The starting point of the Evaluating Evaluation project was our impression that despite the substantial resources that are spent on the summative evaluation of museums and galleries the research has little impact and largely remains ineffectual.
With support from the Wellcome Trust and the Heritage Lottery Fund, we set out to see why this seems to be the case and to explore whether there are ways in which the impact of summative evaluations on knowledge and practice might be enhanced. To this end, we reviewed a substantial number of reports, undertook a range of interviews and held two
In late 2012, Providence Children’s Museum began a major three-year research project in collaboration with The Causality and Mind Lab at Brown University, funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation (1223777). Researchers at Brown examined how children develop scientific thinking skills and understand their own learning processes. The Museum examined what caregivers and informal educators understand about learning through play in its exhibits and how to support children’s metacognition – the ability to notice and reflect on their own thinking – and adults’ awareness and appreciation of kids’ thinking and learning through play. Drawing from fields like developmental psychology, informal education and museum visitor studies, the Museum’s exhibits team looked for indicators of children’s learning through play and interviewed parents and caregivers about what they noticed children doing in the exhibits, asking them to reflect on their children’s thinking. Based on the findings, the research team developed and tested new tools and activities to encourage caregivers to notice and appreciate the learning that takes place through play.
In the editorial of this issue of JCOM, we underline how children are on one hand one of the main target group for science communication, and on the other hand a largely excluded group in the shift from a linear diffusion model to a dialogic model of science communication. In this series of comments, stimulated by the EU - FP7-Science in society project `SiS-Catalyst - 2013 children as change agents for science in society' (a four year programme aimed at crossing the science in society and the social inclusion agendas), we would like to explore methods and approaches that can ensure that, in
DATE:
TEAM MEMBERS:
Matteo MerzagoraTricia Alegra Jenkins
Science is part of our everyday live; so is art. Some art installations that link the two require the active presence of the spectator. Thereby they help to raise the awareness, promote understanding, and generate an emotional response from the public. This project rests on the public participation model that seeks to explore the connection between art installations and science communication through experiential learning. In order to test the effectiveness of an art installation communicating science two groups were contrasted. The first was exposed to a list of scientific facts; the second
DATE:
TEAM MEMBERS:
Patricia RiosAquiles Negrete Yankelevich
The science & art research played an important role in the topics covered by JCOM because actually the convergence of languages and themes of art and science increasingly continue to act synergistically in the most diverse knowledge fields.
The Palo Alto Junior Museum & Zoo offers a satisfying mix of interactive exhibit experiences, close-up animal viewing, and a warm, welcoming staff in a small-scale setting which makes it easily manageable for families with special needs. In recent years the JMZ has attracted and embraced this audience of often close-knit friends and organizations. In addition to an ongoing dialog with visitors at the institution, on multiple occasions JMZ has invited families to participate in community conversations to share their perspectives, experiences and suggestions.
DATE:
-
TEAM MEMBERS:
Wendy MeluchPalo Alto Junior Museum & Zoo
This pathways project will study how audiences in public spaces, in this case those in a museum setting, relate to and make sense of large data displays. The project is preliminary to development of a traveling, hands-on exhibition enabling users to create and utilize representations of big data displays such as maps and charts. As the test case, the project will use science maps that provide an overview of science generally and specific areas of STEM, charting and exploring the history and future of science and technology. The data collection portion of the project will take place at the New York Hall of Science, the Marian Koshland Science Museum, COSI in Columbus, Ohio, and WonderLab Museum in Bloomington, Indiana. The project will create a foundation for the design of museum exhibits and educational programs that teach museum visitors how to explore, engage and make better sense of big data. The project is potentially transformative because big data is becoming ubiquitous and making sense out of large data displays is necessary in order to understand big data sets.
The Oregon Museum of Science and Industry is implementing a Pathways project that will test and refine a model to promote an appreciation that science is everywhere and personally relevant by engaging transit riders in Portland, OR with location-relevant STEM content through unfacilitated, interactive science exhibits in everyday places. The study will employ a "design-based research" approach that both iteratively tests exhibit effectiveness and develops and refines an underlyting theoretical model that can contribute knowledge to the field. The "Science on the Move" model will be developed and tested using an exhibit prototype that includes 1) an easily transportable prototype core with a familiar touch-screen interface, 2) multiple sets of interactive digital content, and 3) a variety of accompanying outer skins designed to attract the public. The exhibit prototype will be placed at bus transit nodes to reach adults, specifically targeting those without college degrees who are underrepresented in science centers. A range of possible STEM content domains will be selected and tested based on topics of interest to the public. If successful, given the several challenges involved, the feasibility study will be applied more fully around Portland and be a model for other cities to consider.
This summative evaluation study examines visitors' experiences of the "Plastics Unwrapped" exhibit at the Burke Museum of Natural History, Seattle, WA. The exhibit explores the complicated legacy of plastic, and the ways in which it has improved life, but not without serious impact on people and the environment. Within a framework of four evaluation questions, this study used multiple methods to assess what visitors do and where they spend their time in the exhibit, what knowledge they take away, and whether the exhibit impacts visitors' attitude toward plastic and their perception of the
COSI, in partnership with WOSU @ COSI, will be going forward with a project in which enhancements and other changes may be made to the WOSU exhibition space, entrance area, and adjacent hallway. This project may include, but is not limited to, introducing more elements of the PBS Kids brand, such as Sesame Street and Sid the Science Kid, into the exhibition space, introducing interactive elements regarding TV Production to the site, and adding loose parts to the Chroma Key exhibit. To inform decisions about the type and nature of enhancements most needed in the exhibit area, COSI desires to
This report contains findings from a summative evaluation study of a set of four featured elements that comprise the new Nature Research Center of the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences. The elements were: 1) an exhibit, Ancient Fossils, New Discoveries; 2) Investigate Labs; 3) Daily Planet Scientist Talks; 4) Science Cafes. Evaluation was conducted as four distinct, multi-method studies to provide targeted understanding of visitor outcomes and experiences at each element. Findings across the four elements indicate that the features of the NRC are enjoyed by visitors and each supports
This design case explores the affordances of gigapixel image technology for science communication and learning in museum settings through the iterative development of an explorable image viewer to engage visitors in an archaeological exhibit. We reflect on the series of user studies, prototype iterations, and design decisions taken to optimize navigation, annotation and exploration in this zoomable user interface. We highlight a set of design precedents, interaction frameworks, and content structuring approaches, while detailing the development of a media rich digital annotation strategy to