NASA
Explorer Institutes Focus Group—Final Report
Planetariums
as Conduits to NASA’s Target Audiences
“Stellar
Strategies to Understand the Universe”
Informal
Education Representative: Robert Bonadurer NASA Representative: Rob
LaSalvia
President-Elect, Great Lakes Planetarium Association Educational Programs Office
250 Marquette Ave, #400
NASA Glenn Research Center
Minneapolis , MN 55401
Cleveland , OH 44135
612.630.6151 rjbonadurer@mplib.org
216.433.8981 Robert.F.LaSalvia@nasa.gov
Dates
and Place:
January
27-28, 2005; NASA Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, OH
Focus
Group Participants:
24 Planetarians from planetariums from across the nation.
Key
Goals & Objectives: To
generate strategies on how NASA and planetariums can help each other achieve
their respective goals to increase understanding of and interest in earth &
space science, and technology.
NASA
Focus: To explore
further the Planetarium’s unique and wide reaching audience, their resources
and practices, and how NASA can more effectively reach its core audience via
planetariums.
Best
practice: In hiring a professional facilitator (Liz Monroe-Cook) not
affiliated with NASA or planetariums and in utilizing
a facilitator (Jim Sweitzer) with a working history with
both NASA and the planetarium community, the project team achieved a balance
between content and process that was integral to the success of this Focus
Group. The process facilitator
brought neutrality and group tools; the content facilitator helped shape
critical decisions about participants, group assignments, areas of overlap, and
differences between the ideas generated and credibility for the process.
Lessons
Learned: 1) NASA and the
planetarium community each have much to learn about what the other offers and of
the constraints in which each operates.
Eagerness to do so was evidenced both in the formal and informal dialog
of this group. 2) NASA and the
planetarium community have existing infrastructures, capabilities, and programs
in place that, conjoined, can greatly amplify the impact on our common, targeted
audiences. 3) Effective, ongoing communication in a variety of forms and
channels between NASA and the planetarium community would significantly advance
the goals of both parties and is a recurring requirement for each of the focus
group’s recommendations.
Accomplishment:
The focus group participants identified the strengths and potentials of NASA and
of the planetarium community; generated seven strategies by which NASA and the
planetarium community could advance their respective missions; and collectively
prioritized future joint actions. The
top four strategies are:
- Jointly
draft a roadmap to develop annual themed
programs based on NASA missions, astronomical & space events, or
anniversaries.
- Establish
a liaison or single-point-of-contact method for NASA/Planetarium
collaborations;
- Combine
features of NASA Explorers Schools and Solar System Ambassador Programs into
a planetarium-specific program;
- Engage
formal educators for the development and implementation of pre- and
post-visit materials.
Unanticipated
outcome: So many
noteworthy ideas were generated within subgroups that the merits of each could
not be fully conveyed to the larger group in such a short time.
Many of the notions raised in brainstorming sessions are smaller actions,
yet these valuable ideas would yield favorable results with
minimal
(if any) investment. We encourage
NASA reviewers to peruse the suggestions that were not developed fully.
Website:
For a list of the focus group managing team, all participants, all strategy
details, and all ideas generated, please see our website at http://www.transitofvenus.org/focus.htm.
Picture: After reviewing and evaluating strategies from the four
sub-groups, all members of the focus group rated the final ideas, expressing
their respective votes kinesthetically! The voting scale, from great to poor, is:
4=standing with arms up;
3=standing; 2=sitting chair; 1=sitting floor.
II.
Report Narrative
1.
Information Results
Needs
of the informal education community and design solutions/best practices that can
be used to address them:
The needs of planetarians are the
same as the top four strategies developed by the Planetarium/NASA focus group.
These are to:
·
Define and prioritize jointly the common themes—e.g.,
celestial events, anniversaries, and NASA missions--around which educational
programs will be developed. The
focus group recommends NASA and the planetarium community jointly draft a
Roadmap to plan such programs 5 to 10 years in advance.
·
Establish points of contact or liaisons for collaborations
with NASA and Planetariums for any strategy or program developed.
·
Combine features of the Explorers Schools and the Solar
System Ambassador programs into one joint NASA/Planetarium educational program.
·
Extend the planetarium visitor’s experience beyond the dome
and into informal education by working with formal educators and NASA to develop
and implement pre- and post-planetarium visit materials and programs.
In addition, three additional
strategies were developed. (These
were not as highly ranked as the other four.)
·
Offer training to Planetarium educators in how to take full
advantage of NASA resources.
·
Develop an on-line communications plan with NASA to help
serve Planetariums.
·
Create an internship and/or exchange program to help support
Planetariums.
Relevant
NASA assets and effective mechanisms to access/leveraged the resources:
NASA’s vast array of existing
educational programs, its experienced educational personnel, knowledgeable
scientists, visual resources, and overall widespread expertise can be utilized
to co-develop any preferred strategy. A
concern will be finding the right and best source of needed material or
personnel. NASA’s
experience in strategizing and developing educational programs can also lend a
huge amount of support. These
models do not exist in the Planetarium community.
Mechanisms needed to engage the informal education community with NASA
science and technology staff and resources:
A strong starting point would be to
have more attendance at one another’s meetings and conferences.
Also, the cross-seeding of personnel into each other’s profession
through an exchange program would be beneficial. In addition, it would also be
valuable to include planetarians in professional development opportunities and
training sessions on current research and materials.
Instructional materials needed that reflect NASA research and scientific activities and meet the needs of the informal education community:
A need was identified for pre-
and post- planetarium visit materials. While
alignment of any educational program or set of materials with a single
set of national educational standards is valuable and more efficient,
planetarians often have to present programs
commensurate to their state or local standards. This points to the critical need for balance between overall
standards and overall program flexibility. Since planetariums and NASA serve all grade levels, all
standards must be considered. Planetarium
shows and educator guides are two delivery mechanisms that can be co-produced.
Recommendations that will help NASA broaden the diversity of
organizations that it might partner with in the future:
This was a difficult task for the
focus group. The planetarians are
not generally charged with providing new partners for NASA, focusing instead on
establishing and nurturing their own partnerships with NASA.
However, planetarians may act as conduits for some informal education
partners that they already serve, such as home schoolers and scout groups.
The true strength of a planetarium collaboration is that they have
a large and diverse number of facilities with highly qualified and trained
experts across the country that can serve as a direct link to the public.
A direct partnership with NASA will help broaden the size and scope of
NASA’s key messages, research, and content.
Professional development opportunities that should be provided to members
of the informal education community at NASA facilities:
Planetarium educators can serve as
part of a development team for a specific educational project.
Furthermore, for bigger educational projects, they can serve longer
through an internship program. Attending
NASA educational conferences or planning sessions can also benefit the
Planetarium community. Opportunities for specific training in technology,
content standards, and with scientists can be explored.
Evaluation strategies and mechanisms that could be used to measure the
effectiveness of the NEI Program:
Establish surveys of planetarians;
surveys of audiences for joint NASA/planetarium programs; and collect audience
usage data from planetariums, etc. Evaluations must not only look at content and understanding,
but also various attitudes toward STEM (science, technology, engineering and
math) in general. Also evaluating
career goals should be asked.
2.
Describe How Your Focus Group Addressed the Goal of the NEI Program
Identify
the components of the NEI Program goal, listed below, that have been, or will be
accomplished as result of your NEI focus group. Describe how.
Achieving the goals of the NEI
Program through this focus group will be accomplished only if the recommended
strategies are implemented in earnest. Because
the planetarium community seeks to collaborate more directly with NASA, the NEI
goals should inherently be accomplished. For
example, if NASA supports the planetarium-equivalent of an Explorer School, then
a new program modeled on an existing NEI program would have the elements of NEI
goals.
3.
Where Do We Go from Here?
Based
on your NEI Focus Group experience, what additional input can you provide that
relates to the NEI Program in general and the following topics:
Developing
a wish list (blue sky):
All ideas generated by the group
can be found at http://www.transitofvenus.org/focusgroup/post-focus.htm
Many of these ideas were collected and honed into one of the seven
strategies developed by the groups. A
short list of wishes that are not mentioned specifically in the seven strategies
include:
·
More communication opportunities, such as teleconferences;
·
More connection to Space Grant
·
Interaction with mission personnel
·
Specific NASA workshops
·
More cable companies carry NASA TV
·
NASA host an annual planetarium conference
Determining
short and long term objectives for the program:
The NEI Program and the planetarium
community are fortunate in that their respective objectives are closely aligned.
Unlike many informal education venues (such as libraries, parks, and
scouts) which can incorporate aspects of NASA’s mission into their respective
roles, the planetarium’s primary business dovetails in
whole with the NEI objectives. The
promotion of astronomy education is not merely an activity at the
planetarium—it is the lifeblood and the passion of the planetarian.
Broad, new objectives do not have to be invented to fit the joint
missions of NASA and planetariums.
In the early stages of implementing
the strategies, extant objectives have to be reviewed and recognized by all
participants, adapted to fit the language and calendars of the collaborators,
and modified to meet the respective state standards.
The early planners must ensure that all initial communications convey
benefits and behavioral outcomes for the planned program.
Expectations must be realistic, and objectives must be defined in
measurable terms for the evaluation process.
Establishing
collaborations/partnerships:
The NEI Program and the planetarium
community should establish respective points of contact to begin addressing the
strategies generated from this focus group.
The NEI can designate a few NASA persons who may have expertise in and
are interested in developing, for example, the long term Roadmap strategy.
The planetarium community can put out a similar call to its members. This small group can begin to formulate the Roadmap through
teleconferences, emails, or meetings, after which their conclusions would be
presented to the larger planetarium/NASA communities for input and revision.
A similar process could begin with the other strategies.
Understanding how NASA has worked with other communities will be an
important first step.
Facilitating
coordination among various communities including NASA:
Professional meetings and
conferences are already occurring that can be expanded or leveraged for needed
coordination. Each of the seven
regional planetarium associations meets annually—sometimes in combined
conferences—at which the work of implementing the strategies can be furthered.
NASA representatives typically attend the regional conferences, but they
might not be coordinated by any NASA NEI program.
Special sessions, workshops, and discussion opportunities can be part of
the formal agenda as well as part of the informal networking.
Sustaining
relationships:
Sustaining relationships cannot be
left to chance. Consistency,
attention, and support are required because relationships are inherently
organic. Successful relationships
flower & die and need to be re-seeded, nurtured, etc.
The best relationships may be driven by common purpose for a project,
such as the implementation of a strategy identified by this focus group.
Once the NEI and the planetarium community agree to pursue one of the
strategies, the executive committee(s) of the regional association(s) taking a
leading role should formally recognize the partnership with parties identified
by NASA to carry out the strategy to completion.
Identifying
roadblocks/barriers:
Identifying roadblocks are crucial.
The team must ensure a balance between self-interest and collaboration,
for both NASA and planetariums. We
may have similar objectives, but we also have our differing constraints and
agendas. It is
vital to identify the power and goals of the group to move past any
potential roadblock or barrier. Otherwise
it will get bogged down waiting for another group’s actions or approval.
In summary, an ongoing dialogue that identifies mutual goals and
interests would help to reduce roadblocks.
Evaluating
program impact – short and long term:
Evaluation of the program
impact—short term and long term—must be both quantitative and qualitative.
All programs developed must identify specific outcomes before deciding
how to measure. Otherwise, the solutions are selected on the basis of being
easy to measure. NASA may have to
take a lead in providing professional evaluation support, for many planetarians
of small- and mid-sized facilities are not trained in the nuances of formative
and summative evaluation.
Developing
follow-up strategies:
Developing follow-up strategies is
an obvious opportunity for further inclusion and collaboration.
These will become more apparent after pilot programs are tested and
evaluated. As part of their role,
the organizers of the respective collaborations would identify ongoing
strategies and resources required to support the program.
Identifying
required resources to support all aspects of the program:
Identifying resources to support
implementation of the strategies recommended by this focus group needs to occur
on an ongoing basis—when the program is conceived, planned, implemented, and
evaluated..
Required resources are consistent
communication with pre-established points of contact, professional development,
and an ongoing dialogue to develop and evaluate mutual goals.
Establishing
realistic expectations:
Ensure that all initial
communications convey benefits and behavioral outcomes for the planned program.
III.
Additional Information
Provide
a list of all the experts who were assembled to participate in your NEI Focus
Group:
Beth Amsbary, Willard W. Smith Planetarium
Pacific Science Center
200
Second Avenue North Seattle, WA
98109-4895
206.443-3648 beth_amsbary@pacsci.org
Jeanne
Bishop, Westlake Schools Planetarium
24525
Hilliard Road, Westlake, OH 44145
440.871.5293
jeanbishop@aol.com
Bob Bonadurer, President–Elect, GLPA
250 Marquette Ave, #400 Minneapolis , MN 55401
612.630.6151 rjbonadurer@mplib.org
Johndarr
Bradshaw Aerospace Outreach- SEMAA Program
Paragon Tech, Cleveland OH
216-361-5555
jbradshaw@paragon-tec.com
Dayle Brown, Pegasus Productions
849 Trail Ridge East, Mishawaka, IN
46544
574.258-5646 dayledavid@sbcglobal.net
Chuck Bueter, IPS Representative, GLPA
15893 Ashville Lane, Granger, IN 46530
574-271-3150 bueter@rad-inc.com
Anita
Davis, Education & Outreach Coordinator, NASA Landsat
SSAI,
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Building 33 G316
301-614-6669
adavis@pop900.gsfc.nasa.gov
David
DeFelice, Public Affairs Office, NASA Glenn Research
Center
21000
Brookpark Road, Cleveland, OH 44135
216-433-6186 David.M.Defelice@nasa.gov
Rene
Elias, Educator Resource Center Coordinator, NASA Glenn Research Center
21000
Brookpark Road, Cleveland, OH 44135
216-433-2017
Renee.L.Elias@grc.nasa.gov
Jon Elvert, Irene
W Pennington Planetarium, La. Art & Science Museum
100 South River Road, Baton Rouge,
LA 70802
225.344.9478 jelvert@lasm.org
Kay Ferrari, Solar System Ambassadors Program Coordinator
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, MS 311-100,
Pasadena, CA 91109-8099
818.354-7581 Kay.A.Ferrari@jpl.nasa.gov
Debbie Gallaway, Manager, NASA Explorer Institutes
Office of the Chief Education Officer, NASA Headquarters
300 E Street, SW, Washington, DC 20546-0001
202-358-1516 debbie.gallaway@hq.nasa.gov
Carol
Galica, Education Technology Specialist, NASA Glenn Research Center
21000
Brookpark Road, Cleveland, OH 44135
216-433-5112
Carol.A.Galica@grc.nasa.gov
Cathy
Graves, NASA Explorer School Program Coordinator, NASA Glenn Research Center
21000
Brookpark Road, Cleveland, OH 44135
216-433-6691
Catherine.E.Graves@grc.nasa.gov
Joel Halvorson
Educational Technology Fellow
Science Museum of Minnesota, 120 West Kellog, Saint Paul , MN
55102
651.221-2538 halvor@smm.org
Wayne
Harris-Wyrick Kirkpatrick Planetarium; Science & Air Space Museum
2100
NE 52nd Street, Oklahoma City, OK 77113
405.602.3705
wizardwayne@juno.com
David
Hurd, Planetarium, Edinboro Univ of Pennsylvania
103
Cooper Hall, Edinboro, PA 16444
814.732.2493
dhurd@edinboro.edu
Diane
Jeffers, University of Illinois, Department of Aerospace Engineering
Associate Director, Illinois Space Grant Consortium
306 Talbot Lab, 104 S. Wright St.,
Urbana, IL 61801
217.244-8048
dejeffer@uiuc.edu
Dawn
Jenkins, Exploration Systems Mission Directorate Outreach Specialist
NASA
Glenn Research Center, 21000 Brookpark Road, Cleveland, OH 44135
216-433-3930
Dawn.E.Jenkins@grc.nasa.gov
Rob
Landis, NASA Johnson Space Center
International Liaison Office, Mailcode
DO13, Houston, TX 77058
281-483-8233 rob.r.landis@nasa.gov
Rob LaSalvia, Educational Programs Office
NASA Glenn Research Center 21000 Brookpark Road,
M.S. 7-4, Cleveland , OH 44135
216.433-8981 Robert.F.LaSalvia@nasa.gov
Becky Lowder
Planetarium, Physics Dept, Georgia Southern University
Box 8031, Herty Drive, Statesboro,
GA 30460
Liz Monroe-Cook, Monroe-Cook & Associates
1111 Westgate Street, Oak Park , IL
60301
708 848-3779 monroecook@comcast.net
Ericka
Reinfeld, Harvard-Smithsonian
Center for Astrophysics
Science Education Department, MS-71, 60 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA
02138
617-495-5433 ereinfeld@cfa.harvard.edu
Susan Reynolds Button, Quarks to Clusters
& IPS President-Elect
8793 Horseshoe Lane, Chittenango, NY 13037
315-687-5371 SButton@ocmboces.org
Gary
Sampson, Past President, GLPA
880
Hi-Ridge Avenue, Waukesha, WI 53186
262.784.0341
ges@execpc.com
Patty
Seaton, President, Mid-Atlantic Planetarium Society
3408 Medina Lane, Bowie, MD 20715
301-918-9850
pxts13@yahoo.com
Dale Smith, Planetarium, Bowling Green State
University
Physics and Astronomy Dept, Bowling
Green, OH 43403-0224
419.372-8666 dsmith@newton.bgsu.edu
John
Stoke, Space Science Telescope Institute
3700
San Martin Drive, Baltimore, MD 21218
410.338.4394
stoke@stsci.edu
Carolyn
Sumners, Burke Baker Planetarium,
Houstom Museum of Natural Science
One
Herman Circle Drive, Houston, TX
77030
713-639-4632 csumners@hmns.org
James S. Sweitzer, Ph.D.
Science Communications Consultants
528 North Ridgeland Ave, Oak Park , IL 60302
708/848-2559 sweitzer@sciencecomms.com
Deb Vannatter, Science Resource Facilitator
Evansville Vanderburgh School Corp, 1 SE Ninth St,
Evansville, IN 47708
812-435-8427
davanna@evsc.k12.in.us
Sean Washington, Kingman Museum
175 Limit Street, Battle Creek, MI 49017
269.965-5117
swashington@kingmanmuseum.org
Dan
Winings, Rock Creek Park Nature Center/Planetarium
5200 Glover Road NW, Washington, DC 20015
202-895-6224 dan_winings@nps.gov
Gene Zajac, Planetarium Director
Shaker Heights High School, 15911 Aldersyde Rd, Shaker
Heights, OH 44129
216-295-4251 zajac_g@shaker-heights.k12.oh.us
Include
your final NEI Focus Group agenda:
Wednesday,
January 26
2:30 -- Depart Hilton Garden Inn for the Rock and Roll Hall
of Fame and Museum
3:00 -- Meet in lobby of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and
Museum
3:30 -- Tour Rock Hall on our own, then meet with President
and CEO Terry Stewart
Thursday,
January 27
7:45 -- Depart Hilton Garden Inn for short ride to NASA
Glenn—Meet in Hotel Lobby
8:00 – Badging and check in
8:30 -- Continental breakfast at the NASA Glenn Research
Center near the meeting room. Set up any posters.
9:00 -- Welcome and Introductions
9:30-10:15 -- Icebreaker activity
10:15 – 10:30 – Break
10:30 – 12:00: Sharing data via the lessons the
participants have prepared ahead of time.
12:00 -- 1:00: Lunch, with inter-group mixing.
1:00 -- 5:00: Break into four groups and start the idea
generation for assigned challenges
5:00--6:30: Break for the day
6:30 -- Bus leaves for restaurant
9:00 -- Finished for the day, participants on their own.
Optional dessert at Jeanne Bishop’s house
Friday,
January 28
7:45 -- Depart Hilton Garden Inn for short ride to NASA
Glenn—Meet in Hotel Lobby
8:00 -- Continental breakfast at the NASA Glenn Research
Center near the meeting room.
8:30 -- 9:00: Review and highlight ideas to be developed
9:00 -- 11:00: Groups develop ideas and prepare to present
11:00 -- 12:00: Groups each present their ideas and solicit
help from others regarding what is needed to develop the ideas further
12:00 -- 1:00: Lunch break working in groups
1:00 -- 2:00: Groups put ideas into document form
2:00 -- 2:45: Final discussion and vote, evaluation and wrap
up
3:00 -- 4:45: Tour of NASA Glenn Research Center
5:00: Adjourn
Describe
the approach that was used to accomplish the goals and objectives of your focus
group:
·
We Invited people from a balanced range of experiences and
locations. We also kept an eye on ability for creative thinking wherever
possible.
·
Used a co-facilitation model with a process person and a
content person. The process person
worked from an organizational development perspective.
This person is trained in both focus group moderating and facilitation of
group idea generation. The content person worked from strong knowledge of
participants—from both NASA and the planetarium community—and is experienced
in group work. Similar input given
by all members of the project team.
·
Asked participants to complete pre-group work about needs and
experiences that allowed us to develop a list of challenges that could be used
in a first round of brainstorming solutions.
·
Blended limited presentation to the large group with
small-group tasks and work. Ensured
that each small group had a project-team facilitator who had well-defined tasks
and outcomes for the small-groups. All
facilitators collaborated during and after each day of the Focus Group.
·
Elicited ideas from all participants through written forms of
brainstorming & evaluation (self-stick notes, ratings, etc.)
·
Utilized elements of a 3-part problem solving model* in which
one is 1) either understanding the problem or opportunity (data sharing about
NASA and planetariums, generating the challenge statements) or 2) generating
possible solutions (brainstorming and selecting most promising ideas) or 3)
setting priorities and building action plans (evaluation matrix with criteria;
strategy development; identifying “positives, potentials and concerns”
·
Identified and used guidelines for divergent and convergent
thinking for the group.
·
Solicited final ratings from the participants after potential
re-shaping of the ideas were discussed.
Submit captioned photographs (with permission),
anecdotes, and anything else you would like to send in that we can use on the
NASA Portal.
·
Website home page: http://www.transitofvenus.org/focus.htm
·
Ideas generated by focus group: http://www.transitofvenus.org/focusgroup/post-focus.htm
·
Photographs: http://www.transitofvenus.org/focusgroup/photos-table.htm.
Appendices: (in separate word
documents)
1) Things to
Remember About NASA and Planetariums
2) Details on
all seven strategies: