In the summer of 2003, a survey was carried out at the At-Bristol Science Centre (UK) to determine the effectiveness of the hands-on activities of "Explore". The section evaluated included 43 interactive experiences divided into two themes. The first, "Get Connected", consisted of examples of the latest digital technologies, such as a television studio, virtual volleyball, and radars. The second, "Curiosity Zone", was dedicated to natural phenomena and subdivided into three additional groups: "Natural Forces" which presented various forces of nature, "Focus on Light", which dealt with the
This report presents the findings of the summative evaluation of the Science Museum of Minnesota’s Big Back Yard (BBY), with a specific focus on Earthscapes Miniature Golf. Mary McEathron, Amy Grack, and Stacey Grimes, graduate students in the Evaluation Studies program at the University of Minnesota, carried out the evaluation during the summer of 2004. The purposes of the evaluation were to understand visitors’ experiences in the Big Back Yard and the quality of awareness or understanding acquired as a result of that experience. The evaluation was conducted to answer the following evaluation
This paper examines learning among museum staff involved in exhibition development in four European natural history museums. It draws upon a larger body of research undertaken for the Mirror project, a European Commission Framework Programme 5 Information Society Technologies (FT5 IST) project aimed at enhancing and improving co-operative practices through the use of new technologies. The aim of this paper is to characterize learning and co-operative practices derived from the interactions of highly heterogeneous teams involved in constructing museum exhibitions, and particularly to
Thomas Kuhn's notion of a disciplinary matrix provides a useful framework for investigating the growth of research on family learning in and from museums over the last decade. To track the emergence of this disciplinary matrix we consider three issues. First are shifting theoretical perspectives that result in new shared language, beliefs, values, understandings, and assumptions about what counts as family learning. Second are realigning methodologies, driven by underlying disciplinary assumptions about how research in this arena is best conducted, what questions should be addressed, and
This brief article includes a sampling of the findings from Zahava Doering's 2004 study, "Evaluation of Museum Educational Programs: A National Perspective."
This paper describes findings from a Ph.D. study of visitors, particularly non-museum visitors, at two university art museums in Hong Kong. This study contributes to the literature on museum education in Hong Kong, which is a relatively new area of study in Asia. This study is also the first museum visitor survey done on a university population in Hong Kong. It includes the questionnaire mailed to participants in the study.
This article discusses a study conducted as part of a larger project to develop new signage strategies to support powerful forms of parent involvement at the Children's Museum of Pittsburgh. Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh Center of Learning in Out-of-School Environments conducted the study in the context of the museum's expansion from 20,000 sq. ft. to 80,000 sq. ft.
This article reports findings from a study of some of the museums most active in audience research to identify success factors crucial to effective audience research. The study focused on what makes audience research effective and when audience research can be considered effective. This article reports findings from eight case studies undertaken in Australia and New Zealand. Following an explanation of the research approach, this article outlines the principal criteria for audience research effectiveness found in the institutions studied and highlights the main success factors underlying their
This paper describes a 2002 study conducted by Steve Tokar that was the first of its kind to evaluate universal design practice among North American museums with hands-on science exhibits. Tokar investigated the following questions: (1) For which audiences do museum exhibit professionals think their exhibitions are accessible?; (2) What is the current level of institutional commitment to creating exhibits that are universally designed and accessible for visitors with disabilities?; (3) Which areas need improvement?; and (4) Where have we succeeded? Evaluation methodologies, key findings, and
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Steve TokarVisitor Studies Association
This paper is an introduction to the special issue of "Visitor Studies Today" dedicated to museum accessibility for persons with disabilities by guest editor Christine Reich, Senior Research/Evaluation Associate at the Museum of Science, Boston.
This paper discusses the "Scences de Silence/Scenes of Silence" exhibition designed to enable hearing people to gain access to the world of the deaf. This paper describes the exhibition and evaluation findings which examined the project's impact on visitors and deaf guides.
This paper presents two perspectives that the author believes will contribute to an enhanced ability to describe and understand learning from museums. Arguably, a major strength of the past decade of research on learning from museums has been the description and investigation of many of the myriad factors that appear to influence learning from museums. However, though we now understand the factors, we do not yet know how to consider them holistically. We do not conduct research as if all these variables were important. In addition, we have not sufficiently incorporated scope and scale into our
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Institute for Learning InnovationJohn H Falk