Experts in science communication were asked to identify the essential elements of a science communication course for post-graduate students. A Delphi methodology provided a framework for a research design that accessed their opinions and allowed them to contribute to, reflect on and identify 10 essential elements. There was a high level of…

While a good class with a guest speaker requires plenty of advance preparation, the real clincher is for the teacher to create a tight fit between the course objectives and the speaker's purpose in being there. The speaker has to play an essential role in fulfilling the learning objectives of the course; if that doesn't happen, the students will…

Museums for America (MFA) is the largest IMLS grant program for museums; it supports institutions by investing in high-priority, high-value activities that are clearly linked to the institution's strategic plan and enhance its value to its community. MFA grants situate projects within a framework of meeting three strategic goals: engaging…

The concept of engagement across the learning sciences and in museums draws from research on visitor interests, motivations, and behaviors. Such involvement by museum visitors reveals institutional and field expectations about museum efficacy and demonstrated impact. However, engagement is a concept with different uses and interpretations across…

Three studies examine the effects of exposure to nature on positive affect and ability to reflect on a life problem. Participants spent 15 min walking in a natural setting (Studies 1, 2, & 3), an urban setting (Study 1), or watching videos of natural and urban settings (Studies 2 & 3). In all three studies, exposure to nature increased…

Slam poetry, being not just recitation or memorization, affords children the opportunity to express their own personal cultural experiences and values. Slam is a spoken word performance; a competition among poets. Audience commentary is ongoing during the performance and vigorous audience participation is essential in a slam format. The founders…

The prevailing tendency in applied drama and theatre research and practice in African contexts has been for both critics and practitioners to apply the Freirian educational paradigm of "codification" and "decodification" in the interpretation of their work. Guarav Desai asserts that most of the theoretical premises of applied…

When people think of a person "working the corners," a G-rated image does not generally come to mind. Yet that is precisely what the author, posing as "June Cleavage," did in New York City one dreary morning: she facilitated a meeting of strangers through the creation of a character and an approachable situation. June, with her…

In the context of debates on place, space, and identity in a period of globalisation, this article asks whether collaborative arts projects are a means to identity formation for participants. This is of interest, not least, because such projects are outside consumption, the latter more often discussed in work on identity in sociology. Situated…

The purpose of this study was to discover differences if any between ratings of general effectiveness of speeches and scores on audience tests of retention of material. (Author/MS)

Examines the role of the media in establishing a sense of community in the urban milieu and in providing for the individual citizen a new sense of power in being able to effect change." (Author/AA)

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to call attention to the fact that conferences for professionals rely on massive one-way communication and hence produce little learning for delegates--and to introduce an alternative, the "learning conference", that involves delegates in fun and productive learning processes.…

Paper describes the Reston, Virginia, interactive television demonstration. It details how the system is put together, what the results have been to date, and what the plans are for the future. (Author)

This article contends that during a performance the athlete is constantly nonverbally communicating expressions of territoriality. (MM)