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Virtual Access to Informal STEM Learning

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    [MUSIC PLAYING]
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    SPEAKER: Virtual Access
    to Informal STEM Learning.
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    CLARA 1: Informal
    learning, the practice
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    of learning outside
    traditional academic settings,
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    has often been restricted
    to in-person experiences
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    at institutions, like museums
    and community centers.
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    In the last decade, informal
    learning institutions
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    have greatly expanded
    their programming
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    to include virtual content.
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    Virtual programming
    has many benefits,
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    including increasing access for
    individuals with disabilities.
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    In this video, interns
    from the NSF-funded Access
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    to Informal STEM Learning
    or AccessISL project
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    explore how virtual
    programming can
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    be used in informal
    STEM learning programs
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    and institutions.
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    CLARA 2: Due to the
    current pandemic,
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    virtual programming has
    become widespread by necessity
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    as many people are working
    and learning from home.
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    Virtual spaces
    present and create
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    opportunities for engaging
    with different modes
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    of communication
    and interaction,
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    which can accommodate people
    of different access needs.
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    Informal STEM
    programs would benefit
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    from taking a wide
    range of needs
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    into account, starting from the
    very beginning of the program
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    design process.
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    MALIKAI: Virtual
    spaces avoid some
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    of the infrastructural
    and societal barriers
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    that hamper
    traditional programs,
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    such as transportation
    as people can participate
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    from their own home.
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    Individuals who are experiencing
    severe immune challenges
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    can also participate with less
    fear as contact with others
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    is reduced.
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    Finally, individuals
    who may not be
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    able to access the program in
    the limited social confines
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    of traditional hosting
    spaces can instead
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    participate from
    comfortable environments
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    with a variety of tools,
    supports, and regulation
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    strategies available.
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    DILLYN: When creating
    virtual programming,
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    it is important to
    consider how participants
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    will be able to access the
    program asynchronously.
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    Recording the programming
    and hosting it
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    on your website
    or YouTube channel
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    enables more people to engage in
    the program at their own pace,
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    in their own time zone, or
    when it is convenient for them.
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    Most virtual meet-up programs
    have a record function,
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    including Zoom, making it easy
    to upload program content.
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    ROCHELLE: Virtual offerings
    provide great opportunities
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    for accessibility tools, like
    alternative communication,
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    note-taking, and captions.
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    For example, integrated
    chat features
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    allows non-speaking
    participants more equitable
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    access to communication.
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    And applications, such
    as Zoom and Google Meets,
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    are increasingly offering
    automated live captions.
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    ELLIE: While the recommendations
    described in this video
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    provide a starting point for
    building accessible virtual
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    programming, meaningful
    accessibility is more than
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    the sum of its parts.
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    ISL practitioners must consider
    the accessibility of their work
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    at all levels of
    program design in order
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    to build meaningful experiences.
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    SPEAKER: To learn more about
    accessible and inclusive
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    informal STEM learning,
    visit the AccessISL website,
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    at
    uw.edu/doit/programs/accessisl
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    AccessISL is funded by the
    National Science Foundation,
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    grant number DRL-1906147.
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    Any questions findings and
    conclusions or recommendations
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    expressed in this material
    are those of the authors
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    and do not necessarily
    reflect the views
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    of the federal government.
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    Copyright 2022.
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    Permission is granted
    to copy these materials
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    for educational
    non-commercial purposes
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    provided the source
    is acknowledged.
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    [MUSIC FADING]
Title:
Virtual Access to Informal STEM Learning
Description:

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Video Language:
English
Team:
DO-IT
Duration:
03:35

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