VIDEO DESIGNED TO ENCOURAGE YOUNG WOMEN IN EARTH SCIENCE: "WOMEN WHO WALK THROUGH TIME"
Marjorie A. Chan and Paula N. Wilson
Dept. of Geology & Geophysics
University of Utah
135 S. 1460 E.
Salt Lake City, UT 84112-1183
ABSTRACT
We conceived, produced, and distributed a video "WOMEN WHO WALK THROUGH TIME", designed to encourage young women in the field of Earth Science. The low-budget, 30-minute video with its associated activities turned out to be successful, even beyond our expectations! We received an array of unsolicited, enthusiastic positive feedback and national awards for the video. A particular strength of the video is that while it showed female role models, it was not preachy. Thus, the video could be enjoyed by a broad audience (female, male, children, and adults).
There were several important lessons we learned through the 3+ year process of creating and distributing the video product:
1. The project does take more time, resources, and work than you expect or usually budget for. Unless you have a very large budget, be prepared to alter your time schedule or compromise some aspects (in our case we had to compromise music and graphics). Feedback indicates that music is very important to young people, and is a point we could have improved upon. Distribution and communication (letter correspondence, phone calls, queries, etc.) can take up a considerable amount of time.
2. We did not initially plan on any formal evaluation to judge the success of our product, and were fortunate that we did receive feedback to justify how the video is being used. Plan and budget for an evaluation mechanism.
3. Activities and a web-page require additional time, even years after the project, to maintain and update. Plan and budget for maintenance.
4. Finally, despite what a university administration may say about the importance of faculty outreach and education in the community, a video product may not be considered a valid faculty contribution in reviews for retention, tenure, promotion, or raises. Because the product is not in the traditional categories of teaching and research, colleagues and administrators may not understand what the product is for, or how much work was involved. They may not think that the video is being used and may count your efforts as "negative" (a waste of time and energy!). True rewards must be personal, because there is not adequate compensation nor formal recognition for all the work you put in. Only do it because YOU believe in it!
INITIAL PROPOSAL
VIDEO DESIGN
Our original proposal submitted to the National Science Foundation (NSF) was to produce a 30-minute video about women in the Earth sciences, aimed at youth ages 10-18. NSF funded this project at a level of $75,000, with an additional $12,000 supplement for $87,000 total (including overhead). The video features women in Earth science careers and is meant to acquaint girls and young women of the opportunities in this male-dominated physical science field. This video is intended to reach girls who are developing their self image and help them envision the possibilities in science, engineering, and mathematics (SEM). As a NSF Information Dissemination Activity, the project was designed to nationally distribute a professionally produced video FREE to the public, to provide access in the broadest possible manner.
The video is titled "Women Who Walk Through Time" to convey the idea of women walking through geologic layers (representing time) while enjoying a successful Earth science career. The video further emphasizes the relevance of Earth science and how women can make meaningful contributions in a science field. More specific goals of the video and the associated web page were to:
1. Be instructional and show what Earth science is about (using spectacular footage of Utah geology and its National parks/monuments).
2. Demonstrate the interdisciplinary nature (math, chemistry, physics, biology, engineering, geography, anthropology and more) and applications of Earth science. Students typically grow up with the perception that science is only chemistry, physics, or biology. This perception is in part shared by many teachers and administrators. Thus, a related goal was to also inform adults (e.g., teachers, group leaders) of the importance and nature of Earth science.
3. Increase interest and motivation for Earth science by presentation of role models (in the lab and field), showing why women enjoy Earth science.
4. Show a variety of career opportunities for women.
5. Encourage and motivate girls to further explore Earth science in their pre-college education and consider Earth science as a potential career field.
RATIONALE
The geosciences offer wonderful opportunities for doing scientific detective work both out of doors and in the laboratory, for teaching, for working on energy and environmental issues, and for travel. Yet, in comparison to male students, far fewer women who enter the geosciences at the beginning of college actually complete their bachelor degree. Even fewer choose geology or geophysics for graduate study. In the U.S. during 1994 (Ref. American Geological Institute), for example, freshman geology students were almost equally divided between women and men. But in the same year, 1.7 times more men than women graduated with a bachelor's degree in geology. The ratio is even more extreme for the Ph.D.: in 1994 only 35 women, in comparison to 163 men, obtained a Ph.D. in geology.
Why do so few women choose geoscience careers? As is the case in most of the sciences, young women lack female role models from the beginning to end of their academic training. Also, Earth science is rarely taught in senior high school, so there is no pre-college exposure to the field by mentors of either sex. It simply doesn't occur to many bright young women that Earth science is a fascinating career, into which they can fold together interests in science, math, computers, and love of the outdoors. Instead, both male and female students are raised with the perception that the only sciences are physics, chemistry, and biology. Furthermore, although students of this age are concerned with environmental issues, few young students realize the key role that geoscientists play in solving environmental problems.
Our video showcases several women geoscientists actually at work in the field and in the laboratory. Rather than concentrating on one woman scientist in-depth, this video demonstrates that a small but growing community of women contributes to the geosciences in many different specialties, using many different techniques and outlooks. These women are not isolated phenomena.
Although the focus of the video features Utah women and Utah geology, the video is geared and aimed towards a general audience with an intended national distribution. We are fortunate to have outstanding female role models as well as world-class geology centralized in one area.
A major selling point for the cost-effectiveness of our video is that KUED, the professional University television station on campus, provided service essentially at cost. KUED is a PBS (Public Broadcasting System) affiliate that has won awards and commendations from a number of prestigious competitions. KUED houses state-of-the-art digital editors and equipment to go through all the production stages to arrive at the final video product.
ACTIVITIES
In conjunction with the proposed video depicting women Earth scientists and what they do, we also proposed activities to give young people interactive and realistic experiences to help their discovery of Earth sciences and careers.
We developed several types of interactive activities to accompany this video:
(1) Established a World Wide Web (WWW) internet address for the use of the viewers of this video. The web sites: http://www.mines.utah.edu/geology/video or http://www.mines.utah.edu/~wmgg/video contain activities and resources aimed at young audiences.
(2) Created a packet of Earth Science exercises/activities that can be used in the classroom by teachers who show the video. These were bundled with the video tape and sent to each public school in the state of Utah.
A home page was specifically created to provide direct access to many of the best Earth science web sites currently available. The chosen sites are highly interactive and allow self-driven discovery of many Earth science subjects including volcanoes, Earthquakes, dinosaurs and dinosaur ecosystems, fossils and evolution, minerals and rocks, etc.
FORMAT
We chose video (VHS) format over CD ROM and /or laser disks because it is affordable, and is a more readily and widely available technology. The use of the internet and a web page also meant that the product could be kept current.
Although previously there were several existing resources that portray women in the geosciences including: "Discovering Women" aired on PBS (e.g., Earth Explorer, Geophysicst Marcia McNutt) and "Minorities in Science" Multimedia Laser Disks produced by CSY Inc. (e.g., Dr. Lisa White, micropaleontologist), neither of these aforementioned resources, although nationally available, are easily obtainable, nor affordable for the particular audiences we were targeting. Another difference is that both these resources focus just on the details of one individual (1 hr. segments for each female scientist), and thus offer only a limited portrayal of the career possibilities in the Earth sciences.
Our video distribution was to be nationwide and FREE, with the production, reproduction, and mailing costs covered in the budget. We felt it was important to have the cost of video (including reproduction) already paid for so that cost does not inhibit students from seeing the video.
KUED holds the copyright on the video, but we allow people to make viewing copies of the video at no charge with written permission from KUED.
VIDEO IMPLEMENTATION
VIDEO CONCEPTION
Three Co-Principal Investigators (P.I.s) , M. A. Chan, S. Halgedahl, and P. N. Wilson fully conceived the project, with only budgetary input from KUED. The P.I.s had the final word in all stages of overseeing the video production. The P.I.s hired KUED, a script writer, and an animator for the contract work.
VIDEO PRODUCTION
The P.I.s wrote up an initial script treatment, outlining the topics to be covered in the video. It is important to be aware that even with a hired scriptwriter, the scientists (P.I.s) must be responsible for all the technical content. The process of obtaining a finished script required several months of P.I. labor. The script was a framework for shooting, but most of the filmed dialogue was spontaneous and interview-driven.
The P.I.s chose all the localities for videotaping and indicated what topics were to be covered at each site. The location team included the on-camera scientist (P.I.), the producer, the assistant to the producer, and a 3-party video crew. Video shooting took 2 full weeks of time.
After all shooting was completed, the KUED producer went through a first edit and put together a rough sequence of footage. The P.I.s met with the producer and took the video through several cuts and iterations. At each stage, the P.I.s dictated the content; what parts should remain or be cut. The process from videotaping through editing took 3 months.
ACTIVITIES AND WEB PAGE
The P.I.s created the associated web page to accompany the video. This work took many hours spread out over 9 months, and the web page continues to evolve. We created survey forms to solicit feedback on both the video and web site. One difficulty with the web page and its links is that they constantly have to be checked and maintained since many links change addresses over time.
VIDEO DISTRIBUTION
The P.I.s met and negotiated with contractors to design a video jacket and distribute the video. We met several times with each contractor to review and approve materials, including details of the cover, what colors should be used, etc.
Initial distribution of the video started in Oct. 1997 and continues to this date. KUED chose to air the program on television three times in March 1998. KUED acquired permission from the P.I.s to enter the film in various video/film competitions.
The P.I.s have handled daily to weekly comments, input, and requests regarding the video and the associated web page since Oct. 1997.
One major goal is to distribute the video on a national level, particularly to primary and secondary schools. To accomplish this we are using a three-pronged approach: (1) distribution of free copies at national professional meetings; (2) distribution of complimentary copies to educators and school districts throughout the US; and (3) advertisements in Earth Science magazines and educational newsletters with national readership, so that interested parties can obtain the video for a $5 shipping and handling fee.
We attempted a pilot program of distributing the video throughout the Utah school system (one to each public school) and to obtain feedback from students and teachers. Each video was sent with a letter of endorsement from the Utah state school science coordinator, and a packet activities for teachers to use in classrooms along with a letter of explanation. To date, the response has been positive with a number of teachers indicating their use of the video and activities in both 5th grade and 9th grade where Earth Science is taught in the curriculums.
ASSESSMENT AND EVALUATION MILESTONES
"Women Who Walk Through Time" and its associated activities have enjoyed an outstanding and enthusiastic reception as indicated by the Evaluation Milestones below.
1. Over 2500 copies of the video have been distributed nationally at various exhibition booths at geological society and educational meetings/conferences. People would pick up copies to bring back to classrooms, scout groups, libraries, families with young people, and more. Hundreds of individual requests were filled from all over the U.S., Hawaii, Alaska, and a number of foreign countries.
2. We received highly favorable responses from geoscience or educational societies which granted free advertisements in their magazines in support of the video.
3. The video received positive reviews published in the Journal of College Science Teachers and Journal of Geoscience Education.
4. We received requests by various educators and youth leaders, who wish to disseminate the video throughout their public school systems and video libraries. Some schools wrote for permission to air the video on their local television internal classroom network.
5. The video received national awards from 2 film competitions. A 1998 Telly Award for "Women Who Walk Through Time," was won in the category of high school education. The Telly Awards is designed to give recognition to outstanding non-network productions. More than 10,000 entries were received for the 1998 competition.
An Honorable mention award for "Women Who Walk Through Time" was received at the 1997 Communicator Awards, a national competition for programs produced by independent or cable stations (category of Education - High School).
6. The video had 3 scheduled television air times on the local PBS station for March 1998 (on KUED Channel 7).
7. We continue to receive numerous complimentary letters, emails, and telephone calls of support, as well as written or web-based survey feedback.
This documentation testifies to the fact that the video is effective, favorably received, widely used and distributed.
LESSONS LEARNED
If we were to do the video project over again there are a number of things we would do differently.
1. We would request a larger budget and allow more time for planning! A larger budget allows more flexibility. In particular, we were at the mercy of when KUED had open time to use editing equipment, thus we were not allowed more time to choose music and other items. Student feedback indicated that teens wanted more hip music, more fast-paced "Bill Nye the science guy" type of glitz and graphics because that is what they have become accustomed to. We would also allow for more personnel time to create and maintain the web page.
2. We would have more explicit written statements of agreement as to who would do what work and what all the expectations were before the project got under way. In these types of large projects, it is easy for some participants to not realize what the expectations are and for some tasks to be neglected.
3. We would get clarification from the university administration (or whatever entity is hosting the project) on different levels whether and how they would reward and/or properly recognize a video + web product. In other departments or roles, this might not be an issue, but it certainly was with our particular administration.
SUMMARY
The video has been well received by educators and its intended audience of girls and young women. The video demonstrates to all students what Earth Science is about, while subtly showing that women can enjoy and succeed in Earth Science.
We were able to produce a unique product due to the combination of the following:
1. Currently, there are no other videos that succinctly tell about Earth science, that are designed to encourage girls and young women to study Earth science, and that also feature female role models. Our video fills this void, while offering accompanying activities and resources in a web page. The affordability of the video makes it particularly accessible to a wide group of young people and teachers.
2. Because a local PBS station (KUED) is located on campus, we were able to obtain professional, high quality filming and production on a remarkably low budget. KUED worked virtually ‘at cost’, and travel expenses were modest because of the nearby geology. We believe that few groups could match the combination of geology, filming, and distribution for less than twice our budget.
The short video on the small but strong community of women in Earth sciences is designed to help girls and young women gain and maintain interest in science, particularly during the formative years of late elementary through high school. "Women Who Walk Through Time" provides a visual and interactive mechanism that is an effective education tool with a wide distribution to a great number of girls and young women. We focus on successful role models and achievement possible for girls and women. Activity modules accompanying the video enforce concepts and creative outlets. The web home page provides a wealth of information and also helps acquaint young women with computer capabilities and resources. The video and web page further demonstrate the relevancy of Earth science and the possible career opportunities in SEM (Science, Engineering, and Mathematics), particularly in the physical sciences.
The comments and feedback letters we have received are most important because they show that the video is an educational and recruitment tool used by people nationwide. It is clear that the video product exceptionally fulfills the mission of education, outreach, and encouraging youth in science.
Supported by NSF grant HRD96-25566, "Video Designed to Encourage Young Women in the Field of Earth Sciences"