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Using an Informal Cardiovascular System Activity to Study the Effectiveness of Science Education in Unexpected Places

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Abstract

Venues for informal science education are usually those sought out by people who are specifically looking for an educational experience. Whether planning a trip to a museum or choosing a television program, these individuals are actively seeking an informal educational experience; they are a self-selected group. This paper investigates whether members of the public will respond to an informal science activity that is placed in a location where learning about science would be unexpected. This project developed and used an activity about the cardiovascular system in which participants were able to walk the path of blood flow through the heart, body, and lungs. This activity was tested in two types of settings: where science was either expected or unexpected. A non-traditional assessment method was used to evaluate the effectiveness of the activity in the unexpected versus the expected settings. Ultimately, the activity was found to be equally effective in both settings, providing evidence for success in bringing informal science education to the general population in non-traditional venues.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the Delta Program, Prof. Kristyn Masters, Dr. Tom Zinnen, Dr. Kimberly Duncan, Christine Reich, and Elizabeth Kollmann for their support and contributions to this project, and the National Science Foundation through the Materials Research Science and Engineering Center on Nanostructured Interfaces (DMR-0079983 and DMR-0520527) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA

    Elyssa Lynne Monzack

  2. Materials Research Science and Engineering Center on Nanostructured Interfaces, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1550 Engineering Drive, Madison, WI, 53706, USA

    Greta M. Zenner Petersen

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  1. Elyssa Lynne Monzack
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  2. Greta M. Zenner Petersen
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Correspondence to Greta M. Zenner Petersen.

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Monzack, E.L., Petersen, G.M.Z. Using an Informal Cardiovascular System Activity to Study the Effectiveness of Science Education in Unexpected Places. Res Sci Educ 41, 453–460 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11165-010-9174-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11165-010-9174-5

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