Shaw-IAU Workshops by the OAE

Planetarium domes offer unique opportunities for visualizing complex astronomical phenomena, yet the lack of interactive teaching approaches may hinder student engagement and limit the dome's educational potential. We developed and evaluated an interactive approach for the dome environment to communicate the uncertain nature of science. The design-based research (N=343) yielded a presentation that was interactive through didactical techniques (e.g., think-pair-share) and by tracking off-the-shelf laser pointers that allowed participants to draw on the dome, which significantly improved the audience's engagement over to a standard live planetarium lecture. We discuss insights from the development and highlight design considerations for implementing interactivity in domes.

About Jakub Stepanovic

Jakub Stepanovic is a PhD student at KU Leuven/LUCA School of Arts, Belgium, who develops visualizations and interaction approaches for a planetarium. His project aims to improve informed views on the nature of science for high school audiences and beyond.