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Researchers gathered audiences’ responses to prototype displays and inventor stories for the Game Changers exhibition (Change Your Game | Cambia tu juego). The exhibition was developed by the Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation at the National Museum of American History. The findings informed a theoretical model of identity exploration in informal learning contexts and contributed to...

We developed and iteratively revised 5 Game Design workshops across the course of this National Science Foundation-funded (PIs: Gillespie-Lynch/Hurst, DRL: 2005772/2005729) program of research (2 workshops in Summer 1, 1 in Summer 2, and 2 in Summer 3). The purpose of these workshops was to help Autistic young people learn skills to secure meaningful jobs where they can pursue their...

This is the final summative evaluation for our project, entitled Collaborative Research: Promoting Engagement in Informal STEM Learning as a Path to Employment for Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder (NSF AISL 2005772 & 2005729). It was written by Drs. Meagan Henry and Ariana Riccio Arista of the Education Development Center. It summarizes EDC’s evaluation of NSF-funded Game Design and Employment...

With funding from a National Science Foundation (NSF) Advancing Informal STEM Learning (AISL) grant #2005404, the Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History (NMAH) launched the project Change Your Game / Cambia tu juego. The project aimed to develop a STEM exhibition for the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History...

With funding from a National Science Foundation (NSF) Advancing Informal STEM Learning (AISL) grant #2005404, the Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History (NMAH) launched the project Change Your Game / Cambia tu juego. The project aimed to develop a STEM exhibition for the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History...

Imagine being a visitor or a member of a visiting group walking into the lobby of a museum you’re familiar with: you see a sign proclaiming “you belong here.” How would you get a sense of belonging in that space? What would you see, hear, and feel? Where is belonging located in an experience, in the collection of spaces that...

During an in-person meeting for the Sound Travels project, we (the Center for Research and Evaluation at COSI team) asked our project partners from diverse informal learning institutions and job backgrounds to help us identify important paths for our research, given the existing set of data and measured constructs from the previous year of data collection. To do this, we...

This discussion will reflect on the collaborative work between the Museum of Science, Boston, Rochester Museum & Science Center, and Edtogther, and share insights on the methods and instruments used from working with youth ages 10-17 with learning disabilities to inform exhibit design....

This session builds off the discussion that took place at ASTC 2024. In this session, presenters shared exhibit design guidelines from youth with learning disabilities (LD) who worked alongside researchers and museum professionals. This session also covers exhibit examples from the Museum of Science, Boston and Rochester Museum & Science Center and how these insights were applied at their own...

People with learning disabilities comprise the largest population of people with disabilities in the US. This session, presented during the 2023 Association of Science and Technology Centers (ASTC) conference. This session covers exhibits that were tested as part of the project's work, along with changes made and insights based on the feedback from youth with learning disabilities....

Experiential learning opportunities relevant to Quantum Information Science and Engineering (QISE) are scarce, especially for students at the associate, undergraduate and master's levels or for early/mid-career professionals seeking up-skilling. While theoretical knowledge is essential, hands-on experiences using real-world equipment and facilities play a crucial role in deepening understanding and fostering practical skills. Unfortunately, due to the complex and specialized nature...

A research-practice partnership between museum-based educators and scientists, learning researchers, and rural community members was designed to support climate change education in public settings. We consider the museum’s role in this work, tracing how the partnership built upon lessons learned from prior work, and used asset-based strategies to learn from the rural community. We present a survey of rural climate beliefs,...

The Swinomish Indian Tribal Community, Garden Raised Bounty (GRuB), Feed Seven Generations, Urban Indian Health Institute (UIHI), and Oregon State University were awarded a 5-year Innovations in Development grant from the National Science Foundation Advancing Informal STEM Learning (NSF-AISL) program entitled Transforming American Indian and Alaska Native STEM Learning via Indigenous Knowledge Translation, Education, and the Environment [NSF DRL #1812543]....

Through a partnership between the Public Archaeology Facility and the Department of Teaching, Learning & Education Leadership at Binghamton University, Binghamton University Community Schools, and three local, rural schools, middle school learners were engaged in an afterschool program that blended Western STEM concepts, practices, and processes emphasized in school standards with archaeological and Indigenous concepts, practices, and processes rooted in...

The paper urges critical self-reflection by those who organize participatory science projects. The paper details the development of a tool (worksheet) to help organizers understand the ways they influence the project environment and to see their blind spots and biases. The self-reflection can prepare organizers to help their project advance equity, inclusion, and scientific productivity....

This coding system was developed using categories and codes established across multiple research studies and most recently an NSF-funded evaluation of an early STEM family engagement program called Teaching Together. We provide definitions of codes to promote shared use of these or similar approaches that match early STEM activities relevant to other studies. Others are welcome to use or...

There have been calls for meeting the goals of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) through instruction and experiences in out-of-school, informal science education contexts. To maximize the effectiveness of such experiences, teachers and informal science educators must collaborate to create meaningful science learning experiences. However, in contrast to teachers, there has been little work done with informal science educators...

This poster provides an overview of FAST exhibit development. It includes a rationale for the FAST infrastructure, a summary of the table elements and templates, and tips for developing new experiences....

This website for the Flexible, Accessible Strategies for Timely (FAST) Digital Exhibit Design (FAST) project contains a free, digital toolkit that shares shares exhibit development resources for three FAST experience templates (including all hardware and interactive software specifications), each with a “sample experience” (a content package comprised of text, graphics, images, video, and audio files)....

This booklet was developed to allow museum professionals to quickly create digital tabletop interactives for educational purposes. It is an overview of the development process used at the Museum of Science, Boston, and a starting point for anyone who wants to experiment with FAST digital exhibits at their institution....

It is important to understand how different types of media resources (informational vs. modeling) influence discourse between parents and their children during subsequent play. This evaluation investigated the effect of two types of vide media resources—information-based and modeling-based—on parent-child interactions during a preschool engineering activity. This formative evaluation aimed to inform the development of family engagement programs by comparing how...

The present study was conducted to evaluate the dedicated natural science exhibit space at Creative Discovery Museum. The previous exhibit, known as Excavation Station, closed in February 2023, and the renovated UnEarthed (UE) space opened in June 2023. This study aims to clarify the effect of renovations on visitor experience. Specific evaluation questions included: 1. What kind of attention are...

This is the evaluation report for the third year of the NSF-funded WaterMarks project. It reflects a current summary of available evidence about the intended outcomes of program activities to date, as well as commentary on overall project progress and planning for the future. This report contains descriptions of embedded measures (i.e. anonymized drawings and reflections captured on a thematic...

This summary brief captures highlights from the third year of the NSF-funded WaterMarks project (September 2023 - August 2024). The technical evaluation report for this same project period can be found on the main project page. The purpose of this document is to communicate key updates (as observed by the evaluation team in early fall 2024) in a less technical...

An external evaluation examines the reach and impact of promoting STEM learning about solar eclipses through livestreams, on-demand videos, and social media platforms. The April 8, 2024, total solar eclipse broadcast from Texas and Mexico had over 49 million online views, supported by a mobile-friendly approach and culturally engaging live segments. Navigating the Path of Totality, is a NASA-Exploratorium project....