The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County (NHMLAC) contracted Randi Korn & Associates, Inc. (RK&A) to conduct a hybrid evaluation that was both front-end evaluation and formative evaluation. NHMLAC created a full-size prototype of a portion of Nature Lab, an exhibition that prompts visitors to think about LA's urban nature and their connection to it, while highlighting the main idea that LA is a biodiversity hotspot. The prototype was installed in the space where the completed exhibition will live, and the evaluation explored visitors' responses to the proposed exhibition content and
DATE:
TEAM MEMBERS:
Randi Korn & Associates, Inc.Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County
The Materials Research Society (MRS) contracted Randi Korn & Associates, Inc. (RK&A) to evaluate a traveling exhibition developed by the Ontario Science Center, funded by the National Science Foundation. The evaluation documents the impact and effectiveness of the traveling exhibition and its associated Web site using timing and tracking observations, exit interviews, peer review, and telephone interviews with Web site users and non-users a few weeks after their visit to the exhibition. How did we approach this study? worked with MRS to identify its goals and objectives for the exhibition
DATE:
TEAM MEMBERS:
Randi Korn & Associates, Inc.Materials Research Society
This bilingual study for the Against All Odds: Rescue at the Chilean Mine exhibition was conducted by the Institute for Learning Innovation (ILI) for the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History (NMNH). The Against All Odds exhibition was a partnership between NMNH, the Chilean Embassy in Washington, DC, and the U.S. State Department, and tells the story of the 69-day saga that ended when 33 miners were lifted to the surface as heroes. Against All Odds was one of the first bilingual exhibitions at NMNH, and the interpretive team chose to use bilingual graphics for three
Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination is a National Science Foundation funded project which developed a national traveling exhibition on science and technology themes depicted in the Star Wars movies. The Museum of Science, Boston (MOS) developed the exhibition in collaboration with Lucasfilm Ltd. and Science Museum Exhibit Collaborative (SMEC). The exhibition will travel to members of the SMEC in Los Angeles, Portland, Fort Worth, St. Paul, Columbus, Philadelphia, and Boston. Other venues will display the exhibition after the Collaborative tour. Tisdal Consulting was contracted to
The Indianapolis Museum of Art (IMA) contracted Randi Korn & Associates, Inc. (RK&A) to study the public art installation and project FLOW: Can You See the River? The project was conceived by visual artist Mary Miss to engage Indianapolis residents with the White River. The study, funded by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), was designed to determine the effects of the FLOW project on Indianapolis residents, particularly in regards to their awareness and perceptions of the White River.
DATE:
TEAM MEMBERS:
Randi Korn & Associates, Inc.Indianapolis Museum of Art
A multifaceted evaluation study was conducted of the 2,000-square-foot exhibit "Darkened Waters: Profile of an Oil Spill" between September 14 and October 12, 1991, at the Oakland Museum, Natural Sciences Department. "Darkened Waters" is the second generation of an exhibit originally conceived and built by the Pratt Museum in Homer, Alaska, to provide information and a forum for the environmental impact of the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill. The exhibit will travel to the Smithsonian Institution in December 1991, and will be available to other institutions through the Association of Science
This summative evaluation of Ocean Bound! was conducted by Serrell & Associates for the Sciencenter in Ithaca, NY. The main message of the exhibition was: What we do on land not only affects the local environment, it affects the ocean as well. A healthy watershed means a healthier ocean. Four methods were used to collect data: unobtrusive tracking; pre-visit interviews; post-visit questionnaires; and a post-visit activity. Visitor comments and feedback showed strong evidence of understanding the exhibition's main concepts and included references to specific content from 7 of the 11 exhibits
The University of Central Florida (UCF) received funding from the National Science Foundation through the Informal Science Education program (# 0638977) to create a series of exhibits entitled Water's Journey through the Everglades (Water's Journey). The project deliverables included ten kiosks integrated into an expansion of the Museum of Discovery and Science (MODS) in Fort Lauderdale, FL, with the new exhibition areas opening in November 2011. The kiosks model aspects of Florida's ecosystems and natural history, highlighting the natural balance of the Everglades and the interplay between
DATE:
TEAM MEMBERS:
Susan FoutzKara HershorinUniversity of Central FloridaMuseum of Discovery and Science
Life Changes: Communicating pre-evolutionary concepts to young children in informal settings was an education and research effort designed to address the lack of basic understanding of the biology of evolution and the challenges of increasing understanding of this complex content in informal learning environments. Exhibit designers from the New York Hall of Science, Miami Science Museum, and North Museum of Natural History & Science worked closely with researchers from the University of Michigan to devise an educational intervention that could meet this critical public science need. Exhibit
This study showcases the two of the most recent exhibits in the Art/Science gallery at the Museum of Science: What I Eat: Around the World in 25 Diets and Bonsai: Creating Art with Nature. By analyzing information from two different exhibits that were shown in the same space, themes emerged across both exhibit experiences that can inform the exhibit team more broadly about the gallery's audience and effect on visitors. Evaluation Questions: In what ways are visitors interacting with the exhibits? What do visitors find most interesting about the exhibits? Which connections are visitors making
The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County (NHM) contracted Randi Korn & Associates, Inc. (RK&A) to conduct a formative evaluation of two prototypes Mexican Era section and Model Table for the Becoming Los Angeles exhibition. RK&A designed this study, which was preceded by a front-end and earlier formative evaluation, to help NHM further refine the development of the exhibition. How did we approach this study? RK&A utilized open-ended interviews to evaluate visitors' responses to the two prototypes. In order to accurately assess these responses, the prototypes were evaluated separately
DATE:
TEAM MEMBERS:
Randi Korn & Associates, Inc.Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County
Main findings and Points of Interest Both Burke visitors and members found "Life Before Plastics" to be the MOST interesting exhibit topic area. This was in part due to a general interest in history, but also included the desire to learn more about what alternatives to plastic exist, and a peaked curiosity about how past cultures survived without plastic materials, specifically how their own daily routines would be impacted if plastics did not exist. Both Burke visitors and members found "What can I do?" to be one of the LEAST interesting exhibit topic areas. This was in part due to a feeling