Education Using Audioguides on Research in the Sciences

University Corporation For Atmospheric Res, Boulder CO

Investigators

Abstract

Education Using Audioguides on Research in the Sciences The University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR) will pilot the development of an audioguide that will help to improve knowledge about and accessibility to science learning for visitors currently underserved by programs at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) Mesa Laboratory. This creative endeavor, entitled Education Using Audioguides on Research in the Sciences (EARS), will be informed by experts on the hearing and vision- impaired and low-income, native Spanish speakers. The goals of EARS are to engage and inform thousands of visitors who cannot or choose not to take a staff-guided tour at the Mesa Lab; improve accessibility to exhibits for visitors who have low vision, blindness, or hearing loss; extend this educational experience to the region's low-income immigrant population through the audioguide's translation into Spanish; and enhance family learning about hands-on exhibits and the science inquiry process. EARS will be developed under the experienced leadership of staff in UCAR's Office of Education and Outreach, in consultation with NCAR scientists and representatives of the Colorado Center for the Blind, Self Help for the Hard of Hearing, and the Family Learning Center. A well-recognized provider of audioguide technology and production has been selected to create the new EARS communications resource.