In order to assess the impact of the exhibition Cells: The Universe Inside Us at the Maryland Science Center an exit questionnaire was administered to museum visitors who had not seen the exhibition as well as those who had seen it. One hundred forty-nine visitors were interviewed between August 7, 2009 and August 19, 2009. Fifty-one visitors were interviewed before they had seen the Cells exhibit (pre-test); ninety-eight people were interviewed after viewing the exhibit (post-test). The following analysis compares what people know about cells before and after seeing the Cells exhibit.
This report presents the findings from a summative evaluation of the NSF-funded Wild Music traveling exhibition conducted by Randi Korn & Associates, Inc. (RK&A), for the Science Museum of Minnesota in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The evaluation documents the exhibition’s impact and effectiveness using timing and tracking observations and onsite exit interviews. Data were collected at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences (NCMNS) in July and August 2007 and at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum (PNNM) in March and April 2008.
The purpose of this Summative Evaluation was to assess visitors’ use and perceptions of ‘Living with Hurricanes: Katrina & Beyond’ at the Louisiana State Museum (LSM) as an informal science experience. The exhibition is distinctive in that it is presented in a museum which has been primarily focused on history. The overall experience, affective impact and learning were evaluated for visitors leaving the exhibition. More specific questions of science learning were evaluated in mini-studies in Room 3. This report also examines the degree to which emotion affects informal learning in the museum
This summative evaluation was commissioned by the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) to explore visitors’ perceptions of the exhibition, “Climate Change: ” – which was installed from October 2008 through August 2009. This report provides systematic information about visitors’ perceptions of the intended messages and about the different types of exhibitry used to create the educational and experiential value of the exhibition. The information can be used to reflect on the exhibit development and design process, to consider whether to rent the traveling exhibition, and to inform future
This summative evaluation of the exhibition Robots & Us was designed to investigate how visitor audiences used and experienced this exhibition in relation to the project’s objectives and challenges. Visitors’ expectations and perceptions in relation to the project’s content goals prompted the summative evaluation to focus on specific challenges including: attitudes and perceptions about technology, connections between robots and people, appeal to a broad audience, and reactions to specific exhibits.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Jeff HaywardJolene HartScience Museum of Minnesota
The TEAMS Collaborative received three separate rounds of funding from the National Science Foundation; Inverness Research served as the external evaluator to the project for all three rounds of funding. This summative report details the return on NSF's long-term investment in the TEAMS Collaborative. It outlines the overall contributions of the project to participating museums, individual staff at those museums, and to the larger field of informal science education institutions. It also summarizes the ways in which the TEAMS Collaborative was able to effectively capitalize on NSF's investment
The Huntington asked Randi Korn & Associates, Inc. (RK&A) to conduct a summative evaluation to study the impact of Plants are up to Something, a National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded exhibition in the Rose Hills Foundation Conservatory for Botanical Science. The study was specifically designed to examine visitors’ behavior in the exhibition, including engagement with science; understanding of the overall exhibition message; and understanding of and attitudes toward plants. RK&A conducted the first summative evaluation of Plants are up to Something in 2006 and it revealed findings worthy of
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Randi Korn & Associates, Inc.Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens
resourceevaluationProfessional Development, Conferences, and Networks
Children’s Discovery Museum of San Jose (CDM) contracted Randi Korn & Associates, Inc. (RK&A) to study the professional development component of Mammoth Discovery!, a NSF-funded project. The professional development part of the project convened a group of museum professionals (cohort participants) from select children’s museums to participate in several workshops, developed and conducted by CDM staff, and gatherings at a number of Association of Children’s Museums (ACM) conferences. RK&A conducted the evaluation to measure the impact of these experiences on the professional practice of cohort
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Randi Korn & Associates, Inc.Children's Discovery Museum of San Jose
From the Proceedings of the 1992 Annual Visitor Studies Conference. Reviews a study, conducted as part of a formative evaluation of an HIV/AIDS exhibit developed by the New York Hall of Science, which was designed to investigate two issues: 1) What is the current state of youth awareness of the mechanisms by which condoms help prevent the spread of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases; and 2) Which of two exhibit designs most efficiently communicates concepts related to HIV sexual transmission prevention. A copy of the survey used in the study is included in the appendix of this report.
The Seattle Aquarium seeks to discover how toddler families experience its exhibits and how to best incorporate toddler family needs in future exhibit developments. The goal of this study is to begin to document toddler-exhibit interactions in order to better understand the Aquarium experience for that audience. The specific research goal was to determine which exhibit elements are attracting and holding the attention of the toddler family audience. A total of 47 caregiver interviews and 297 toddler observations across three exhibit areas were collected from January-March 2011 at the Seattle
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Andrea BarberKaleen PovisSeattle Aquarium
This report presents the findings of a summative evaluation of Courbet and the Modern Landscape, conducted by Randi Korn & Associates, Inc. (RK&A), for the Walters Art Museum. The evaluation documents the scope of the exhibition's impact and effectiveness.
This report presents the findings of audience research conducted by Randi Korn & Associates, Inc. (RK&A), for the Lower East Side Tenement Museum. The evaluation identifies and examines the successes and shortcomings of the Museum's three major public tours--Confino Living History, Getting By, and Piecing It Together--as well as the facilitated Kitchen Conversation program that follows some tours.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Randi KornLower East Side Tenement Museum