Here, There and Everywhere
Overview
Program Element / Activity Title:
Here, There and Everywhere
E/PO Project Name:
Here, There and Everywhere
Contact Information Shown to the Public:
Program Element / Activity Website:
Short Description for Projects Page:
The physical processes of our natural world are on constant display. They shape our surroundings on scales large and small. Across the Universe, Nature does the same.
This series helps us better understand cosmic phenomena by looking and studying what we see close to home. BECAUSE WHAT HAPPENS HERE, HAPPENS THERE, AND EVERYWHERE.
Program Element / Activity Image / Visual:
In this collection we show how our knowledge of familiar processes can be applied to help us understand similar behavior on grander scales, and in very different environments.
Program Element / Activity Status
Please list products / materials that will result / have resulted from this program element / activity:
Please share any additional updates or information about your program element / activity:
The latest updates are fed to http://hte.si.edu/blog/
Audience Metrics
Who is the primary audience of your program element / activity?:
Who is the secondary audience of your program element / activity?:
Evaluation
What are the goals and objectives of your program element / activity?:
Primary objectives are to produce materials and experiences that expand the outreach capacity of community and youth organizations to engage new segments of the public with NASA space science results, and to inspire those new audiences to enter the “push-pull” of participation at increasing levels of engagement with NASA content. Activities are being conducted in learner-centered, “neutral” spaces for science outreach, mostly in libraries, with the goal of servicing gender-balanced populations that might not necessarily seek out astronomy events on their own.
What is the design of the evaluation process for your program element / activity?:
Evaluation for the HTE project consists of two components: formative and summative evaluations of the exhibit itself, and an evaluation of the impact of the exhibit on host institutions.
A summative evaluation will be conducted at select host institutions to evaluate the effectiveness of the exhibit in meeting its intended educational outcomes, as well as to determine if the exhibit is user-friendly, and is utilized by visitors as the project staff intended.
The formative evaluation was completed. The summative evaluation is ongoing, and is guided by specific educational goals for visitors. Each venue has been conducting surveys and observations with local volunteers, as well as providing event summary text and images for the HTE blog and social media. Additional surveys for the host organizers are also being collected. Updates at http://chandra.harvard.edu/impact/hte.html
A summative evaluation will be conducted at select host institutions to evaluate the effectiveness of the exhibit in meeting its intended educational outcomes, as well as to determine if the exhibit is user-friendly, and is utilized by visitors as the project staff intended.
The formative evaluation was completed. The summative evaluation is ongoing, and is guided by specific educational goals for visitors. Each venue has been conducting surveys and observations with local volunteers, as well as providing event summary text and images for the HTE blog and social media. Additional surveys for the host organizers are also being collected. Updates at http://chandra.harvard.edu/impact/hte.html
What are the main impacts of your effort to date and how do they correlate to the project’s goals and objectives:
A preliminary summative evaluation of the first three host locations for the HTE exhibit (Dec. 2012):
Seventy-one visitors at three institutions (EcoTarium, Worcester, MA; Christiansburg Library, Christiansburg VA; and Radford, University and Planetarium, Radford, VA) were surveyed regarding their experience with the Here, There, and Everywhere (HTE) exhibit and its accompanying educational materials between October and November 2012. Visitors were asked to complete a paper and pencil survey upon exiting the exhibit. Evaluators for the project collected data at the EcoTarium, while volunteers collected data at the other two locations.
Survey participants were evenly distributed by gender (forty-nine percent female and fifty-one percent male). These visitors attend a variety of events and activities. Fifty-eight percent visit art exhibits, seventy-two visit history museums, fifty-six percent visit science centers and eighty-two percent visit zoos, aquariums or natural history museums. Sixty-five percent also go to the theatre and sixty percent attend concerts or music events. Thirty percent of visitors reported that they were drawn to this exhibit because they like learning about science, fourteen percent because they like astronomy images, twelve percent were walking by and forty-four percent were on a field trip.
Visitors were asked how much they liked the exhibit using a rating scale from 1-5. The average rating was 4.4 with fifty-five percent of respondents rating the exhibit a 5. When asked how much they learned from the exhibit, a full seventy-seven percent indicated that they learned quite a bit or a great deal. With regard to interest, fifty-nine percent of visitors reported that the exhibit was very interesting and an additional sixteen percent found the exhibit interesting. Visitors were additionally asked about their experience with the interactive components of the exhibit. Fifty-four percent of survey participants indicated that the activities were interesting and also reported that they learned a great deal. One hundred percent indicated that the activities helped them understand the main idea of the exhibit.
Visitors were also asked to what extent viewing the exhibit increased or decreased their interest in Astronomy. Over sixty percent indicated that the exhibit increased their interest in Astronomy. Seventy-two percent reported that they would be interested in attending another science event and forty percent commented that they would now be interested in reading about science online.
Seventy-one visitors at three institutions (EcoTarium, Worcester, MA; Christiansburg Library, Christiansburg VA; and Radford, University and Planetarium, Radford, VA) were surveyed regarding their experience with the Here, There, and Everywhere (HTE) exhibit and its accompanying educational materials between October and November 2012. Visitors were asked to complete a paper and pencil survey upon exiting the exhibit. Evaluators for the project collected data at the EcoTarium, while volunteers collected data at the other two locations.
Survey participants were evenly distributed by gender (forty-nine percent female and fifty-one percent male). These visitors attend a variety of events and activities. Fifty-eight percent visit art exhibits, seventy-two visit history museums, fifty-six percent visit science centers and eighty-two percent visit zoos, aquariums or natural history museums. Sixty-five percent also go to the theatre and sixty percent attend concerts or music events. Thirty percent of visitors reported that they were drawn to this exhibit because they like learning about science, fourteen percent because they like astronomy images, twelve percent were walking by and forty-four percent were on a field trip.
Visitors were asked how much they liked the exhibit using a rating scale from 1-5. The average rating was 4.4 with fifty-five percent of respondents rating the exhibit a 5. When asked how much they learned from the exhibit, a full seventy-seven percent indicated that they learned quite a bit or a great deal. With regard to interest, fifty-nine percent of visitors reported that the exhibit was very interesting and an additional sixteen percent found the exhibit interesting. Visitors were additionally asked about their experience with the interactive components of the exhibit. Fifty-four percent of survey participants indicated that the activities were interesting and also reported that they learned a great deal. One hundred percent indicated that the activities helped them understand the main idea of the exhibit.
Visitors were also asked to what extent viewing the exhibit increased or decreased their interest in Astronomy. Over sixty percent indicated that the exhibit increased their interest in Astronomy. Seventy-two percent reported that they would be interested in attending another science event and forty percent commented that they would now be interested in reading about science online.
Have your evaluation findings / impacts been published? If so, where?:
Not yet. Looking to soon.