This paper describes the Visitor Evaluation Program developed jointly by the Centre de Recherche Evaluation Social des Technologies (CREST) in Montreal (Bernard Schiele) and the CNRS in Paris (Jacqueline Eidelman). The purpose of the program is to ensure the successful installation of the future Galerie de l'Evolution at the Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle in Paris. The evaluation program is based on the application of principles and methods used in contemporary evaluation processes. This paper provides a brief description of the Galerie de l'Evolution project, the major stages of the
This paper discusses research on visitor behavior in museums, specific visitor interest, attention and learning. It presents findings from a study conducted by researchers at the University of Florida, which evaluated 47 undergraduates' viewing patterns and learning at 11 static case exhibits at the Florida Museum of Natural History.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
John J. Koran, Jr.John Scott FosterMary Lou Koran
In this paper, Jeff Bonner of the St. Louis Science Center discusses the merits of formal versus naturalistic evaluation within the museum context. Bonner also presents the approach and findings of a two-part study designed to compare the results of these two evaluation approaches. They compared the the results of a formal analysis of the holding power, ease of use, readability of text, and overall enjoyability of nine exhibits with a naturalistic study focused on how one volunteer, two part-time employees and a staff supervisor viewed the same exhibits.
Roto, an exhibition design and production firm, contracted Randi Korn & Associates, Inc. (RK&A) to conduct a front-end evaluation of Speed, an exhibition being developed for The Science Museum of Virginia (SMV) in Richmond, Virginia. RK&A explored visitors’ thoughts, perceptions, and understandings of exhibition concepts related to speed, defined as change over time. How did we approach this study? RK&A worked closely with Roto to identify the goals and objectives for the Speed exhibition. Findings from the front-end evaluation were designed to help Roto and SMV find common ground between
This paper presents findings from a label study project at the Franklin Institute Science Museum, part of the Naive Knowledge Research Project, funded by NSF to identify "naive notions" about science, in particular the cause and nature of gravity, and test the power of interactive devices to alter them. The device which prompted this label study was designed to correct the misconception that spinning pulls things in and, more specifically, that the earth's rotation generates its gravitational pull.
This paper describes a complex process being undertaken by a major Canadian institution, the Manitoba Museum of Man and Nature. The evaluation process is systematic, multi-faceted and demonstrates the fruitful interaction between evaluation and gallery development. The front-end phase is the focus of the paper. Discussion concentrates on the elements of the process which are unique to the Canadian experience, specifically the whole community aspect of this process (wherein input was from sources distant from the physical setting of the institution), and the mix of novel and "traditional"
This paper examines the summative evaluations of two exhibits at the Please Touch Museum: "Foodtastic Journey" and "Gateway to China". By contrasting and comparing the most and least engaging components of these two exhibits, a theoretical framework is being built for assessing the effectiveness of exhibits for young children.
This paper presents an overview of evaluation efforts at the Canadian Museum of Civilization Corporation, which consists of two major national museums--the Canadian Museum of Civilization and the Canadian War Museum. The authors explain how their "do-it-yourself" evaluation approach as a model for other museums with very limited resources.
In this paper, the Museum of New Mexico's Thomas J. Caperton discusses how public programs often threaten preservation efforts at historic sties. Caperton suggests that alternative methods of interpretation can be accomplished in a museum setting through experimental archaeology and other programming.
In this paper, researchers from Science Learning, Inc. discuss findings from an evaluation study that used interpretive carts to analyze visitor conversations. Researchers collected data using the "Rock Talk" cart to inform the redesign of the Geology, Gems & Minerals Hall at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History.
In this paper, evaluator Randi Korn presents findings from a front-end evaluation for a traveling exhibition about severe weather, developed through a collaboration among the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service, National Museum of Natural History, St. Louis Science Center, and National Severe Storms Laboratory, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. This article presents findings from the part of the evaluation that focused on differences between visitors to natural history museums and science centers, regarding demographic and group composition data as well as
This paper describes the evaluation questions that drove two front-end studies conducted by Randi Korn & Associates (RKA) that were not in art museums. This paper also addresses of exhibition development with significant implications for front-end evaluation in the context of the studies. Then, the discussion returns to exhibition development and evaluation in art museums. Following this more abstract examination of the topic is a discussion of two front-end studies conducted by RKA at the Detroit Institute of Arts in 1996, looking at how the process worked there and what benefit the staff