The summative evaluation focuses on two project components: (1) an IMAX® Dome film, titled Coral Reef Adventure, and (2) an associated interactive exhibit, titled Weird, Wild and Underwater, intended to be displayed in museum and science center lobbies. The general goals for the summative evaluation study were to assess the appeal of "Coral Reef Adventure" film and the lobby exhibit; acquisition of scientific knowledge and understanding as related to the project’s learning goals and understanding of film topics; and the impact that the exhibit has on viewers of the film. A separate-sample
The purposes of the STUDIO 3D evaluation were to collect information about the impact upon student learning as a result of participating in the STUDIO 3D Project, as well as to elicit information for program improvement. Areas of inquiry include recruiting and retention, impact on project participants, tracking student impacts, and the project as a whole.
Knight-Williams collaborated with five aquaria to solicit the reactions of a random sample of their aquaria members to the PBS broadcast of the Shape of Life series. The collaborating aquaria were located in geographically diverse regions of the country and included: The Seattle Aquarium, Cabrillo Marine Aquarium, Dauphin Island Sea Lab, Shedd Aquarium, and New York Aquarium. The report focuses on questionnaire data provided by both the non-viewer respondents and by viewers of two or more episodes from the series.
One method for studying visitors in museums is to audiotape their conversations while videotaping their behavior. Many researchers inform visitors of such recordings by posting signs in the areas under scrutiny. An earlier study tested the assumption that visitors notice, read and understand posted signs (Gutwill, 2003). Interviews revealed that 75 percent of visitors leaving a recording area had read and understood the signs. This article describes our attempt at increasing this percentage by placing additional signs on the exhibit elements being used, as well as on the camera itself
In this article, evaluator Randi Korn of Randi Korn & Associates explains how to know when the time is right for front-end evaluation and whether your questions are the ones you should be asking visitors. Korn cites examples from the field, specifically from a study conducted for the Chicago Historical Society.
This is a report from the supplemental summative evaluation of the exhibition, Genetics: Decoding Life at the Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago. The evaluation was designed to measure visitors' attention to the main messages of the exhibition, visitors' thinking and attitudes about genetics, and whether visitors made connection among their genes, themselves, and their families. The evaluation was designed to establish findings that complemented and built upon a previous summative evaluation. Two types of exit interviews were used to gather qualitative and quantitative data. A total of
In the Spring of 2003, Rockman et al conducted an evaluation that was designed to explore children's viewing behavior, outcomes of viewing, the impact of the program's structural features, viewers' content preferences, and factors that motivate greater participation by viewers. Nearly six hundred children and twenty-five adults in three major U.S. cities participated in this study. Evaluation activities included: Five sets of student surveys: one administered prior to viewing episodes of DragonflyTV, one following each of the three programs viewed as part of the evaluation, and one
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Rockman, et. al.Twin Cities Public TelevisionJennifer Borland
The Exploratorium will conduct a controlled, two-year research project, titled "Finding Significance," to study how different exhibit presentation techniques affect visitors' abilities to make meaning -- or find significance -- and how such techniques impact learning. The techniques will be applied to a varied sample of five exhibits commonly found in science and children's museums. The exhibit design techniques include a) sharing scientist and exhibit developer stories, b) sharing visitor stories, and c) modeling inquiry. Although each technique shows promise at eliciting personal significance, they have yet to be rigorously tested and applied to the same set of exhibits to compare relative strengths and weaknesses. Five baseline exhibits, plus four variations of each, will be tested on groups of visitors, including adults, children and mixed groups of both.
The Exploratorium will develop "The Electronic Guidebook: Extending Museum Experience Using Networked Handheld Computers." Through this project, the Exploratorium and the Concord Consortium will investigate the use of new technologies to enhance the learning experience of science museum visitors. The exponentially increasing availability of portable personal computing devices provides an opportunity for science museums to develop new ways for visitors to experiment and interact with exhibits. The partners will design and prototype a museum-based "Electronic Guidebook" for visitors. Twenty-five Exploratorium exhibits will be connected to a museum network and handheld portable computers through infrared connections. The target audiences for this project are the general public (adults and families) and children in the K-12 age range. The primary disciplinary focus is physics, with a secondary focus on mathematics.