The Space Science Institute is developing an astronomy educational social game for the Facebook platform. The game uses the "sporadic play" model popular with many Facebook games, in which players take only a few actions at a time, then return to explore the results. Here players will create their own stars and planetary systems that evolve over time at a rate of a million years a minute. Players set systems in motion, revisiting the game over days or weeks to make new choices and alter strategies. The game is in effect an end-to-end solar system simulation, following a star from birth to death. As a result it encompasses a wide variety of core concepts in astronomy, including galactic structure, stellar evolution and lifecycles, planetary formation and evolution, and habitability and "habitable zones." The accompanying research program will examine the effectiveness of this type of game in informal education, and the effects of the social network on meeting the education goals, including viral spread, cooperative play, and discussions about the game and its underlying content in associated online forums.
This CRPA project will develop a game for mobile devices called the "RapidGuppy". It provides users (students 12-21 years of age) with an interesting and fun way to learn details about biological adaptation and genetic change. The game teaches users about the environmental factors that lead to adaptation. More than 30 years of research on the Trinidadian Guppy that "rapidly" evolves (over 3-5 years) is the basis for the game. The research, databases, and mini-documentaries that support the "RapidGuppy" game are linked to allow users to easily delve deeper into these materials. An extensive social media campaign will be used to market the game and the public facing website. Partners in this endeavor include: University of California-Riverside, Habitat Seven, Magmic Inc., and Edu, Inc. In this project, the mobile device game will be backed by a sophisticated website that contains detailed research results from the field and mini-documentaries showing real fish and the actual research processes as well as researchers and scientists to promote role model development. Interested individuals may also directly access the videos and research results via the website. The target audiences are youth who are prone to play electronic games and the general public. The comprehensive evaluation plan will assess the learning outcomes resulting from the mini-documentaries, in-game content, and website, as well as the playability of the game and website functionality. Impacts resulting from the social media campaign and outreach to underserved audiences will also be measured. Because of the major social media campaign, this project may increase the level of interest in the science of evolution and genetic change, and raise awareness of STEM careers. If the user groups become excited about the game and the inherent messages, it is anticipated that the public will gain a better understanding of the factors responsible for genetic change.
Researchers at the American Association of Variable Star Observers, the Living Laboratory at the Boston Museum of Science, and the Adler Planetarium are studying stereoscopic (three-dimensional or 3D) visualizations so that this emerging viewing technology has an empirical basis upon which educators can build more effective informal learning experiences that promote learning and interest in science by the public. The project's research questions are: How do viewers perceive 3D visualizations compared to 2D visualizations? What do viewers learn about highly spatial scientific concepts embedded in 3D compared to 2D visualizations? How are viewers\' perceptions and learning associated with individual characteristics such as age, gender, and spatial cognition ability? Project personnel are conducting randomized, experimental mixed-methods research studies on 400 children and 1,000 adults in museum settings to compare their cognitive processing and learning after viewing two-dimensional and three-dimensional static and dynamic images of astronomical objects such as colliding galaxies. An independent evaluator is (1) collecting data on museum workers' and visitors' perceived value of 3D viewing technology within museums and planetariums and (2) establishing a preliminary collection of best practices for using 3D viewing technology based on input from museum staff and visitors, and technology creators. Spatial thinking is important for learning many domains of science. The findings produced by the Two Eyes, 3D project will researchers' understanding about the advantages and disadvantages of using stereoscopic technology to promote learning of highly spatial science concepts. The findings will help educators teach science in stereoscopic ways that mitigate problems associated with using traditional 2D materials for teaching spatial concepts and processes in a variety of educational settings and science content areas, including astronomy.
This report includes six separate formative evaluations conducted to inform the design and development of the deliverables for the 3D Visualization Tools for Enhancing Awareness, Understanding and Stewardship of Freshwater Ecosystems project. Deliverables were tested with both students and general visitor groups, with a focus on groups including late elementary and middle school children. Many different components were tested, including prototype versions of 3D visualizations, high-tech interactive experiences, apps on tablets and phones, and table top exhibits. Results are reported in each of
The National Science Foundation (NSF) awarded an Informal Science Education (ISE) grant, since renamed Advancing Informal STEM Learning (AISL) to a group of institutions led by two of the University of California, Davis’s centers: the Tahoe Environmental Research Center (TERC) and the W.M. Keck Center for Active Visualization in Earth Sciences (KeckCAVES). The purpose of the evaluation was to gather feedback from museum professionals and the general public about the proposed 3D visualization project and its related components. Additionally, the study aimed to assess the current understanding
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University of California, DavisSteven Yalowitz
The Jackprot is a didactic slot machine simulation that illustrates how mutation rate coupled with natural selection can interact to generate highly specialized proteins. Conceptualized by Guillermo Paz-y-Miño C., Avelina Espinosa, and Chunyan Y. Bai (New England Center for the Public Understanding of Science, Roger Williams University and the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth), the Jackprot uses simplified slot-machine probability principles to demonstrate how mutation rate coupled with natural selection suffice to explain the origin and evolution of highly specialized proteins. The
The overarching purpose of the Climate Literacy Zoo Education Network is to develop and evaluate a new approach to climate change education that connects zoo visitors to polar animals currently endangered by climate change, leveraging the associative and affective pathways known to dominate decision-making. Utilizing a polar theme, the partnership brings together a strong multidisciplinary team that includes the Chicago Zoological Society of Brookfield, IL, leading a geographically distributed consortium of nine partners: Columbus Zoo & Aquarium, OH; Como Zoo & Conservatory, St. Paul, MN; Indianapolis Zoo, IN; Louisville Zoological Garden, KY; Oregon Zoo, Portland, OR; Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium, PA; Roger Williams Park Zoo, Providence, RI; Toledo Zoological Gardens, OH, and the organization Polar Bears International. The partnership leadership includes the Learning Sciences Research Institute at the University of Illinois at Chicago, and the Earth System Science Center at Pennsylvania State University. The partnership is joined by experts in conservation psychology and an external advisory board. The primary stakeholders are the diverse 13 million annual visitors to the nine partner zoos. Additional stakeholders include zoo docents, interpreters and educators, as well as the partnership technical team in the fields of learning innovations, technological tools, research review and education practice. The core goals of the planning phase are to a) develop and extend the strong multidisciplinary partnership, b) conduct research needed to understand the preconceptions, attitudes, beliefs, and learning modes of zoo visitors regarding climate change; and c) identify and prototype innovative learning environments and tools. Internal and external evaluations will be conducted by Facet Innovations of Seattle, WA. Activities to achieve these goals include assessments and stakeholder workshops to inventory potential resources at zoos; surveys of zoo visitors to examine demographic, socioeconomic, and technology access parameters of zoo visitors and their existing opinions; and initial development and testing of participatory, experiential activities and technological tools to facilitate learning about the complex system principles underlying the climate system. The long-term vision centers on the development of a network of U.S. zoos, in partnership with climate change domain scientists, learning scientists, conservation psychologists, and other stakeholders, serving as a sustainable infrastructure to investigate strategies designed to foster changes in public attitudes, understandings, and behavior surrounding climate change.
Life on Earth aims to advance (1) public understanding of the history of life on Earth and biodiversity, and (2) our knowledge of how people interact and learn from large interactive science data visualizations on multi-touch displays in public settings. Our multi-institutional project team has developed the DeepTree, the FloTree, and Build-A-Tree (BAT). The focal exhibit, called the DeepTree, utilizing large data sets from four online databases including Tree of Life web project (www.tolweb.org), Encyclopedia of Life (www.eol.org), National Center for Biotechnology Information (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/) and Time Tree (www.timetree.org), allow museum visitors to explore the relationships of 70,000 species, spanning over 3.5 billion years of evolutionary history using touch gestures on a large multi-touch computer display. Embedded inside the DeepTree, the "FloTree" encourages exploration of evolutionary processes within a single population. "Build-a-Tree" (BAT) is a multi-level phylogenetic tree-building game. These learning experiences are designed to target core evolutionary concepts and be self-directed, physically interactive, embodied, and collaborative. The Life on Earth exhibit has been installed at California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco, the Field Museum in Chicago, University of Nebraska State Museum in Lincoln Nebraska, and Harvard Museum of Natural in Cambridge Massachusetts. Please visit the Life on Earth website at https://lifeonearth.seas.harvard.edu/ to find more details on publications, and the ongoing learning research and summative evaluation. The Life on Earth project brings together a team of interdisciplinary researchers in human-computer interaction and information visualization, learning sciences, museum exhibit design, cognitive and developmental psychology, and evolutionary biology.
The Nexus of Energy, Water, and Climate: From Understanding to Action (Café +) project will develop and test two interactive board game concepts focused on energy, water, and climate with youth and adults from four highly diverse communities in New Mexico. The four primary goals of the project are to: (a) develop, play test, and implement two board, card, or other non-electronic games grounded in energy, water, and climate content at four project sites, (b) identify the key characteristics of the games that maximize problem solving while stimulating interest, engagement, and learning, (c) explore the implications of game playing on dialog, learning, and Café+ satisfaction for youth and adult participants, and (d) evaluate the viability of this model for full scale implementation throughout the existing Café Scientifique program, from which this project is based. Los Alamos National Laboratory, Sandia National Laboratory, PNM Resources, Scott Balaban Games Design, the Los Alamos County Utilities Department, and a host of advisors and consultants from a broad range of organizations and institutions will collaborate to develop, test, and implement the Café+ games model. The primary deliverables include: (a) two non-electronic multiage commercial quality games focused on energy, water, and climate content, (b) a comprehensive pilot study examining the impact, effectiveness, and viability of the Café+ model with the target audiences, and (c) formative and summative evaluations of the games implementation model. A significant outcome of Café+ is that New Mexico youth and adults, from diverse backgrounds, will learn relevant science content through the development and testing of engaging, innovative commercial quality games. Over 250 youth and adults will benefit directly from their participation in the pilot study. They will not only learn important science content while working collaboratively in groups (youth only and youth/adult groups), but they will also participate in an authentic scientific process experience as playtesters. In this role, youth and adults will experience critical science concepts such as trial and error and refinement. Further, the games will be made publicly available and implemented across the entire Café Scientifique program (n=960 youth). The evaluation study will employ a mixed methods approach to examine project implementation, effectiveness, and impacts. Focus groups, observations, and surveys will be employed to assess a number of variables such as (but not limited to): content knowledge and learning, interest, engagement, game features, game play processes, gaming obstacles and challenges, participant interactions, and motivation. Embedded assessment opportunities will also examine participants\' decision making abilities, analytical skills, and ability to transfer knowledge gained to real world situations as they navigate through the games. Data collected at the youth-only pilot test sites will be used in a comparative analysis of similar variables tracked at the youth and adult sites. Formative approaches will provide iterative, ongoing opportunities for programmatic and game refinement and adjustments. The formative and summative evaluations will endeavor to document critical data and findings needed to assess the viability of Café+ as a full scale development project, with additional games and project sites across the country. The Café+ project would add to the limited literature base on learning and science engagement of youth within Science Café settings in the 21st century. More critically, this pilot study could contribute to the dearth of current research on the impact of non-electronic game play can have on youth only groups and youth/adult groups working collaboratively to make important scientific decisions within Science Café settings. This comparative data could prove significant for other program models interested in implementing similar youth and adult game based program. Further, the relevance of the content could potentially spark youths' interest not only in pursuing courses and careers in STEM, but it could also motivate youth and adult participants to become more involved in civic engagement activities occurring within and beyond their local communities.