Communicating Science through New Learning Environments, April 2001, Module 6
Contents
The aim of my study is to evaluate the effectiveness of the Internet
terminals currently used in the HuB as a learning resource for the public.
With the introduction of interactive multimedia terminals into the
science centre environment, we allow visitors the opportunity to move
from a glancing experience into a deeper involvement with the topic.
People’s interactions with multimedia systems like the Internet terminals
in the Techniquest setting will be very different from those of the school
or office. The users of the system (as is said by R Semper & K H
Woolsey) will often be standing, operating in groups consisting of mixed
ages and may be passing by with little time to stop and learn how to
operate the controls.
With the recent developments in technology and the explosion of personal
use of multimedia computing, its educational potential is now being exploited:
“Access to ICT (Information and Communication Technology) is a vital
part of young people’s education. We are working hard to connect every
school to the Internet, and to provide the equipment necessary to help
schools make the most of the opportunities it offers.” (Rt Hon Tony Blair
MP, from DGfL press release)
Many of the newly opened science centres across the country are seeing
the potential of web based exhibits, with screens allowing the user to
chose from many different web cams all over the world and terminals which
allow them access to chosen web sites. As a science centre Techniquest
is now almost expected to provide such services. (For description of
the Internet and WWW see appendix 1)
According to the CSUP Report 1992 development of understanding involves
a series of learning phases:
- Preparing to tackle the material
- Acquiring the relevant material
- Interpreting the material
- And so develop personal understanding
So for the terminals it would mean the user sitting down at the machine
wanting to look up some of the information, being focused on what they
are going to do i.e. sit down and have a learning experience. Next is using
the navigation set up to follow the links to the relevant information.
Here we are part guiding them to the information by providing the direct
links to what we think is relevant. Next the user must remain and read
the information or look at the images. Finally the developing an understanding
is helped or hindered by the quality of the material of each site.
So if these stages are thought to be what people require for an effective
educational experience are they actually interacting this way with the
equipment? Are the users making use of the links and support around them,
or are they merely ‘playing’ on the machines?
As an addition to the Techniquest facilities the old cyber library has
recently been converted into the newly christened ‘HuB’.
The Hub is a circular room that is part of the first floor of the Techniquest
exhibition. Where as the old cyber library was a small self-enclosed
room, now one of the walls has now been demolished to openly connect
the room with the rest of the floor. It is no longer a separate room
but appears part of the exhibition space.
The HuB has three main components:
- A plasma screen
- Modular work benches
- And 4 Internet terminals
The area is used to provide back up information to the public programs
shows that are running in the science theatre and planetarium at the
time. At the time of study the area was being used in relation to the
planetarium show ‘Lights in the sky’. The room was decorated with posters
about astronomy and the plasma screen was running a power point presentation
with information about what was said during the show. Three workbenches
were set up with exhibits relating to stars and observing. Then finally
we see the four Internet stations that had been set up with links to
topic related web sites.
The room itself was very light, with half of the room open to the exhibition
floor and the majority of the rest was a glass wall with only one area
closed to house the plasma screen. It had a very open feeling, with light
coming in from all sides and lots of soft lighting in the outer ring
of the circular roof. The glass windows look out over the rest of the
exhibition, providing a great vantage point from which to take in most
of the floor.
The area is open to visitors all the time, not just on the weekends.
Allowing it to be used by both weekend visitors and weekday school groups.
The
terminals themselves consisted of a computer screen, a selection button,
a roller ball and an instruction sheet. The instructions are very basic.
They explain that you can use the roller ball to move the arrow around
the screen and then you can use the button to select an item. Around the back of the terminal we can only see two leads, a power lead
and a phone wire. They are placed around the room with large gaps between each terminal.
There are stools available for the users to sit on if required.
The starting home page screen on the terminals looks like this:
It appears like a basic Internet explorer but with only forward, back
and home buttons present. We then see the graphic showing which public
programs show the information was themed to, in this case ‘lights in
the sky’ and then below that we have the pre-set options of sites to
visit.
To look at each of the web sites the user has only to click on the link.
Each of these 6 sites then opens in a window with the same functions
bar running across the top of the screen. So you can always return to
the starting page by clicking on ‘Home’
From the beginning it was clear that due to time restraints the sample
size for my evaluation was going to be small. So I decided to make the
most out of the available resources and combine all of the interactions
which I had on the subject instead of merely limiting myself to just
one of them.
The first thing which I did was to sit down and spent time using the
equipment myself. I felt that this would give me a better understanding
of the system and its uses.
I then carried out the study over a half term week and part of a school
week in the HuB area.
From what I had already observed of the area I knew that the turn over
of people using the terminals would be very high, but that their interactions
with the equipment often would be short. So I decided observation of
visitors and their interactions would provide a large amount of information.
The area around the terminals is very open and so provides many places
from which to unobtrusively observe.
Due to the time constraints of the study the number of interactions
with visitors was expected to be very low. So it was judged that the
most efficient means of finding out what people had to say about the
terminals would be to ask visitors orally rather than getting them to
fill in a questionnaire. I did consider a written questionnaire but felt
that this was not in line with the feeling of the HuB area. The informal
interviews were most carried out once the person or group had moved away
from the terminals, so to allow other users to take over the terminal.
But in some cases I was called over by the person/group and asked a question
about the terminals, in which case I extended my interaction with them
into the interview.
Thirdly certain members of staff appear to send large amounts of time
in the area helping people use the equipment. So they seemed to provide
a large amount of experience in visitors use of the terminals. I approached
the staff and asked them for their views about the HuB, this could be
done individually or by going to the front desk where I could talk with
a group of the staff members.
When I first sat down and starting using them myself the main things
that I notice about the terminals are that there are no keyboards around
and secondly that most of the links are actually quite quick.
But most interestingly I also noted that the information and labelling
on the terminals does not mention the fact that they are linked to the
Internet. So unless you notice for yourself and you stay within the 6
pre-set options then the user may think that they are just looking at
information on a CD-ROM or saved on the computer system.
During the study it appeared that the terminals are used by people
of all ages.
Older visitors:
The stools provide a seat for the more aged visitors to rest on whilst
their children or grand children run around other parts of the exhibition
floor, at which point they start using the terminals which they have
found in front of them almost by chance.
Some older visitors take up the opportunity to find out more about the
theme behind the show they have or are about to see and spend extended
periods of time reading and looking at many of the sites.
Often people who walk past and realise that the terminals offer an Internet
connection people will attempt to use the terminal to access whatever
they want. They appear to show very little interest in the information
that they have been set up to provide, wanting more to check their e-mail,
the football scores or the weather forecast. Not the most productive
use of the terminals for a science centre. During many of my conversations
with visitors I had complaint after complaint about there being no keyboards.
They were getting very worked up over this because it meant that they
couldn’t check their e-mail. People seemed to take it that it was their
right to use the terminals to do whatever they wanted to and we should
provide for that.
Parents:
Often adults accompanying children appear to try and take over the terminal
useage from their children, trying to point out the educational information
that they provide. Many of the adults would see that the child was not
interested and begin reading the text sections out load to their children.
Often the children would fight away from their parent’s grip and run
away, often leaving the interested adult reading on a little time before
heading off in pursuit.
Children without an adult:
Children are drawn to the terminals due to the bright colourful images
and the prospect of playing on the computers. Many attempt to find games
on other sites, or if looking through the site provided many only spend
a very short amount of time looking at the images (not reading the text)
before they run off to the next exhibit.
They were excited about using the computers and were skilled in there
use. The terminals were enjoyed until an adult came along, at which point
the fun aspect continued until the adult tried to take over, when the
child would become bored and move on.
School group uses:
It was observed that the computer terminals were not being used by the
majority of the school groups visiting. On many occasions the teachers
were discouraging their children from using the area. On conversation
with some of the teachers it turned out that many of them were attempting
to guide their children to exhibits which were relevant to the theme
of their visit, none of which were astronomy or space based at the time.
Other more general behaviours were met crossing all of the age groups:
i.) Many people would simple look at the terminals as they walked around
the HuB, either looking at the terminals and the home page image or would
simple watch the people who were currently using the terminals from a
slight distance before moving on. When approached many of these people
said that they thought the area was a good idea but that they either
weren’t interested in astronomy or didn’t like using computers themselves.
ii.) Then next group includes many of the children who used the terminals.
They sat down and appeared to ‘play’ with the terminals rather than take
a real interest in the material.
iii.) In some cases a person, both child and adult, would use the area
before running off and returning with a group of people wanting to shoe
them the terminals. Often they were exited by what they had seen and
wanted to share it.
iv.) Finally we have the group who actually sat and made their way through
a site actually making an effort to read and understand the information
that was presented to them. This group mainly consisted of lone users
who sat quietly for up to about 10 minutes before leaving the area.
As part of their job the floor staff spend large amounts of time helping
visitors use the HuB area, so that they would have picked up on many
of the recurring feeling about the area.
The main comments made were:
When
using their computers at home people mostly will use a mouse to navigate
around their computer but when they sit down at the terminals they are
suddenly faced by the roller ball and push button controls. This appears
to cause quite a lot of difficulty in using the system. They seem to
try and use the controls with just one hand instead of using both.
Also quite common is that the arrow on the screen can often disappear
of the side of the moniters. This appears to be due to the fitting of
the housing around the screen. So if someone has tried just spinning
the roller ball for fun as they walk past when the next person come to
use the system them can be easily put of by not being able to find the
control pointer. They think that something is wrong and move on.
The systems can quite often be a pain for the staff due to the fact
of how often they have to be reset once someone has clicked on a link
which removes the browsers controls, taking the ‘Back’ button with them.
Once this has happen the staff must turn the power off and then back
on again to re-set the system to the home page.
The staff all seemed to thing that the terminals were on the whole a
good addition to the floor. But I believe this may be due to the fact
that they sit and work out how to get on to the search engine pages and
then from there find links to what every they want. This means that during
the quiet periods of the day they can entertain themselves.
The information of most use turned out to be the observational data,
as it appeared to give the best picture of how people were using the
area.
The conversations which I had with people most often turned into them
complaining about not having a keyboard or simply saying what a good
idea the area was. Many people were also vocal about the problems of
the links taking them to dead ends from which they needed help to get
out from. Even with my ID badge on many people were nervous to talk to
me in much depth about their thoughts on the area.
Over 20% of children using the Internet say they have found something
that has “upset” or “embarrassed” them according to the NOP
research group. Of these, two-fifths said that they found
something “rude”, a quarter something that they thought would “get
them into trouble” and one in seven something which “frightens
them.” (Supanet Internet user’s guide, 2000)
Most perfectly normal children will search using a swear word the first
chance that they get and if they are at all curious about sex, it won’t
be long before they come across something which we will not want them
viewing within Techniquest, if at all. There are two methods of dealing
with the problem. Trying to prepare them for what they may find or simply
shield them from it. As the technology of the Internet and the Web browsers
increase we can now attempt to censor sites which include sex or violence.
By disabling the normal browser functions Techniquest has attempted
to limit users to looking at only pages to which direct links are provided.
A lot of time and effort is put into trying to ensure that all the sites
used will not give access to unwanted materials. Also by allowing people
to use the Web in general people may hog the machines looking up non
scientific information while there are people waiting to use the terminals
to look at the ‘Lights in the sky’ material for which they are provided.
The main attempt to curb the searching for unwanted materials is the
removal of any keyboards, thereby not allowing directly typed searches.
Keyboards were originally fitted to the terminals but they were removed
after an incident when Colin (TQ Director) walked by one evening and
found 3 of the 4 terminal the displays showing inappropriate materials.
Another reason for not having Keyboards is the large amount of wear
and tear that they had experienced previously. It was found that they
had to be repaired on a regular basis, most keyboards are not designed
with the battering taken by exhibits on the floor in mind. Keyboards
are provided under supervised use when the terminals are moved into the
Lab as part of a workshop.
Even without Keyboards there are still risks of people accessing material
we do not want them to within the centre. Firstly nearly all Web sites
have links to other pages. If people follow these it is only a matter
of time before they find their way on to a search engine site from which
they can just point and click to find what they want. Secondly some links
produce pop up windows, some of which can contain all the normal browser
functions allowing access to the history files. This allowed people to
bring up any pages that may have been called up by members of staff on
there own computer in the offices of the centre, some of which was material
which was not wanted on the floor by some of the parents (such as the ‘South
Park’ web site).
The speed of the load time for the pages seemed to depend on which site
they were looking at. Some are nearly instant while others can take up
to a couple minutes.
The effect such a long wait had on the user was either that they would
just stand up and leave, or they would use the ‘Back’ or ‘Home’ button
to continue on with another topic.
Just as advertising on the web has been accused of slowing the system
down it too causes problems on the terminals. Clicking on any of the
adverts on the science pages will often take the users to a screen from
which they have no way back without the aid of a keyboard or the full
browser functions, both of which are not present on the terminals. This
can often lead to a dead end and requiring the user to ask a member of
staff for help, which is something that many people will not do. Instead
they simply will get up and walk away. The adverts can cause real problems
especially when so many are disguised as useful links. When a user ends
up at one of these links they do not what to ask for help. Maybe they
fear that they have done something which they shouldn’t of done.
The instructions on the terminals for their use are very straight forward.
They are divided into 4 bullet points, which state how to use the controls.
What was missing was an explanation for the terminal’s presence. Labeling,
clearly setting out for what purpose the terminals and the linked pages
are for would be useful for focusing the attention of the user to what
they can look up.
“exhibit designers struggle with the issues of making systems
simple enough for brief encounters with first time users” (Semper & Woolsey
1989)
In this case the system seems to have been made in such a way that everyone
observed could use, if not in the most coordinated of ways. Everyone
appeared to understand what they had to do even without reading the labels.
One interesting question which I find I have to consider is just how
the set up and design of the HuB itself should affect the information
content of the web pages used as links.
Now with its open and light feel, connecting almost seamlessly with
the exhibition floor I feel that the area has a feel of light and quick
information. The area does not lend itself well to an extended period
of time sitting using the terminal, with all the distractions of the
surrounding noise and exhibits I believe it is not the place for lots
of information to be given in the form of long essay type pages. By far
the majority of the users spend only a small amount of time on the terminals,
during my observations the longest was about 10 minutes (that is of those
who were looking at the intended information pages). So the terminals
seem to lend themselves to short, sharp and punchy information bites,
but still with the option for links to deeper investigation if required,
but not as the norm.
There is much theory concerning the way in which visitors
move around exhibits, dictating how they should be constructed and positioned
to
provide the most stimulating experience. I believe that the same should
be true for interactive multimedia exhibits such as the Internet terminals. We
need to look at ways of creating a navigational tool which allows a more
constructed way for the visitor to ‘surf the web’ while still feeling
the freedom to look up information, but only on subjects which we feel
are relevant. The main sites need to be very carefully chosen so that
they are as self contained as possible.
I still find it interesting that a user may not even realise that they
are on the web. I think a decision needs to be made over whether the
terminals are being set up as Internet terminals or simply as back up
information terminals. If it is the latter do they actually need to be
connected to the web at all, cannot the sites be downloaded onto the
computer network. Working in a system which closes off the adverts and
links to other sites, leaving just the information that we have chosen.
As an interface the terminals need very little in the way of previous
experience on the part of the user, which makes the terminals open to
all.
As to is the experience educational? My answer is that is can be just
in the same way as all of the other exhibits of Techniquest, only if
used in a constructive manner by the user. Does the visitor experience
of the terminals need to be totally educational. I believe that a science
centre like Techniquest should be about not just teaching but about inspiring.
If the terminals have inspired someone to go and look for more information
about a topic on the web at home then is that not the first step to learning.
For the child, uses the terminals definitely appear to be a fun experience.
The HuB will be an area of Techniquest which I’m sure will continue
to evolve with time. I believe the main points to be looked at are:
- Ways of cutting out the links that lead to dead ends on the terminal
browser.
- A way of focusing more the attention of the user onto the intended
use of the system.
- And a study carried out of which type of site (essay style, practical
or theory based, images based or video/audio pages etc…) that are most
used. Currently the sites with the astronomy pictures were clearly
favoured over the text based.
CSUP REPORT. 1992. Teaching and Learning in an Expanding Higher Education
System Committee of Scottish University Principals Working Party.
Department for Education and Employment. 1997. Excellence in schools.[WWW]
<URL: http://www.dfee.gov.uk/wpaper/mindx.htm>
Dudley Metropolitan Borough, Education service. 2000.
“The Dudley Grid for Learning”. [WWW]
<URL: http://www.dudley.gov.uk/council/educate/dgfl/briefcover.htm>
Guillermo Pedroni. 1996.”The Importance of The World Wide Web in Education K-12.” [WWW]
<URL: http://www.geocites.com/Athens/5461/paper_1.html>
Roberts E. 1999. An Evaluation of the Cyber Library at Techniquest.
MSc Dissertation, University of Glamorgan
Semper R. & Woolsey K.H. 1989. “The Intersection of Public Space and Computing”
Introduction: Multimedia in Public space, Technical report.
Supanet. 2000. Supanet Internet user’s guide. P45
The 6 web sites that were used on the terminal:
2001. Heavens Above. [WWW] <URL: www.heavens-above.com >
2001. Science Net. [WWW] <URL: www.sciencenet.org.uk >
2001. Imagine the universe. [WWW] <URL: http://image.gsfc.nasa.gov >
2001. Why is the sky blue? [WWW] <URL: www.sciencemadesimple.com/sky_blue.html >
2001. Astronomy Picture of the Day. [WWW]
<URL: http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.htm >
2001. Steve Albers’ Weather Photographs. [WWW]
<URL: http://laps.fsl.noaa.gov/frd-bin/albers.wxphotos.cgi >
The World Wide Web
Today the Internet is a network of more than 120 million users worldwide.
Using telephone lines, cables or satellites to transmit information from
computer to computer, the Internet provides almost instantaneous communication.
It can be used to send messages, share information, learn, buy and sell
goods, play games and generally just have fun.
The Internet began as an experiment in the 1960’s by the United
States Department of Defence. Gradually the Internet moved towards being
a communications network for scientists. In recent years businesses began
to use the Internet as it worked its way into family households.
Many people think of the Internet and the World Wide Web as being the
same thing but the Web is only one aspect to the Internet. The World
Wide Web is a network of computerized information that can include text,
photographs, video clips, and sound, which can be accessed through the
Internet. It has become a worldwide phenomenon, leading to an explosion
of information. The Web allows you to navigate by pointing and clicking
on words or pictures to get to where you want to.
“This is what makes the Web easy for anyone to browse, roam,
and make contributions, as well as transferring (placing copies on their
computers) of multimedia-including sound and video. Most of the educational
institutions, government agencies, commercial companies, and other organisations
around the world are moving into the WWW.” (Flake, 1995/ in Guillermo
E. Pedroni)
The Internet also consists of Email, FTP (File Transfer Protocol), Gophers,
Internet Relay Chat, Telnet, and Usenet (or Newsgroups).