Oregon State University Free Choice Learning Lab

Source: Uploaded by user via Free-Choice on Pinterest

Some of the cameras with which we’re working come in aesthetically pleasing, self-contained housings. We can fix that. The photo above shows the previously-internal microphone of an Axis M10 camera, which Kent has bent to his will using copper wire and electrical tape.

He also removed the housing from the camera itself, releasing its verdant inner being. Observe, as it perches atop the marine mammal case, naked and free as the day it was manufactured (at least before the housing went on, which presumably happened the same day):

Source: Uploaded by user via Free-Choice on Pinterest

So why, why, why did we do this? Well, we have to established not only how versatile our equipment is in its off-the-shelf condition, but how versatile it might be made through customization. In this case, we wanted to see if the internal microphone could be extended or swapped out if a situation so requires (if you’re wondering, the answer appears to be “yes”).

These devices will become part of our workplace. We have to become familiar with them, inside and out. That process may not always be pretty, but it sets the stage for better integration into our research environment.

In summary, that camera will get new clothes and it will love them.

In honor of National Volunteer Appreciation Week, Laura and I put together a video staff thank-you card to all our volunteers. Laura presented it in-person yesterday. You can view it online here.

Our volunteers really do keep this place running, from exhibit construction to animal feeding. Thanks, everybody!

As part of the FCL Lab’s incorporation of the iPad as a research tool in museums, I have been one of a handful of people testing different survey software. Software I tested included PollDaddy, iSurvey, iForm, QuestionPro and TouchMetric/Surveyor. While each had their own unique set-up and offered basic affordances such as different question types and access to data, I found that QuestionPro far exceeded the others.

Here are a few things that I particularly liked about QuestionPro:
• Great customer service. I made a contact through their online chat and that person remained by contact, via email, throughout my trial. I was offered a free upgrade to the corporate edition and my free trial was extended to meet the amount of time I needed to complete a specific project.
• Diversity in question types. For my survey I used pretty basic questions (multiple choice- both select one answer and select multiple answers, comment/text boxes, matrices and scales) but noticed there were several other question options.
• Easy to set up surveys. Selecting a question type, making questions require a response, and branching all had to be done in separate pop-up boxes; however, once you got used to the system it didn’t take much time.
• Ability to jump/branch to follow a logical order. Enough said.
• Survey can be completed on the iPad app or by emailing a link to participants. The main focus of testing different software was to determine how easy it was to set up and use on an iPad. However, in my study I had participants who were easier to contact via email (i.e. museum staff). Having the capability to send those participants a link to complete the survey on their computers was easy and efficient. QuestionPro allows you to see the original email sent to participants, how many have viewed the survey, how many have completed the survey, and send reminder emails.
• Basic data analysis. I have not explored this feature in any great detail yet, but simple statistics and graphs are easily accessible.

There are few negative things to say about QuestionPro. It does take time and patience to figure out branching/skip logic and some other features, but I wouldn’t say more so than any other new program one tries to learn. Beware, however, of the preview option when editing the survey. Previewing your survey is helpful, especially if you set up branching, but QuestionPro puts all of the data from those previews into your data folder. It is easy enough to go into your data and delete those results, but I would recommend to do that before collecting data from participants. I have sent an email about this to QuestionPro.

Prototyping describes the process of creating a first-version exhibit, then testing it out with visitors, and redesigning. Often, we iterate this several times, depending on monetary and time budgets. It’s usually a fruitful way to find out not only what buttons confuse people, but also what they enjoy playing with and what great ideas totally bomb with users.

The problem with prototyping, as with many data collection processes, is that you have to ask the right questions to get useful answers. We are currently re-developing an interactive about how scientists use ocean data to make predictions about salmon populations for future harvests. The first round surveys revealed some areas of content confusion and some areas of usability confusion. Usability confusion is easy to re-work usually, but content confusion is harder to resolve, especially if your survey questions were confusing to the visitors.

This was unfortunately the case with the survey I made up, despite a few rounds of re-working it with colleagues. The survey had multiple-choice questions which were fairly straightforward, but it was the open-ended questions that tripped people up, making the results a bit harder to interpret and know what to do with. The moral of the story? Prototype (a.k.a. pilot) your survey, too!

Marine Science Day was a huge hit. Attendance far exceeded any event I’ve personally witnessed at HMSC. Researchers and educators did a fantastic job of communicating what goes on at our strange and wonderful workplace.

A few highlights:

-Bill’s public sea turtle necropsy (with power tools!)

-A six-person life raft doubling as a bouncy castle in the Barry Fisher building

-Kids trying on a microphone-equipped full-face SCUBA mask at the Oregon Coast Aquarium‘s dive program kiosk

On a somewhat-unrelated note, if you missed last Monday’s xkcd graphic, you should probably check it out.

Source: flickr.com via Free-Choice on Pinterest

Tomorrow is Marine Science Day in the Visitor Center. Yesterday, Bill et al. pulled a deceased Olive Ridley sea turtle (above) from the necropsy freezer to thaw. I enjoy public necropsies because they obliterate the line between science and science education. Visitors can watch and participate as details of the animal’s life and, sometimes, its cause of death are revealed. We all get to share in the process, which can be exciting, surprising and emotional.

With tours, presentations and other goings-on from open to close, we’re all looking forward to Marine Science Day this year. Events like this are as much fun for us as they are for our visitors. Come on by if you’re in the area. We have a lot to share with you.

The Free-Choice Learning Laboratory at HMSC

Informal science education research

Modded camera

Thank you, volunteers!

Working with QuestionPro

The Problem with Prototyping

Marine Science Day wrap-up

Preparing for Marine Science Day

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