Smithsonian Learning Lab - research foundations and development
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Presentation to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) Education Department on the research basis and development process for a new learning platform from the Smithsonian. Presented April 1, 2015.
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Smithsonian Learning Lab - research foundations and development
- 1. Smithsonian Learning Lab learninglab.si.edu Los Angeles County Museum of Art April 1, 2015 Darren Milligan Senior Digital Strategist Smithsonian Center for Learning and Digital Access Smithsonian Institution @darrenmilligan / milligand@si.edu
- 2. This Morning 1. The Smithsonian and Outreach 2. Why Digital? 3. Research - Evaluation of Learning Materials - Audience Survey - Digital Learning Resources Project - Tools for Middle Schoolers 4. Learning Lab
- 3. This Morning 1. The Smithsonian and Outreach 2. Why Digital? 3. Research - Evaluation of Learning Materials - Audience Survey - Digital Learning Resources Project - Tools for Middle Schoolers 4. Learning Lab
- 5. Source: Frontline Design, http://www.frontlinedesign.org/project/night-at-the-museum-2-battle-of-the-smithsonian
- 6. Image from Flickr user Mike Procario, https://www.flickr.com/photos/procario/11060000573/, used under a CC BY-ND 2.0license.
- 17. Image adapted from the Department of Education, http://www.flickr.com/photos/departmentofed/9602545478/, used under a CC BY 2.0 license.
- 18. Smithsonian (in 2014) 19 Museums and Galleries & National Zoo
- 19. Smithsonian (in 2014) 19 Museums and Galleries & National Zoo 137.7M Museums Objects & Specimens 1.9M Library Volumes 136,194 Cubic feet of archival material
- 20. Smithsonian (in 2014) 19 Museums and Galleries & National Zoo 137.7M Museums Objects & Specimens 1.9M Library Volumes 136,194 Cubic feet of archival material 6,373 Employees 721 Research Fellows 9,817 Volunteers
- 29. This Morning 1. The Smithsonian and Outreach 2. Why Digital? 3. Research - Evaluation of Learning Materials - Audience Survey - Digital Learning Resources Project - Tools for Middle Schoolers 4. Learning Lab
- 31. 1995 23.6 million physical visits to museums 72,942 digital visits
- 32. 1995 23.6 million physical visits to museums 72,942 digital visits 2014 26.7 million physical visits to museums 99 million digital visits
- 33. 1995 23.6 million physical visits to museums 72,942 digital visits 2014 26.7 million physical visits to museums 99 million digital visits Physical: 26,700,000-23,600,000 / 23,600,000 X 100 = 13.16% increase Digital: 99,000,000-72,942 / 72,942 X 100 = 135,624.27% increase
- 34. 1995 23.6 million physical visits to museums 72,942 digital visits 2014 26.7 million physical visits to museums 99 million digital visits Physical: 26,700,000-23,600,000 / 23,600,000 X 100 = 13.16% increase Digital: 99,000,000-72,942 / 72,942 X 100 = 135,624.27% increase
- 35. Pew Research Teachers Survey Report February 2013 92%: Internet has “major impact” on their ability to access content, resources, and materials for their teaching 90%: use search engines to find info 84%: use Internet weekly to find content that will engage students 80%: use Internet weekly to help them create lessons
- 46. Image: Haxorjoe at en.wikipedia, http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Nokia1100_new.jpg, used under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported, 2.5 Generic, 2.0 Generic and 1.0 Generic license.
- 47. The Problem Fragmented Brand Outdated Platform Lack of Detailed Data Who is using our resources? Why are they using them? How are they using them? Where are they using them? How would they prefer to access them? In what format would they prefer them? Are they using them as designed? Are students learning from them…?
- 48. This Morning 1. The Smithsonian and Outreach 2. Why Digital? 3. Research - Evaluation of Learning Materials - Audience Survey - Digital Learning Resources Project - Tools for Middle Schoolers 4. Learning Lab
- 49. This Morning 1. The Smithsonian and Outreach 2. Why Digital? 3. Research - Evaluation of Learning Materials - Audience Survey - Digital Learning Resources Project - Tools for Middle Schoolers 4. Learning Lab
- 52. Remedial Evaluation of the Materials Distributed at the Smithsonian Institution’s Annual Teachers’ Night (2010) Literature review and evaluation to produce generalizable guidelines for the design and development of museum-based lesson plans and investigated classroom educator methodologies for incorporating museum-based lessons into classrooms.
- 53. Methodology Phase One Extensive literature review Phase Two Analysis of comments on specific Smithsonian lesson plans Phase Three Focus groups and in-depth interviews with classroom educators
- 54. Results: Literature Review Usability and navigability of websites are important. Common usability problems for visitors (including classroom educators) who are non-museum professionals when using museum websites: • Frustration with overloading of content • Distracting graphical user interfaces • Browsing not conducive to understanding specific topics • Difficulties with certain terminology • Disconnect of museum websites to the physical museums
- 55. Results: Literature Review Key requirements classroom educators need for museum material to be incorporated into their teaching: • Aligned to curriculum standards • Updated • Interdisciplinary • Related to big concepts • Educational • Not dependent on museum visits
- 56. Results: Analysis and Focus Groups Key requirements classroom educators need for museum material to be incorporated into their teaching: • Enjoyable for their students • Interdisciplinary • Adaptability • Alignment with curriculum standards • Flexibility to accommodate a diversity of students
- 57. Results Educators reported that they used Smithsonian materials acquired at Teachers’ Night as resource starting points for their teaching. Museum materials do not always fit into their teaching (museum materials must be deconstructed and then reconstructed).There was no definite indication that participants from the focus groups used the materials as intended by the Smithsonian.
- 58. This Morning 1. The Smithsonian and Outreach 2. Why Digital? 3. Research - Evaluation of Learning Materials - Audience Survey - Digital Learning Resources Project - Tools for Middle Schoolers 4. Learning Lab
- 60. Capturing the Voice of Customer, Satisfaction Insight Review of SmithsonianEducation.org (2011) Collected from more than seven thousand surveys completed by visitors to the central Smithsonian Education website, the makeup of this audience, their motivations for site visitation, their activities while on the website, and their sources of dissatisfaction were explored.
- 61. Methodology User satisfaction survey (using the methodology of the American Customer Satisfaction Index) conducted via SmithsonianEducation.org. A total of 7,470 surveys were completed during the twenty-four month span of data collection through a popup window presented to website visitors. The survey consisted of twenty-one numerically scored model questions, as well as ten multiple choice and five open-ended custom questions developed by SCLDA.
- 68. This Morning 1. The Smithsonian and Outreach 2. Why Digital? 3. Research - Evaluation of Learning Materials - Audience Survey - Digital Learning Resources Project - Tools for Middle Schoolers 4. Learning Lab
- 69. Digital Learning Resources Project (2012) To assist the Smithsonian to better understand the educational uses of Smithsonian digital resources and provide a road map for future digital development. Research objectives focused on classroom educators’ ability to identify, analyze, and extract digital content, with the ultimate goal of enabling all users to achieve their own personal learning objectives through the Smithsonian’s resources.
- 70. Intended Outcomes Short-term: to increase classroom educators’ skills in identifying, analyzing, and extracting specific Smithsonian digital learning content Medium-term: to increase skills to make strategic use of digital learning content Long-term: to foster online users who are active creators of digital resources personalized for learning in their own classroom.
- 72. Methodology Phases One/Two Focus groups with twenty classroom educators in Northern California combined with user analytics; literature review & environmental scan Phase Three Prototypes were developed and tested by group of sixty-nine classroom educators (grade-level and geographically diverse)
- 74. Results: Phases One/Two Search and Visualization Tools Museums need to make resources more findable and to generate assets that are personalized and accessible anytime, anywhere, and on multiple platforms. Classroom educators also asked for: • Search results with thumbnails, previews, tag clouds, and rating systems that allow them to easily identify what is useful and what is not • Personalized search hints • Search capabilities that can be either highly filtered or extremely broad
- 75. Results: Phases One/Two Engaging, Standards-aligned, Learner-centered Content Classroom educators put student interest and engagement at the top of their list and need content that aligns with learning goals and standards. • Engage students • Allow for student interaction and adaptation • Afford accessibility for various learning styles and levels • Offer coherence with the lesson and multidisciplinary opportunities • Support problem-based learning goals • Support standards-based teaching goals
- 76. Results: Phases One/Two Instructional Tools When extracting resources, classroom educators want: • Flexible technologies for a diversity of devices and delivery methods • Tools to assess learning • Tools to adjust reading level of text • Ways for classroom educators to upload their self- authored components into a saved file, or resources from other sites or collections • Specific pedagogical tools
- 81. Results: Phase Three Search and Visualization (Identifying) • Search by entering a general search term, then filtering further if needed. Educators also preferred the gallery view to review their search results. Participants want more intelligence in their searches and results to guide them toward the most valuable resources. • Use a diversity of locations to find what they need and have little loyalty to one site in particular • Use the Facebook Share option, but the most popular method of sharing was emailing the link to themselves or a colleague.
- 82. Results: Phase Three Authentication, Saving, and Storing (Analyzing) • To save resources that they find useful. • The flexibility to organize and annotate resources according to their own schemas. • Flexibility in the types of viewing methods available: one for whole-class interaction and one for individual interaction. • The ability to allow students to use the site and its tools as much as the classroom educator. • Content that is aligned with Common Core State Standards.
- 83. Results: Phase Three Instructional Tools (Extracting) • Were excited about the use of “interactives” with the resources found in the Smithsonian collection. • Appreciated the search functionality of the site but want better visibility of the tools, including prompts and explanations for their use. • Liked being able to upload resources from other sources to augment their collections and appreciated being given tools that make this easier to accomplish within the site.
- 84. This Morning 1. The Smithsonian and Outreach 2. Why Digital? 3. Research - Evaluation of Learning Materials - Audience Survey - Digital Learning Resources Project - Tools for Middle Schoolers 4. Learning Lab
- 85. Piloting Tools to Enable Active and Participatory Learning for Middle School Students: Facilitating Digital Learning with Smithsonian Digital Resources (2014) Classroom educators have indicated that relevance to students’ needs are a top priority. We are now testing directly with students to better understand how they use digital museum assets (specifically digitized collection objects) and to document the types of scaffolds necessary to enable active and participatory learning using them.
- 87. Methodology Prototype presented to middle school students in College Park, Maryland and in Chico, California. Testing was conducted using a predefined set of instructions and tasks. Each testing session included an activity where students were first introduced to the Smithsonian, the research project, and their role as testers. Students were then shown the prototype and walked through how to search, save, and edit collections. Individually, they were then asked to conduct the same search. Finally they were instructed to search, create, and edit a collection based on their own interests. The group was then interviewed for suggestions of improvements.
- 89. Results Challenges for Student Users • Unintelligible descriptions: some of the students found that the descriptions were difficult to understand • Spelling limitations: some of the students could not find the items they were looking for because they could not spell the search terms correctly • Loss of authority: some of the participants thought that the information in their collections was unreliable if they (or anyone else) were able to change the information from the original Smithsonian descriptions (a feature of the prototype)
- 90. Results Feature Requests • Auto-correct to assist with spelling • Predictive searches/Recommended searches • Ability to adjust fonts • Draw on objects • Put external images into their collection • Share collections through social media and email • Export their collection • Create unique collages from multiple images • Child-accessible collection descriptions
- 91. Image adapted from the Department of Education, http://www.flickr.com/photos/departmentofed/9602545478/, used under a CC BY 2.0 license.
- 92. META TIME!
- 93. META TIME! Conclusions Focused on • Educator search preferences • Factors that contribute to difficult analysis and resistance to use learning resources • Educators’ preferences for learning resources • Educators’ preferences for platform content and functionality
- 94. Educator Search Preferences • Searching assist via autocomplete and/or spelling assist • Search results that allow for both browsing and filtering • Scannable grade level and subject information • Resources from a wide variety of sources
- 95. Factors that Contribute to Difficult Analysis and Resistance to Use Learning Resources • Too many search results; too difficult to browse quickly for relevant content • Distracting user interfaces • Unfamiliar terminology and/or lack of contextual information
- 96. Educators’ Preferences for Learning Resources • Interdisciplinary and/or multidisciplinary • Connection to students’ interests • Alignment to teaching standards and/or relationship to big ideas • Highly Adaptable • Downloadable format
- 97. Educators’ Preferences for Platform Content and Functionality • Content available from more than one one producer/supplier • Tools available within the platform for student interaction with the resources • Variety of sharing options • Ability to save and structure resources within the platform for later review/use
- 98. This Morning 1. The Smithsonian and Outreach 2. Why Digital? 3. Research - Evaluation of Learning Materials - Audience Survey - Digital Learning Resources Project - Tools for Middle Schoolers 4. Learning Lab
- 99. Learning Lab Introduction Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GAU hgZTArs0
- 100. Smithsonian Learning Lab Process Technical Specifications Personas Wireframes Style Tiles Style Guide Mockups Alpha Beta Beta Launch
- 101. Smithsonian Learning Lab Process Technical Specifications Personas Wireframes Style Tiles Style Guide Mockups Alpha Beta Beta Launch
- 105. Smithsonian Learning Lab Process Technical Specifications Personas Wireframes Style Tiles Style Guide Mockups Alpha Beta Beta Launch
- 114. Smithsonian Learning Lab Process Technical Specifications Personas Wireframes Style Tiles Style Guide Mockups Alpha Beta Beta Launch
- 116. Smithsonian Learning Lab Process Technical Specifications Personas Wireframes Style Tiles Style Guide Mockups Alpha Beta Beta Launch < User Testing < User Testing < User Testing < User Testing < User Testing < User Testing
- 117. A Minimum Viable Product has only the core features that enable the product to be useful, and nothing more.
- 118. A Minimum Viable Product has only the core features that enable the product to be useful, and nothing more.
- 119. A Minimum Viable Product has only the core features that enable the product to be useful, and nothing more.
- 122. Smithsonian Learning Lab Public Beta Launch September 2015 Follow Along And Share Your Thoughts learninglab.si.edu
- 123. Image adapted from the Department of Education, http://www.flickr.com/photos/departmentofed/9602545478/, used under a CC BY 2.0 license. Thank you. Questions?
Notas do Editor
- 2009 film, Night at the Museum, Battle of the Smithsonian Source: Frontline Design, http://www.frontlinedesign.org/project/night-at-the-museum-2-battle-of-the-smithsonian
- James Renwick’s 1849 Smithsonian Castle building.
- Photo shows 8 of the Smithsonian museums.
- The Smithsonian is known for its collections: Iconic Objects Hope Diamond: 45.52 carat deep-blue diamond Puffy Shirt: 1993 “low talker” episode of Seinfeld
- Art collections including those that have become icons of American history: Gilbert Stewart’s 1796 portrait of George Washington, the “Lansdowne Portrait” and ones that perhaps may end up having more of an infamous legacy: Nelson Shank’s 2005 portrait of Bill Clinton
- Contemporary collections: Electronic Superhighway: Continental U.S., Alaska, Hawaii 1995 Nam June Paik Source: http://americanart.si.edu/collections/search/artwork/?id=71478
- Artifacts that document the complex history of the United States: Winter count recording events from 1800 to 1870, possibly made by Lakota Lone Dog Lunch Counter from the Woolworth's store in Greensboro, NC, used in the 1960 youth-led movement to challenge racial inequality throughout the South
- Objects associated with American 20th century technological achievements: 1903 Wright Flyer: December 12, 1903, first powered heavier than air flying machine (with Orville Wright flying) Space Shuttle Discovery: used for 27 years (one of 5 built) with more spaceflights than any other
- Natural history specimens: Entomology collections Botany-algae collections 90% of the collections, both dry collections and…
- Wet collections: Fishes collections at the National Museum of Natural History Global Genome Initiative, growing collection to preserve biological specimens from 5 million species in 20 nitrogen-cooled tanks just outside DC.
- Living Collections primarily maintained for captive breeding: Cheetah at the Conservation Biology Institute in Front Royal, VA Giant Panda: Tai Shan, September 30, 2005, at the National Zoo
- Founded in 1846, the Smithsonian is the world's largest museum and research complex, consisting of 19 museums and galleries, the National Zoological Park, and nine research facilities
- Research, cultural, educational, and publishing units; as well as libraries, archives, and a for-profit division (Smithsonian channel, magazine, etc.)
- Smithsonian Center for Learning and Digital Access: SCLDA
- SCLDA historically focused on teacher professional development and educational publishing.
- Smithsonian resources are traditional lesson plans design for educators, interactive content developed for young learners, but also things that we find education audiences are interested in, like research databases, and online conference archives and videos.
- 1995
- Obviously all this data, both non-digital and digital are aggregates and bet understood as indicators and not looked at as specifics. 1995 (19 years ago) 23.6 million physical visits to our museums 72,942 web visits (about 3% of the physical visitors)
- So if we move ahead 19 years to 2014, to last year, we see a pretty dramatic increase in visitation, both physical and digital. 2014 26.7 million physical visits to our museums 99 million digital visits
- An if we do some algebra, solve for x, we see that Physical visitation increased by about 13% But Digital visitation to the Smithsonian increased by 135,624% Source: (Estimated number of people who visited Smithsonian public websites during the report period as counted by SI's WebTrends reporting software. Website tracking software counts a "unique" visitor once even if they visit a site multiple times, but for technical reasons the result is considered only an approximation. Data Source: Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO))
- So let’s let those numbers sink in for a minute. numbers do not take into account the views and uses of our content on non-Smithsonian platforms like Flickr, Youtube, and social media spaces.
- More than ever before, teachers use the Internet to inform, support, enhance, and even enable their teaching. Survey covered only Advanced Placement and National Writing Project teachers - Sample size: 2,462 middle and high school teachers in US Source: http://www.pewinternet.org/2013/02/28/how-teachers-are-using-technology-at-home-and-in-their-classrooms/
- 1997
- 1998 – 23 lesson plans
- SmithsonianEducation.org was launched in 2003 by the SCLDA.The core objectives for the SCLDA website were to serve as the gateway to Smithsonian educational resources; tailor content to serve three distinct audiences: educators, families, and students; promote the understanding and use of museums; and emphasize inquiry-based learning using primary sources. During the early 2000s, websites were moving into a new era by acknowledging and addressing the unique needs of different user groups. This approach also supported the shift in museology in which museums moved from being "about something" to being "for somebody" (Stephen Weil, 1999). Throughout the past thirteen years, the site has grown to house SCLDA-published materials and to serve as the gateway to the Institution’s more than two thousand digital educational resources (from thirty-two museums, libraries, archives, and research centers) indexed and searchable by national and Common Core State Standards. In 2007 and 2008, the site was selected as the People’s Voice winner for Best Cultural Institution Website in the Webby Awards.
- Amazon.com in 2003 and 2015 Source: Internet Archive Wayback Machine: http://archive.org/web/
- Yahoo.com in 2003 and 2015 Source: Internet Archive Wayback Machine: http://archive.org/web/
- Search in 2003. Source: Internet Archive Wayback Machine: http://archive.org/web/
- Social Media in 20013 MySpace launched in July 2003. No YouTube: February 2005 No Facebook: publically available September 2006 No Twitter: launched July 2006 Source: Internet Archive Wayback Machine: http://archive.org/web/
- Source: Internet Archive Wayback Machine: http://archive.org/web/
- Nokia 1100: 250 million sold in 2003. 2013: Samsung - all variants: 445 million sold Nokia all variants: 250 million sold Apple's iPhone - all variants: 150 million sold Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_best-selling_mobile_phones#2003
- So, the solution was Research.
- Smithsonian Teachers’ Night 2012 Photo © Bruce Guthrie
- Smithsonian Teachers’ Night 2012 Photo © Bruce Guthrie
- Phase one: extensive literature review to explore the following questions: What methods do classroom educators use to find and use lesson plans? Do lesson plans from museums meet classroom educators’ needs? Phase two: analysis of comments by visitors to SmithsonianEducation.org on specific Smithsonian lesson plans. The analysis reviewed 132 public comments classroom educators posted in 2008. The purpose of the content analysis of these comments on Smithsonian lesson plans was to identify themes in alignment with the literature review. Phase three: focus groups and in-depth interviews with classroom educators to address two questions: What design elements are most important to classroom educators? What extent and in what ways do classroom educators make use of materials provided by the Smithsonian?
- The literature review confirmed that the usability and navigability of websites are important. The research suggests that there are common usability problems for visitors (including classroom educators) who are non-museum professionals when using museum websites: Frustration with overloading of content Distracting graphical user interfaces Browsing not conducive to understanding specific topics Difficulties for non-museum professionals with certain terminology Disconnect of museum websites to the physical museums
- Regarding the suitability of lesson plans for classroom use, the literature review presented several key requirements classroom educators need for museum material to be incorporated into their teaching. Material must be: Aligned to curriculum standards Updated Interdisciplinary Related to big concepts Educational Not dependent on museum visits
- Key requirements classroom educators need for museum material to be incorporated into their teaching: enjoyable for their students interdisciplinary adaptability alignment with curriculum standards flexibility to accommodate a diversity of students
- Educators reported that they used Smithsonian materials acquired at Teachers’ Night as resource starting points for their teaching. They expressed that materials need to be visually appealing, useful right out of the box, durable, and multipurpose. Feedback suggested that classroom educators are selective when using Teachers’ Night materials. Museum materials do not always fit into their teaching (museum materials must be deconstructed and then reconstructed). Educators expressed the desire for the Smithsonian materials to be more readily usable in the classroom. There was no definite indication that participants from the focus groups used the materials as intended by the Smithsonian.
- Capturing the Voice of Customer, a Satisfaction Insight Review of SmithsonianEducation.org (2011) Collected from more than seven thousand surveys completed by visitors to the central Smithsonian Education website, the makeup of this audience, their motivations for site visitation, their activities while on the website, and their sources of dissatisfaction were explored.
- Findings: About half of visitors (48 percent, n=3,578) to the site identified themselves as “teachers,” by far the largest audience segment. However, if you add in other formal education audiences (Librarian, Curriculum Developer, School Administrator), we find that this segment increases to approximately 56 percent.
- Subject area taught by those self-identifying as a teacher (the survey here allowed multiple selections). The data points to a fairly equal distribution between Language Arts (34 percent, n=915) , Science (34 percent, n=915), and Social Studies (33 percent, n=888). Again, it was not a surprise that more generalized subjects are dominant (Language Arts and Social Studies), as 65 percent of teacher survey respondents taught in grades PreK–8.
- Motivation: Inherent to understanding satisfaction (the original intention of the survey) was a need to identify the motivations that lead to users arriving at the website. Almost 60 percent (congruent with the number of visitors in formal educational roles) came to the site with aspirations of finding educational resources.
- We looked into the actual activities they performed while on the site to correlate intention with real action. Most came to access the content: to read it online (48 percent, n=3,344), to search for it (47 percent, n=3,274), to download it (25 percent, n=1,742), and to share it with others (22 percent, n=1,533).
- "What were you primarily looking for today?" We see here a connection between visitor motivation pre-visit and the actions performed on the site. Fifty-nine percent came to the site to "find educational resources," and again the majority end up performing this type of search, in the form of teaching resources, lesson-plan downloads, or content information (clarified in the survey to mean specific information, such as oceanography).
- Visitors who indicated that they were primarily looking for teaching resources were asked to clarify their needs. We can see here both the types of information desired (supplemental and topical) as well as the format in which they need it (downloadable).
- Intended Outcomes Short-term: to increase classroom educators’ skills in identifying specific Smithsonian digital learning content, analyzing specific Smithsonian digital learning content, and extracting specific content from Smithsonian digital learning resources. Medium-term: to increase skills to make strategic use of digital media and visual displays of data to express information and enhance understanding; and creativity. Long-term: to foster online users who are active creators of digital resources personalized for learning in their own classroom.
- Logic models shows the logical relationships between inputs, outputs, and outcomes.
- The work (conducted between April and October 2012) was organized across four phases. Phases one and two involved focus groups with twenty classroom educators in Northern California combined with user analytics drawn from Brokers of Expertise (now known as the Digital Chalkboard; see https://www.mydigitalchalkboard.org/), a resource repository containing metadata describing Smithsonian digital learning resources. In addition, during these early phases a literature review and an environmental scan were conducted to further refine goals and research questions. During phase three, initial prototypes were developed and tested by a larger group of sixty-nine classroom educators over a three-week period in the summer of 2012. In Phase four the prototype was finalized based on the findings of the testing and a full set of requirements for the eventual build of the prototype was developed.
- Search and Visualization Tools The literature suggests that museums need to make resources more findable and to generate assets that are personalized and accessible anytime, anywhere, and on multiple platforms. Classroom educators also asked for: Search results with thumbnails, previews, tag clouds, and rating systems that allow them to easily identify what is useful and what is not Personalized search hints Search capabilities that can be either highly filtered or extremely broad
- Engaging, Standards-aligned, Learner-centered Content Previous findings suggest that classroom educators put student interest and engagement at the top of their list and need content that aligns with learning goals and standards. When analyzing resources, classroom educators want content that will: Engage students Allow for student interaction and adaptation Afford accessibility for various learning styles and levels Offer coherence with the lesson and multidisciplinary opportunities Support problem-based learning goals Support standards-based teaching goals Convey a virtual museum experience
- Instructional Tools Deeper exploration answered new questions about how classroom educators use museum digital content in their classrooms. When extracting resources, classroom educators want: Flexible technologies for a diversity of devices and delivery methods Tools to assess learning Tools to adjust reading level of text Ways for classroom educators to upload their self-authored components into a saved file, or resources from other sites or collections Specific pedagogical tools ( such as Graphic organizers, Vocabulary/glossary builders, and Discussion and question area)
- Phase 3, all about prototyping: To look at the learning resources and their construction, but also to look at the…
- … platforms on which they are presented.
- Using the prototype: When taken together, the three weeks of classroom-educator workshops enabled the research team to confirm a set of behaviors across the participant groups. If we use the lens of the project goals of identifying, analyzing, and extracting content to become more creative in classroom instructional use, we can summarize the prototype testing findings as follows.
- Search and Visualization (Identifying) Classroom educators commonly: Search by entering a general search term, then filtering further if needed. Educators also preferred the gallery view to review their search results. Participants want more intelligence in their searches and results to guide them toward the most valuable resources. This intelligence included auto-complete typing, auto-correct spelling, and similar items for returns that bear few results. (We will also see these suggestions from the student testers in the next study.) Use a diversity of locations to find what they need and have little loyalty to one site in particular, although they go to educational sites more frequently than non-educational sites. Use the Facebook Share option that was provided, but the most popular method of sharing was emailing the link to themselves or a colleague.
- Authentication, Saving, and Storing (Analyzing) Classroom educators prefer: To save resources that they find useful. They will use whatever means available to do it, even if the site does not provide this function. The flexibility to organize and annotate resources according to their own schemas. Flexibility in the types of viewing methods available: one for whole-class interaction (where site order is emphasized and only one site is viewed at a time), and one for individual interaction (where student selection is emphasized and all sites are easily accessed). The ability to allow students to use the site and its tools as much as the classroom educator. Content that is aligned with Common Core State Standards.
- Instructional Tools (Extracting) Classroom educators: Were excited about the use of “interactives” with the resources found in the Smithsonian collection. Appreciated the search functionality of the site but want better visibility of the tools, including prompts and explanations for their use. Liked being able to upload resources from other sources to augment their collections and appreciated being given tools that make this easier to accomplish within the site.
- The prototype was presented to middle school students in June 2014 in College Park, Maryland, and in October 2014 in Chico, California. Testing occurred in four classrooms with sixth and seventh graders both during and after school with twenty to thirty students in each class. Students worked primarily independently, but occasionally in small groups, on supplied laptops. Testing was conducted using a predefined set of instructions and tasks. Each testing session included an activity where students were first introduced to the Smithsonian, the research project, and their role as testers. Students were then shown the prototype and walked through how to search, save, and edit collections. Individually, they were then asked to conduct the same search. Finally they were instructed to search, create, and edit a collection based on their own interests. The group was then interviewed for suggestions of improvements.
- Unintelligible descriptions: some of the students found that the descriptions were difficult to understand (the information provided on collection items is often museum cataloging information rather than education information specifically designed for students) Spelling limitations: some of the students could not find the items they were looking for because they could not spell the search terms correctly Loss of authority: some of the participants thought that the information in their collections was unreliable if they (or anyone else) were able to change the information from the original Smithsonian descriptions (a feature of the prototype)
- Participants wanted to see features that are familiar from other search engines/software, such as: Auto-correct to assist with spelling Predictive searches Recommended searches Filters for inappropriate material Ability to adjust fonts Microphone speech for text searching Participants wanted the ability to personalize their collection by being able to: Draw on objects Put external images into their collection Share collections through social media and email Export their collection Create unique collages from multiple images Participants wanted additional content such as: Modern photos Specific information about the items (such as whether or not certain animals are endangered or where the animal lives) Child-accessible collection descriptions
- To reach these conclusions, we examined each of the studies and consulted both the literature analyzed in the individual literature reviews referenced above, as well as more recent literature to identify common conclusions. These are organized below and reflect educational preferences for both searching for learning resources and analyzing their usefulness: 1) educator search preferences, 2) factors that contribute to difficult analysis and resistance to use learning resources, 3) educators’ preferences for learning resources, and 4) educators’ preferences for platform content and functionality.
- To reach these conclusions, we examined each of the studies and consulted both the literature analyzed in the individual literature reviews referenced above, as well as more recent literature to identify common conclusions. These are organized below and reflect educational preferences for both searching for learning resources and analyzing their usefulness: 1) educator search preferences, 2) factors that contribute to difficult analysis and resistance to use learning resources, 3) educators’ preferences for learning resources, and 4) educators’ preferences for platform content and functionality.
- Enabling effective search for educators reflects both standard website search best practices and also recognizing the need for and providing for descriptive metadata relevant to and understandable by this audience, specifically grade level and subject alignment. This audience does not appears to have any specific loyalty to particular providers of content nor platforms where learning resources are provided, however, our recent analysis has shown that clear indications of the source of the item coming from a trusted provider (such as the Smithsonian) is useful.
- Educators report that the number of search results encountered, further hampered by both the website user interface design and the information provided with museum-based content, detract from their ability to effectively determine if the resources are appropriate for their pedagogical needs. Specifically we found these factors to be the most detrimental:
- Educators express some consistent needs when explaining the types of digitally-accessible resources they look for from museums. Many express the desire that the focus of the resources be inter- or multidisciplinary. This may stem from preconceived notions of the types of knowledge contained within museums, but the studies did not offer enough information to firmly conclude this. Secondly, a strong preference was noticed for content that connects with both the interests of the students and accepted teaching standards, such as Common Core State Standards. In terms of format, resources should be adaptable, either in how they are used pedagogically (for various learning or reading styles/abilities) and functionally (flexible to various presentation, sharing, and export formats). Specifically educators are looking for resources that meet these criteria:
- When considering the platforms on which educators access educational resources for their classrooms, they seem to prefer ones that consolidate content from a variety of sources (not just the platform provider, for example). As well, they look for tools to make the content more useful, both for their students (such as discussion areas, annotation tools, etc.) and for themselves. They prefer a variety of sharing options (although the SCLDA research indicates that email continues to be the preferred method of sharing resource with other colleagues) and ways to save and sort content for later use. Specifically the research and literature indicates these preferences:
- The Smithsonian Learning Lab project is the result of a major rethinking of how the digital resources from across the Smithsonian’s 19 museums, nine major research centers, the National Zoo, and more, can be used together, for learning. It is a big dream, an aspiration to make these resources more accessible and more useful to teachers, students, parents, and anyone on a lifelong quest to learn more. It hopes to deliver the Smithsonian in ways that make learning joyful, personal, and shareable. The Smithsonian Learning Lab will be a web accessible digital platform (accessible through fixed and mobile web devices) that enables the discovery, by teachers and learners of all types, of millions of digital assets from the Smithsonian’s galleries, museums, libraries, and archives through faceted, targeted search, as well as serendipitous exploration. It will be a place rich with research-based tools that aid its users in the customization of its contents for personalized learning. It too, we hope, will become a community of users, both within the Smithsonian and across the world, who collaborate, create, and share with each other new resources for learning. Users of this new platform will: Discover, Adapt/Mashup, Create, and Share. Specifically, the new Smithsonian Learning Lab will be a platform for users to find and interact with Smithsonian digital content (such as the more than 1 million digitized collection objects, videos, and podcasts) and learning experiences (like the more than 2,000 lesson plans and other project-based learning experiences). The Learning Lab will be a place where users can: Search for and Store Smithsonian learning resources (lesson plans, etc.), learning experiences (currently called Quests), and digitized museum collections, videos, podcasts, etc., Create and Share with learners and peers personalized collections and learning experiences they build using a variety of resources the Learning Lab will make available, or ones they upload and link to from other non-Smithsonian sources, Participate in online learning experiences (Quests made by Smithsonian educators, or those made by other users) themselves or with others (their students, for example), and Find general information about the Smithsonian Center for Learning and Digital Access.
- Personas are a way of keeping users, or at least models for who your users might be, at the forefront of the conversation. They don’t take the place of hard core user-centered practices (i.e. spending a lot of time talking and working with teachers), but they have been useful in defining our target users.
- The characteristics of our personas were developed first using the results of the survey conducted on current users of SmithsonianEducation.org (this told us who our current users are) as well as what was learned in the formative research phases of the project (helping to understand why some teachers are not current users). Combining this information with data from the U.S. Department of Education’s Center for Educational Statistics took us one step further in the definition of these characters. Our personas are: All teachers in their 30s and 40s (54% of U.S public school teachers are 30–49 years old, and 63% of SmithsonianEducation.org users are 25–54 years old), 75% female (76% of U.S public school teachers are female), and Middle and high school teachers (49% of U.S. public school teachers are secondary teachers, and 76% of SmithsonianEducation.org teacher users teach grades 4–12).
- As we think about our users, we are conscious of the need to develop a platform that not only reflects the demographic characteristics of our current and aspirational users, but also one that works both for those with deep digital experience, and those that may not have the technical confidence that might deem them a “digital native” or even “digital immigrant.” In other words, it must be both simple to use, but offer enough complexity to satisfy those looking for deeper engagement. We want to create a space that is useful to those searching for a wide variety of experiences, from simple searching and browsing of the Smithsonian collections, to authoring, publishing, and sharing of classroom materials.
- Wireframe for search results
- Wireframe for search results
- Wireframe for learning resource display
- Wireframe for saving resource to collections
- Wireframe for annotating resource with textual hotspot
- Wireframe for adding a multiple choice student response
- Wireframe for uploading personal media to a collection
- Wireframe for creating educationally-relevant metadata and publishing a collection
- User testing at the core of development: 20 current classroom teachers from across US + 5 museum educators Spread across the personas Weekly interventions for everything from terminology to deep functional analysis The project is a Lab for its users, a place to experiment and build, but its very much a lab for the Smithsonian. We are building a Minimum Viable Project. Launching it unfinished.
- Definition based on: Minimum Viable Product, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minimum_viable_product
- Definition based on: Minimum Viable Product, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minimum_viable_product Image based on original illustration found here: The Myth of Incremental Development, http://herdingcats.typepad.com/my_weblog/2014/07/the-myth-of-incremental-development.html
- We will do this while we build through user testing and post beta launch through analytics (and more user testing) Definition based on: Minimum Viable Product, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minimum_viable_product Image based on original illustration found here: The Myth of Incremental Development, http://herdingcats.typepad.com/my_weblog/2014/07/the-myth-of-incremental-development.html
- Remote user testing done via software called Verify.
- Remote user testing done via software called Verify.