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Paper: How Can We Keep Good Educational Projects Alive?
Volume: 531, ASP2020: Embracing the Future: Astronomy Teaching and Public Engagement
Page: 166
Authors: Russo, P.; Pompea, S.; Pantoja, C.; Gonzales, J. R.; Pitts, D.
Abstract: Keeping the Party Going: How Can We Keep High-Value, but Underfunded, Education Projects Going? We know that many high-quality educational projects seem to have a short lifetime. Some of these projects are developed with NSF and European Union grants and were designed to run for a few years. Some were developed for International Years such as the IAU100, International Year of Light, or the International Year of Astronomy. Other were developed around specific events such as the recent solar eclipses in the United States and Chile. Many of these national and international projects are well-designed and reflect best practices in science education. They were prototyped, tested, evaluated, and localized. They were implemented in different regions around the globe by project leaders. Many operated on a shoestring, but did so successfully due to creative project design and the dedicated efforts of volunteers. Some of these projects were unsustainable in the long run, but many have the potential to keep creating educational value. What are the choke points that keep these projects from continuing or expanding? This interactive session is to address how we can best sustain the projects sustaining. The session will use the lesson learned from large grant projects, volunteer projects like the Galileoscope, remote support projects like the Einstein Schools Programme, and contests such as Name an Exoplanet to create a lively discussion on topics like: How can you organize a sustainable project? How can you localize an international project for local success? What resources are really needed? How can you preserve the project's framework and lessons learned? How can we revive on-line and mentorship projects that work?
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