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Full-Text Articles in Education

Profiles In Practice: Stories Of Paleontology Within An Online, Scientific Community, Lisa Lundgren, Kent J. Crippen, Richard T. Bex Ii May 2020

Profiles In Practice: Stories Of Paleontology Within An Online, Scientific Community, Lisa Lundgren, Kent J. Crippen, Richard T. Bex Ii

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

The Community of Practice framework has been used theoretically and empirically to describe the diverse ways people learn from one another through social interaction in a variety of specific contexts. To date, most research of this genre has favored investigating the community and domain constructs of the theory over the authentic practice construct. Those interested in recognizing and supporting science learning in non-school contexts across a lifespan are then limited in efforts to delineate how communities engage in domain-specific practice. This is especially relevant in the study of online environments which afford more democratic forms of participation. With the goal …


The Belgrade Paleoblitz: A Pilot Project To Engage Amateur Paleontologists, Victor J. Perez, Ronny M. Leder, Lisa Lundgren, Shari Ellis, Betty A. Dunckel, Kent J. Crippen Apr 2020

The Belgrade Paleoblitz: A Pilot Project To Engage Amateur Paleontologists, Victor J. Perez, Ronny M. Leder, Lisa Lundgren, Shari Ellis, Betty A. Dunckel, Kent J. Crippen

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

Paleontology is an interdisciplinary field that attracts a range of individuals, from hobbyists to professionals. A primary goal of the NSF-funded FOSSIL Project is to establish a unified community of paleontologists and promote best practices in the field of paleontology. The Belgrade PaleoBlitz was a pilot effort to meet these goals by guiding participants through the museum curation process via a rapid two-day immersion. The objectives of the PaleoBlitz event were to: 1) educate participants in best practices associated with the museum curation process, and 2) catalog specimens collected from the Belgrade Quarry into the Florida Museum of Natural History …


Social Media Interaction As Informal Science Learning: A Comparison Of Message Design In Two Niches, Lisa Lundgren, Kent J. Crippen, Richard T. Bex Ii Jan 2020

Social Media Interaction As Informal Science Learning: A Comparison Of Message Design In Two Niches, Lisa Lundgren, Kent J. Crippen, Richard T. Bex Ii

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

Social media provides science learners opportunities to interact with content-specific messages. However, most science-specific social media content is designed to disseminate information instead of encouraging dialog. In this novel, ex post facto exploratory study of a science social media community, we sought to understand the relationships among community member interaction, design elements of messages, and post type on two digital niches (i.e., Facebook and Twitter). Framed by the theory of symbolic interactionism, we conducted a content analysis of 1370 messages that were systematically created by an informal science learning project and found that usage frequency of messaging elements varied by …


Postdocs’ Lab Engagement Predicts Trajectories Of Phd Students’ Skill Development, David F. Feldon, Kaylee Litson, Soojeong Jeong, Jennifer M. Blaney, Jina Kang, Candace Miller, Kimberley Griffin, Josipa Roksa Sep 2019

Postdocs’ Lab Engagement Predicts Trajectories Of Phd Students’ Skill Development, David F. Feldon, Kaylee Litson, Soojeong Jeong, Jennifer M. Blaney, Jina Kang, Candace Miller, Kimberley Griffin, Josipa Roksa

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

The doctoral advisor—typically the principal investigator (PI)—is often characterized as a singular or primary mentor who guides students using a cognitive apprenticeship model. Alternatively, the “cascading mentorship” model describes the members of laboratories or research groups receiving mentorship from more senior laboratory members and providing it to more junior members (i.e., PIs mentor postdocs, postdocs mentor senior graduate students, senior students mentor junior students, etc.). Here we show that PIs’ laboratory and mentoring activities do not significantly predict students’ skill development trajectories, but the engagement of postdocs and senior graduate students in laboratory interactions do. We found that the cascading …


Scientific Twitter: The Flow Of Paleontological Communication Across A Topic Network, Richard T. Bex Ii, Lisa Lundgren, Kent J. Crippen Jul 2019

Scientific Twitter: The Flow Of Paleontological Communication Across A Topic Network, Richard T. Bex Ii, Lisa Lundgren, Kent J. Crippen

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

The field of paleontology, which is based principally on observations of the natural world, includes an active community that is engaged across multiple social media platforms, consisting of museums, academic researchers, amateur fossil collectors, paleontological artists, and commercial fossil dealers. As such, it represents an ideal environment for examining the people, interactions, and flow of scientific information. Using interactions involving the four most popular Twitter hashtags for paleontology, this embedded mixed methods study defined the members of this social world and investigated how they influenced and controlled the flow of information, as well as how their expression of scientific practice …


Public Engagement On Climate And Health In Museums And Participatory Dialogues May Foster Behavior Change, Kathryn A. Stofer, Lisa Lundgren, Betty A. Dunckel, Vaughan James, Makenna Lange, Janice Krieger Jun 2019

Public Engagement On Climate And Health In Museums And Participatory Dialogues May Foster Behavior Change, Kathryn A. Stofer, Lisa Lundgren, Betty A. Dunckel, Vaughan James, Makenna Lange, Janice Krieger

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

As scientific knowledge grows and the planet’s human population makes unprecedented changes, decision-making places more and more demands on the everyday democratic participant. Yet efforts to help the public acquire and make use of evidence-based information fall short. We present preliminary comparisons of three participatory design models of public engagement with science designed to encourage community action rather than just raise awareness in participants on local public health issues impacted by climate change. We collected survey data at two in-person community-based participatory dialogues and a museum exhibit and presented but received no surveys from televised versions of the participatory dialogues. …


Expanding The Learning Network: How Teachers Use Pinterest, Stephanie E. Schroeder, Rachelle E. Curcio, Lisa Lundgren Mar 2019

Expanding The Learning Network: How Teachers Use Pinterest, Stephanie E. Schroeder, Rachelle E. Curcio, Lisa Lundgren

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

This exploratory qualitative study of 117 teachers explores how educators engage with Pinterest, an online social networking site, specifically asking: (1) What similarities and differences exist in how elementary-level preservice and elementary-level in-service teachers engage with Pinterest? (2) What similarities and differences exist in how secondary-level in-service teachers and elementary-level in-service teachers engage with Pinterest? Findings indicate teachers at all levels tend to use Pinterest to search for educational resources and adapt resources to suit their classroom needs. Preservice teachers identify a more complex interaction with Pinterest than in-service teachers when determining quality resources. Findings indicate a need for future …


Panel-Based Exhibit Using Participatory Design Elements May Motivate Behavior Change, Lisa Lundgren, Kathryn A. Stofer, Betty A. Dunckel, Janice Krieger, Makenna Lange, Vaughan James Feb 2019

Panel-Based Exhibit Using Participatory Design Elements May Motivate Behavior Change, Lisa Lundgren, Kathryn A. Stofer, Betty A. Dunckel, Janice Krieger, Makenna Lange, Vaughan James

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

Meaningful science engagement beyond one-way outreach is needed to encourage science-based decision making. This pilot study aimed to instigate dialogue and deliberation concerning climate change and public health. Feedback from science café participants was used to design a panel-based museum exhibit that asked visitors to make action plans concerning such issues. Using intercept interviews and visitor comment card data, we found that visitors developed general or highly individualistic action plans to address these issues. Results suggest that employing participatory design methods when developing controversial socio-scientific exhibits can aid engagement. We conclude by recommending participatory strategies for implementing two-way science communication.


Learning And The Practice Of Social Media In Informal Science Education Centers, Lisa Lundgren, Kent J. Crippen Jan 2019

Learning And The Practice Of Social Media In Informal Science Education Centers, Lisa Lundgren, Kent J. Crippen

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

Both social media and informal learning spaces have the potential to foment knowledge-building. This article aims to bridge theory and practice with an analysis of the social media practices across informal science learning centers through the lens of the Contextual Model of Learning. We evaluate strategies through directed content analysis of phone interviews, online surveys, and researcher field notes. Our findings reveal that informal science learning centers create marketing-related social media strategies as opposed to ones which align with contemporary learning in informal settings. Implications for researchers who seek to use social media in an educative manner are discussed.


Mental Models And Social Media Personas: A Case Of Amateur Palaeontologists, Lisa Lundgren, Kent J. Crippen, Eleanor E. Gardner, Victor J. Perez, Ronny Maik Leder Jun 2018

Mental Models And Social Media Personas: A Case Of Amateur Palaeontologists, Lisa Lundgren, Kent J. Crippen, Eleanor E. Gardner, Victor J. Perez, Ronny Maik Leder

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

This study explores social palaeontology - an inclusive and collaborative form of science occurring across digital habitats. The purpose was to: 1) examine conceptualisations of amateurs via expressed mental models and 2) use the unified media-user typology (MUT) to explore any relationship between these models and social media persona. Data collection involved a survey, modelling task and interview. Findings reveal that persona was demonstrated in subtle ways, offering limited evidence for a relationship between persona and mental model. Sequential models were most common, but more so for advanced personas. Expertise development was expressed through the number of conventions used during …


Amateur Paleontological Societies And Fossil Clubs, Interactions With Professional Paleontologists, And Social Paleontology In The United States, Bruce J. Macfadden, Lisa Lundgren, Kent J. Crippen, Betty A. Dunckel, Shari Ellis May 2016

Amateur Paleontological Societies And Fossil Clubs, Interactions With Professional Paleontologists, And Social Paleontology In The United States, Bruce J. Macfadden, Lisa Lundgren, Kent J. Crippen, Betty A. Dunckel, Shari Ellis

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

Considerable interest exists among lifelong learners in the USA about fossils and the science of paleontology. Unlike some other science-related groups, e.g., astronomy and ornithology, interest in fossils among amateur paleontologists is primarily focused within local clubs and societies with little national coordination. This paper presents the results of formative evaluation of the FOSSIL project, conducted after the project “Kickoff” meeting held at the NAPC (North American Paleontological Convention) in 2014. FOSSIL is developing a national networked community of practice that includes amateur and professional paleontologists. Our research indicates that more than 60 amateur fossil clubs and societies exist in …