Randi Korn & Associates, Inc. (RK&A) was contracted by the Science Museum of Minnesota (SMM) to evaluate Tissues of Life, an exhibition funded by the National Institutes of Health. Data collection took place at the SMM in July and August 2004. The evaluation documents the impact and effectiveness of the exhibition through timing and tracking observations and exit interviews.
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Randi Korn & Associates, Inc.Science Museum of Minnesota
It is relatively unknown what impact the Museum of Science has on its visitors once they leave our doors. This study aims to create a baseline understanding of how visitors follow up on what they have learned at the Museum. We examined follow up interviews from the Star Wars: Where Science Meets the Imagination exhibition evaluation and some of its accompanying programming, the Rethinking Urban Transportation forums, Bionics and Prosthetics forums, and The Force and Its Many Faces lectures. The follow up interviews were conducted via email and phone six to 10 weeks after visitors came to the
Between February and June 2008, the Hall of Human Life content development team set out to create goals, messages, and content ideas for a new exhibition on human life. During this time period, the team decided that the exhibition would focus on the main message that Humans are changing and provide the visitors with three lenses for viewing the exhibition: an ecological lens, an anatomical lens, and an evolutionary lens. As an entry point to these lenses for visitors, the exhibit team generated five catalysts that correspond to the ecological lens and highlight how environmental factors can
This evaluation study was conducted to examine the effectiveness of two design strategies used in Beyond the X-Ray: personal stories which were a part of the Five Windows on the Body and a separate kid area which was implemented in Kid Radiology. Evaluation Questions: 1. How do visitors interact with and use the exhibits in Beyond the X-Ray that were created with the instructional design strategies that are the focus of this evaluation? 2. In what ways, if any, are the exhibits that are designed with the targeted strategies effective at achieving their stated goals? 3. What are the visitors'
From January - August 2010, the Kitty Andersen Youth Science Center's (KAYSC) Podcast Crew worked to develop five video podcasts to supplement the Disease Detectives exhibition. Four of these podcasts focused broadly on infectious diseases and one podcast was an overview of the KAYSC. Funded through a SEPA grant from the National Institute of Health, the podcasts were meant to enhance the Disease Detective exhibition experience and make it accessible to youth ages 12-18 by adding a teen voice Evaluation activities associated with the Podcast Crew began January 2010 and were completed September
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Amy Grack NelsonGayra OstgaardScience Museum of Minnesota
In Spring 2009, the Denver Museum of Nature & Science (Museum) contracted with JVA Consulting, LLC (JVA) to conduct a comprehensive process and outcome evaluation of the Passport to Health Program (P2H). The Museum designed P2H, a three-year program funded by the Colorado Health Foundation, to improve health outcomes for fifth-grade students as well as their families and teachers throughout the Denver metro area. This evaluation report offers the findings of the baseline process evaluation and climate assessment, which will serve as a foundation for future evaluation efforts. Using various
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JVA Consulting, LLCDenver Museum of Nature & Science
resourceevaluationMuseum and Science Center Exhibits
Summative report of permanent health science exhibition, Expedition Health, at Denver Museum of Nature & Science. The appendix of this report includes tracking-and-timing guideliens and codes and copies of cued questionnaires.
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Patricia McNamaraDenver Museum of Nature & Science
ConCiencia News was the first Spanish-language news service in the United States focused exclusively on health, science and environmental news, providing free of cost news stories to a diverse array of Hispanic media including 100+ newspapers and magazines, top Hispanic web portals, and almost 150 Spanish-language radio stations. Each news story features original content developed by SRF journalists, and Hispanic researchers are often features to serve as role models for the public. The summative evaluation focused on two primary audiences for the Spanish-language stories: 1) the professional
RK&A was contracted by Save Ellis Island (SEI) to conduct a front end evaluation, funded by a National Endowment for the Humanities planning grant. The objective for the evaluation was to examine Ellis Island's visitors' overall responses to the exhibit concepts, themes, and interpretive approaches for SEI's planned interpretation of Ellis Island's hospital and other medical facilities located on Ellis Island. RK&A first participated in planning meetings with SEI and their team of consultants to explore ideas for interpreting the medical facilities of Ellis Island. Upon reviewing the
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Randi Korn & Associates, Inc.Save Ellis Island
The goal of a two-year SEPA grant, Phase II of a collaboration between Columbia University (CU) and the New York Hall of Science (NYHoS), was to enhance science teaching and learning through the use of portable laboratories and hands-on modules to study biotechnology and microscopy in middle and secondary school classes. Four multi-day workshops were held at the NYHoS to train teachers to use the portable laboratory kits. The primary goals of this evaluation are to assess: 1) the workshops' value for teaching the hands-on kit curriculum, 2) teachers' perception of the portable laboratories'
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Ellen GiustiNew York Hall of Science
Columbia University Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC) and New York Hall of Science (NYHOS) partnered to create Research and Rolling Exhibits (RARE). The project's goal is to showcase current research in science and make it accessible to the general public. Five Wondercarts were created over three years, from 2005 through 2008, highlighting topical scientific research and its relevance to the museum's target audience. The carts were programmed to engage families in conversation, letting their interest determine the direction of activities. In this manner Wondercarts
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Ellen GiustiNew York Hall of ScienceKathleen Condon
Grossology Live! was a creative and innovative program that involved unique format, content, and collaboration. The program used live video-conferencing techniques to create two-way interaction between onscreen actors in a colorful Grossology set in the studio in Noblesville, Indiana; uniquely imaginative comedic and musical presentations on the human body; and a live presenter, stage set, and audience at 5 small science or health centers primarily in the mid-west and southeast. The receiving sites were members of the National Association of Health Education Centers (NAHEC), which played a