This practitioner guide summarizes lessons learned from a three-year design-based research project focused on using elements of narrative (such as characters, settings, and problem frames) to evoke empathy and support girls' engagement in engineering design practices. The guide includes a summary of the driving concepts and key research findings from this work, as well as design principles for creating narrative-based engineering activities. Six activity case studies illustrate the design principles in action, and facilitation tips and observation tools offer practical guidance in developing
Staff facilitators in museums and science centers are a critical but often overlooked component of the visitor experience. Despite assertions about the important role they play in visitor learning, there continues to be almost no research to understand staff facilitation in these settings or identify effective practices. To address these gaps, we conducted a design-based research study to describe the work of experienced museum educators and iteratively refine a model of staff facilitation to support family learning at interactive math exhibits developed through a prior project. The resulting
The Palo Alto Junior Museum and Zoo (JMZ) is working to create an accessible facility from the ground up as they plan for a new building, zoo habitats, and exhibits. During construction of the new JMZ the institution will occupy a temporary space in Palo Alto. The new JMZ is scheduled to open in 2019.
To inform their planning process, Tina Keegan, Exhibits Director at JMZ, contracted with Wendy Meluch of Visitor Studies Services (the evaluator) to conduct community conversation with two groups of parents on site at the Museum. Staff reached out to JMZ members and visitors, and local
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Wendy MeluchPalo Alto Junior Museum & Zoo
This article presents findings from a study that employed visitor surveys and observations to assess the factors that significantly influence visitor behavior and viewing time in six zoo exhibits with underwater viewing. The authors' research revealed that visitor group type, size of underwater viewing windows, animal size, aquatic activity, and presence of infant animals had significant impacts on visitor behavior. They discuss implications for the planning and design of exhibits with underwater viewing. The appendix includes the survey used in the study.
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Stephanie Clark RidgwayMargaret LivingstonSteven E. Smith
This paper the development and success of an ambitious plan launched by the Philadelphia Zoo in late 1970's and early 1980s to streamline operating procedures, repair and replace buildings and exhibits, and evaluate and upgrade visitor services. A key part of this service strategy was a visitor survey, which aimed to identify weaknesses and provide regular feedback for operating staff and management. A copy of this questionnaire is included in this paper.
With this project, TERC and the Museum of Science (MoS) Boston are studying how family and school visitors integrate iPod Touch versions of the Signing Science Pictionary (SSP), Signing Science Dictionary (SSD), and Signing Math Dictionary (SMD) into their museum experience and the impact of dictionary use. This report focuses on a sub-study involving family visitors to the Harvard Museum of Natural History (HMNH). Prior to this sub-study, TERC and the MoS conducted a primary study that examined use of the dictionaries at the MoS. Findings from this study showed the following: (1) Visitors