Association of Science and Technologies Centers

Association of Science and Technology Centers

Archives: Dimensions

The digital publication of the Association of Science and Technology Centers (ASTC)

The ASTC Dimensions Resource Library provides peer-reviewed guides, articles, and insights written by science engagement colleagues about topics relevant to science centers and museums and other organizations committed to engaging the public in science and technology.  Interested in contributing to the resource library? Learn more about our quarterly submission cycle and our submission guidelines.

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The organizational and contributor characteristics reflect the ways that ASTC classifies member organizations and individuals in our data collection and reflect categorization at the time the article was originally published.

When are evaluation and other visitor feedback strategies the most useful for helping advance a science center’s mission? When are such strategies less successful?

August 25, 2013
August 25, 2013

This is an extended discussion of the question that appeared in the Viewpoints department of the September/October 2013 issue of Dimensions magazine. Evaluation is a powerful tool for providing visitors with a voice, which then enables us to stay relevant to their needs and motivations. The goal of any exhibit or program is to engage […]

Science Center and Zoos: Creating Public Value Through Complementary Strengths

July 31, 2013
Kate Flinner | Beverly Sheppard | John Fraser | Martin Weiss
July 31, 2013

By John Fraser, Martin Weiss, Beverly Sheppard, and Kate Flinner From Dimensions July/August 2013 Educators at science centers, zoos, and other informal science education institutions (ISE) work in distinct traditions. Yet, funders often lump them into a single class of ISE environments. Even science centers and zoos themselves may imagine that they compete for funds […]

Recruiting for Inclusion and Innovation

July 31, 2013
Laura Huerta Migus
July 31, 2013

By Laura Huerta Migus From Dimensions July/August 2013 “It is diversity that drives innovation: a diversity of perspectives, of industries, of cultures. When we bring together these different perspectives, we have a far better chance of breaking new ground.” —Frans Johansson, author of The Medici Effect Over the past two decades, the United States and […]

Dimensions, May/June 2013—Personalizing the Visitor Experience

May 28, 2013
May 28, 2013

IN THIS ISSUE May/June 2013 Free-choice learning is the hallmark of science centers and interactive museums. But many institutions are taking this idea a step further by exploring strategies for personalizing the visitor experience—before, during, or after the visit. Some approaches are high tech, like compiling a visitor’s on-site experiences onto a personalized webpage. Others […]

Personalizing Visitor Service in a Small Museum

May 28, 2013
Jennifer Jenkins
May 28, 2013

By Jennifer Jenkins From Dimensions May/June 2013 WonderLab Museum of Science, Health and Technology in Bloomington, Indiana, strives to be not just a destination, but also a valuable community asset. Open since 2003 in its current downtown location, WonderLab is a small museum—7,600 square feet (700 square meters) of gallery space—with fewer than 15 full-time […]

21-Tech: Engaging Museum Visitors Using Mobile Technologies

May 11, 2013
May 11, 2013

By Keith Ostfeld From Dimensions May/June 2013 Society has reached a point where everyone desires customized services and products—from coffee to computers to museum experiences—that meet their needs, expectations, and aesthetics. With today’s easy access to phenomenal computational power through personal mobile technologies (PMTs) like smartphones and tablets, we have new avenues to customize museum […]

A Custom Fit: Personalizing Experiences Using Technology

April 22, 2013
April 22, 2013

This is an extended version of an article that appeared in the May/June 2013 issue of Dimensions magazine. Science center and museum professionals from around the world share their experiences using technology—including smartphones, barcodes, and radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags—to personalize the visitor experience. The National Museum of Mathematics (MoMath) opened in New York City in […]

Learning Labs: Transforming Youth from Digital Consumers to Creators

March 18, 2013
Margaret Glass
March 18, 2013

By Margaret Glass From Dimensions March/April 2013 Today’s youth grow up in a digitally networked world. With cell phones, laptops, and tablets, via social media platforms, videos, and podcasts, they connect to each other and to their world like never before. Yet with only a few exceptions, the digital signal gets dropped at the door […]

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