On-the-Spot Assessment to Improve Scientist Engagement with the Public

现场评估以提高科学家与公众的互动

• 批准号: 1811022
• 负责人: Linda Shore
• 金额: $ 272.47万
• 依托单位: Astronomical Society of the Pacific
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2018
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2018-08-01 至 2023-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1811022&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Spot; Assessment; Improve; Scientist; Engagement

As part of its overall strategy to enhance learning in informal environments, the Advancing Informal STEM Learning (AISL) program 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. This Innovations in Development project will develop and test a model for audience assessment that STEM professionals can use during their public engagement efforts. These on-the-spot assessments will allow scientists to monitor audience understanding and use this to make immediate improvements to their activity. This project fills a critical gap in the field of public science communication as expressed by outreach scientists and by the professional and academic organizations that train them. Project partners include The Astronomical Society of the Pacific, Oregon State University, Pacific Science Center, and the National Radio Astronomy Observatory. Research questions include: (1) How and under what conditions can scientists, regardless of discipline, learn to build assessment into outreach activities? (2) To what degree are scientists willing and able to change their outreach activities to include assessment to ascertain audience attentiveness or understanding? (3) To what degree will scientists be able to adjust their outreach and engagement efforts based on audience feedback, and what support do they need to do so? (4) With constraints on their time and resources, how can the model help scientists conduct audience assessment on their own? (5) Are audience members finding events more enjoyable and fruitful that use assessment techniques? Several iterative rounds of R&D will be used in the spiral design-based approach. A group of Design Testers will start each of the iterative cycles for the initial development and testing techniques, associated training, and support. Later phases will use Field Testers using a rubric for usability, validity, and reliability of various strategies. The summative evaluation of the project will begin early and add data over the life of the project. A mixed methods approach will be used including surveys of scientists once each year after they have participated in the Prototype training. Descriptive and inferential statistics will be used to document the extent to which the project has achieved its intended outcomes.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

作为增强非正式环境中学习的整体战略的一部分，前进的非正式STEM学习（AISL）计划旨在推进对非正式环境中STEM学习的设计和开发的新方法和基于证据的理解。这包括提供多种途径，以扩大对STEM学习经验的访问和参与度，推进对非正式环境中STEM学习的创新研究，并发展参与者对更深入学习的理解。开发项目中的这一创新将开发和测试一个模型，以供STEM专业人员在公众参与工作中使用，该模型可以使用。 这些现场评估将使科学家能够监视受众的理解，并使用它来立即改善其活动。 该项目填补了外展科学家以及培训他们的专业和学术组织所表达的公共科学传播领域的关键空白。 项目合作伙伴包括太平洋天文学会，俄勒冈州立大学，太平洋科学中心和国家射电天文台。研究问题包括：（1）科学家如何以及在哪些条件下如何学习对外展活动进行评估？ （2）科学家愿意并且能够在多大程度上改变其外展活动以包括评估以确定受众的注意力或理解？ （3）科学家将能够根据受众反馈来调整他们的外展和参与工作，以及他们需要什么支持？ （4）由于其时间和资源的限制，该模型如何帮助科学家自行进行观众评估？ （5）听众成员是否发现使用评估技巧更有趣和富有成果的事件？ 基于螺旋设计的方法，将使用几个迭代的研发回合。 一组设计测试人员将启动每个迭代循环，以进行初始开发和测试技术，相关的培训和支持。 后来的阶段将使用专栏使用现场测试人员，以实现各种策略的可用性，有效性和可靠性。 对项目的总结评估将尽早开始，并在项目的寿命中添加数据。 将使用一种混合方法方法，包括科学家参加原型培训后每年一次对科学家进行调查。 描述性和推论统计数据将用于记录该项目已达到预期成果的程度。该奖项反映了NSF的法定任务，并且使用基金会的知识分子优点和更广泛的审查标准，被认为值得通过评估来获得支持。