Kathryn A. Stofer

When a Picture Isn't Worth 1000 Words: Learners Struggle to Find Meaning in Data Visualizations

ABSTRACT The oft-repeated phrase “a picture is worth a thousand words” supposes that an image can replace a profusion of words to more easily express complex ideas. For scientific visualizations that represent profusions of numerical data, however, an untranslated academic visualization suffers the same pitfalls untranslated jargon does. Previous research and commentary suggests scaffolding from cognitive, constructivist, and sociocultural traditions to promote meaning-making by broad audiences, but limited empirical research examines the effectiveness of these scaffolds for adult learners viewing global ocean data. Five versions of visualizations including translating titles and measurement units, altering color schemes, and geographic labels were presented on three topics to expert oceanographers and novice nonscientists. Qualitative analysis of semistructured clinical interviews suggest that these scaffolds assist these audiences but are not sufficient for novices to make meaning similar to experts without further instruction or assistance in interpreting and judging patterns of data in visualizations.

Gestures by Children and Adults on Touch Tables and Touch Walls in a Public Science Center

Research on childrens interactions with touchscreen devices has examined small and large screens and compared interaction to adults or among children of different ages. Little work has explicitly compared interaction on different platforms, however. Large touchscreen displays can be deployed flat, as in a table, or vertically, as on a wall. While these two form factors have been studied, it is not known what differences may exist between them. We present a study of visitors to a science museum, including children and their parents, who interacted with Google Earth on either a touch table or a touch wall. We compare the types of gestures and interactions attempted on each device and find several interesting results, including: users of all ages tend to make standard touchscreen gestures on both platforms, but children were more likely than adults to try new gestures. Users were more likely to perform two-handed, multi-touch gestures on the touch wall than on the touch table. Our findings will inform the design of future interactive applications for each platform.

School of Ants goes to college: integrating citizen science into the general education classroom increases engagement with science

Citizen science has proven useful in advancing scientific research, but participant learning outcomes are not often assessed. This case study describes the implementation and tailoring of an in-depth assessment of the educational impact of two citizen science projects in an undergraduate, general education course. Mixed-methods assessment of citizen science within a college classroom demonstrates that public participation in scientific research can positively alter attitudes towards science. The timing and type of assessments yielded significantly different results and qualitative assessment provided depth and context. However, disentangling the impact of the course from participation in the projects is the biggest challenge. Abstract

Investigating exemplary public engagement with science: Case study of extension faculty reveals preliminary professional development recommendations

ABSTRACT Universities and stakeholders themselves demand more direct impact of scientific research provided through engagement and scientific outreach. Yet few research faculty receive preparation during graduate school or as early career faculty in anything other than research procedures such as scientific communication, education, or outreach. The Cooperative Extension System has had over 100 years of working with communities to improve their lives using university research through Extension education offerings in almost all the counties of the United States. We imagine if any research faculty get support in public engagement with science it should be Extension faculty with appointments requiring them to interact with stakeholder audiences. Therefore, in a case study, we examine the experiences of exemplary Extension faculty members as nominated by their department chairs using semi-structured interviews and thematic coding. All ten participants in our study equated their extension work with scientific outreach. We found that while researchers note a lack of time and money for engagement, other barriers such as lack of mentoring and professional development in engagement techniques and evaluation as well as structural barriers in the Extension system may be more significant. Continued research on Extension faculty and other exemplary public engagement faculty members throughout the U.S. in similar and other disciplines will shed light on the extent of these problems. Professional development for scientists can assist all faculty members in increasing the impact of their work.

Online Certificate Program Moves Participants to Advanced Stages of Concern for Social Marketing.

Social marketing is an underused strategy that agricultural educators can employ to bring about behavior change. We designed an online certificate program for Extension professionals and other educators based on an identified need for social marketing professional development. The Concerns-Based Adoption Model (CBAM) served as the conceptual framework and stages of concern explained changes in concerns among Cultivating Community Change online certificate program participants. The purpose of the study was to describe participants’ stages of concern profile before and after the certificate program and identify how participants’ perceptions changed as a result of involvement in the certificate program. We collected quantitative data using the stages of concern questionnaire and qualitative data from participants’ open-ended discussion answers. Participation in the certificate program moved participants to advanced stages of concerns for application of social marketing in their work. The certificate program helped to broaden participants’ understanding and application of this technique and changed their perceptions positively toward social marketing. We consider the certificate program successful, and we recommend agricultural education professionals use online certificate programs to build Extension professionals’ and other educators’ skills to change behavior of their target audiences.