Quest-Based Activities For Astronomy Learning At An Observatory Visitor Centre
TalkSpecial topic: Astronomy Education Beyond the Classroom
5th Shaw-IAU Workshop
Thursday Nov. 30, 2023
UTC: 9:05 p.m. - 9:15 p.m. America/New_York: 4:05 p.m.- 4:15 p.m.
Friday Dec. 1, 2023
UTC: 1:05 p.m. - 1:15 p.m. America/New_York: 8:05 a.m.- 8:15 a.m.
Robert Cumming (Onsala Space Observatory, Chalmers University of Technology)
Coauthors: Josef Wideström (Chalmers University of Technology)
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The inaugural exhibition at the new visitor centre at Onsala Space Observatory in Sweden was developed involving school classes in a co-creative process. To increase engagement for visiting classes and lowering thresholds for informal learning in astronomy, we have evaluated quest-based activity cards. We have explored different types of quests requiring different types of interaction with the exhibition. We find that while different age groups have widely diverging needs, the cards provide a good low-cost way of upgrading the experience at the exhibition for a large variety of visitors.
About Robert Cumming
Robert Cumming is astronomer and communicator at Onsala Space Observatory in Sweden. He has a PhD from Imperial College, London, and has worked at Stockholm University and the popular magazine Populär Astronomi. He is interested in effective outreach and communication methods, and has tried to apply some of these among radio telescopes and Earth science instruments at the observatory in Onsala.
