activities in relation to daily activities. The three-year project will include the development and testing of resources that explore the science behind these topics, using the notion that we all, consciously or not, are "accidental scientists" who engage in the scientific process in the course of everyday life. Target audiences include general public adults and youth. Components of the site will feature aspects of cooking, gardening, and making music that are intended to appeal to diverse communities. The resources will also serve formal education through the Exploratorium's national and local network of educators.
Using a kind of dynamic film, Latour analyzes three recent moments in the history of science and technology, involving John Whittaker of the Pasteur Institute, Watson and Crick and Tom West of Data General. Text in Portuguese.