UNDERGRADUATES AS INFORMAL EDUCATORS IN A NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM

A new museum program was developed to stimulate discourse between science undergraduates and the general public. “Burke 101” is designed to train undergraduate students to be informal educators within the museum galleries. The goal of the program is to attract undergraduate science students interested in teaching and to provide them a safe and nurturing setting to gain experience. The objective is for students to engage general museum visitors (usually families) in selected research topics, with small specimen-rich, hands-on units within the exhibit space. The museum receives private funding for a program coordinator who supervises students in the galleries. Students sign up for 3-5 credits in Earth Sciences, Archaeology or Zoology upper division courses and the classes are led by an academic curator.

During the 2006-07 academic year, each course included 2-4 hours of in-class time during the week and 3-4 hours in the gallery during weekends, with the program coordinator on hand at all times. The Zoology course focused on mammalian evolution and each unit featured numerous bones and teeth from the collections. For the Geology/Paleontology course the instructor chose topics linked to the exhibit, and the students designed the units as a group. The instructor and students worked together to select rocks and minerals or fossils for the visitors to handle. This strategy resulted in three successful units: What is the difference between rocks and minerals? What is an ammonite? What did giant ice-age mammals eat? Students in the Archaeology course developed a list of topics based on the theme of regional (Pacific Northwest) archaeology. Working from this list, students developed a mock excavation activity, and several matching and scavenger hunt activities illustrating how ancient tools were made and used by prehistoric inhabitants of the Pacific Northwest.

Qualitative data indicate both students and museum visitors developed an appreciation for regional research programs that had originated in the museum and across the university. Students reported gaining greater skill and interest in teaching natural science concepts. Visitors found the students to be accessible experts and role models for their children.