This article describes the research effort of ASTC and Reach Advisors to explore the motivations and engagement levels of visitors to science museums. The team discovered surprising and telling information about mothers who visit with their children. This article explores the survey methodology, key findings including helpful terms to describe four types of visitors, and conclusions with recommendations.
In this article, Carlos Plaza, exhibit developer and bilingual communications specialist at the Miami Science Museum, summarizes the museum's general guidelines and strategies for writing and designing bilingual exhibitions. These guidelines address label hierarchy, personnel (translators and editors), interpretation vs. translation, regional variation, and layout and design.
In this article, science center and museum professionals, artists, and educators from around the world share their projects, programs, exhibitions, and initiatives that combine science and art.
In this article, Julie Bowen, vice president, content, at TELUS Spark in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, explores the current state of exhibitions in the field and speculates on the future direction of exhibits. Bowen discusses new innovative trends in the field.
This report summarizes the evaluation of the first 20 months of the National Science Foundation-funded tour of the Traveling Experiment Gallery. The Traveling Experiment Gallery is the touring version of Science Museum of Minnesota's successful core science hall, the Experiment Gallery. The evaluation of the Traveling Experiment Gallery was conducted using naturalistic inquiry methodology. Depth interviews were conducted with 28 staff and six volunteers at the five museums and science centers which have hosted the exhibition. The evaluators also spent almost 30 hours observing visitors, floor
Agents of Change is a $40 million initiative that will transform more than 25% of the Ontario Science Centre's public spaces over a three-year period. This will involve renewing key exhibit spaces, creating new approaches to visitor experiences, deepening and extending partnerships province-wide, and making significant architectural improvements to the science centre's building. Seven major new areas will feature content that explores the theme "Solving 21st Century Problems." Through the compelling experiences offered in these seven new spaces, young people will be exposed to the attitudes
Concept planning studies ("front-end" studies) are useful in finding out "where the audience is starting from" in their perceptions of particular subjects, themes or messages to be communicated in upcoming exhibitions. In this case, the exhibition team needed some clarifications about visitors' awareness, interests, and other perceptions of 'current science.' The priorities for this research were focused on: name and recognition of the topic (explore people's reactions to 10 preliminary "titles;" seek examples of topics that they associate with new/current science) interest in current science
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Jeff HaywardScience Museum of MinnesotaJolene Hart
Evidence from the data collected on the Midwest Wild Weather Project indicates that the teachers are very excited about its potential for increasing their students' science literacy and understanding of the scientific process, as well as increasing their knowledge of the weather and exciting them about science in general. Students are very focused, enthusiastic and excited when interacting with the exhibits and universally pleased with their exploration and explainer experiences. MWW is also effectively reaching the intended underserved and underrepresented students across the nine sites are
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Gregory AloiaSciTech Hands On Museum
This study is the first phase of a two-part summative evaluation of a National Science Foundation-funded research/development project to investigate the development of exhibits that elicit active prolonged engagement (APE) among casual museum visitors. Naturalistic methodology was used to frame the research. Methods included unobtrusive observations, depth interviews, and tracking-and-timing. Forty-six unobtrusive observations and 35 related depth interviews were conducted on site at the Exploratorium from August 5 through 10, 2003. After all observations/interviews had been completed
Going APE! is a National Science Foundation-funded research/development project to investigate how to develop Exploratorium exhibits that elicit active prolonged engagement (APE) among casual museum visitors. As part of this research/development process, Selinda Research Associates, Inc. (SRA) conducted a summative evaluation to assess how and to what extent the exhibit units developed by the Exploratorium team were in fact APE exhibits. This report is the second of two distinct phases of the summative evaluation study. The first phase of the summative evaluation compared visitor engagement at
This white paper is the product of the CAISE Formal-Informal Partnerships Inquiry Group, which began work during a July 2008 ISE Summit organized by CAISE. Their examination of what the authors call "the hybrid nature of formal-informal collaborations" draws on relevant theoretical perspectives and a series of case studies to highlight ways in which the affordances of formal and informal settings can be combined and leveraged to create rich, compelling, authentic, and engaging science that can be systematically developed over time and settings.
This white paper is the product of the CAISE Public Engagement with Science Inquiry Group. It describes how public engagement with science (PES) in the context of informal science education can provide opportunities for public awareness of and participation in science and technology. The term engagement is characterized by mutual learning by publics and scientists rather than a one-way transmission of knowledge from experts to publics.