Sharing Planetary Science Measuring Your Impact LPI Scientist

Sharing Planetary Science Measuring Your Impact LPI Scientist Engagement November 20, 2019

Online Participants Joining online? Please share your thoughts and responses throughout the session in the chat box. You are a “discussion group. ” Be sure to use the drop box while chatting to direct responses to all attendees, not just the host. Having trouble hearing? Call in to join by phone: +1(773)231 -9226 Meeting ID: 149 472 6228#

Measuring Your Impact Imagine you are giving a public presentation to families or conducting an activity with students. How do you know whether your actions have had an impact? Start with your own goals. What impact do you want to achieve?

Measuring Your Impact Do you want to increase their: • interest in science, or science careers? • understanding of the solar system or your research? • awareness of planetary science or solar system exploration? • understanding of what science is / how it is done? • interest in NASA or planetary missions?

Designing Appropriate Assessments Some factors to consider: • Amount of time • Fun factor • Audience age and numbers Is goal reasonable and appropriate? Check with education specialist or members of the audience Keep your audience’s goals and prior knowledge in mind See prior resources at www. lpi. usra. edu/education/scientist-engagement

Ways to Assess What are some ways to determine whether your activity met some of your goals? Think-Pair-Share

Assessments are used to measure whether goals are being met. • • • Cognitive (knowledge, understanding) Affective (attitudes, feelings) Social / interpersonal skills Formative versus Summative • • Formative: ongoing feedback, to adapt/modify activities as needed Summative assessment evaluates learning/ impact Resources: CAISE Informal Science Evaluation Tools. www. informalscience. org/evaluation-toolsinstruments/evaluation-tools-and-instruments Science Formative Assessment: 75 Practical Strategies for Linking Assessment, Instruction, and Learning. Page Keeley, 2008.

Surveying Audience Preferences? 1. Paper or online surveys 2. Tests 3. Quick chats/ feedback 4. Both surveys and feedback 5. None of the above Real-time Feedback?

Think-Pair-Share Which of these is best way to check for 14 year-old students’ understanding about Mars exploration for a classroom presentation? 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Ask students if they understand Periodically polling students (thumbs up/down) Giving a test after the talk Having students describe what the spacecraft are doing None of these Directions on conducting a Think-Pair-Share and a variety of astronomy questions: astronomy 101. jpl. nasa. gov/materials.

Another example: Which lunar phase is most likely to have the lowest tides? B A D C

Snowball! Can be used to gather anonymous feedback, questions, or to check for understanding. Jot down your thoughts on the handout, or enter them into the chat box. Topic: Justifying Space Exploration Which person do you agree with the most and why? • Jason: Our first priority should be to send people to explore Mars. • L’Tonya: We should encourage more exploration by private industry. • Maria: We need to establish an outpost on the Moon. • Troy: NASA should focus on sending robotic missions to places like Venus and Europa, instead of human space exploration. • Tyler: We should limit our space exploration to address critical issues. After you’ve finished, crumple the sheet into a ball and toss it into the box.

Assessment Activities • • Polling Voting boxes Card sorting Kinesthetic Drawing or writing Building a model Making predictions

Incorporating Concepts • Spend 2 minutes jotting down your ideas on a sheet or in the chat box. • Please spend 2 minutes sharing your thoughts with colleagues at your table or online. • Top thoughts to share with everyone?

Thanks! • We have a very short evaluation form; we would greatly appreciate your feedback! For any joining us virtually, please fill out the same form at https: //www. surveymonkey. com/r/Sharing. Planetary. Science. • We will be facilitating a series of Sharing Planetary Science sessions; see www. lpi. usra. edu/education/scientist-engagement. Feel free to contact us with your thoughts and suggestions!