Since the summer of 2006, the Nature Museum at Grafton (TNM) has been offering three day intensive courses in Nature Writing and Nature Journaling. In 2006-07, TNM worked with PEER Associates to develop and analyze a survey which teachers complete on the last day of their course. TNM has continued to use that evaluation method, and, in December 2008 and February 2010, asked past participants to answer follow up questions about their future interest in programming options, experiences with the institutes, and their implementation of course content in their own classrooms. In late 2010, TNM
In 2008, COSI received funding from the Institute of Museum and Library Services to develop the exhibit Labs in Life (LG-26-08-0146). The development of the Labs in Life embodies a unique model for collaboration, with active researchers interested in research outcomes while simultaneously serving as models for the public, and science center staff concurrently gleaning new and changing content for exhibits and programs. While each partner is motivated by many different goals, all agree that they are interested in stimulating public interest in and understanding of science and technology
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Institute for Learning InnovationJoe E Heimlich
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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Randi Korn & Associates, Inc.Children's Discovery Museum of San Jose
The Sam Noble Museum contracted Randi Korn & Associates, Inc. (RK&A) to evaluate their Whitten-Newman ExplorOlogy Program. The program offers hands-on, immersive experiences in scientific field research to classroom teachers and middle and high school students. The evaluation study explored how participants experienced the program and how their sense of self and identity was affected during the year following the program's completion. How did we approach this study? The Whitten-Newman ExplorOlogy Program offers an in-depth program experience to a select number of teachers and students. We
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Randi Korn & Associates, Inc.Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History
The Language of Conservation was a collaborative project between libraries, zoos, and poets nationwide to replicate a project originally undertaken by the Central Park Zoo. The project model built zoo, library, and poet-in-residence partnerships in five host cities: Brookfield, Illinois; Jacksonville, Florida; Little Rock, Arkansas; Milwaukee, Wisconsin; and New Orleans, Louisiana. One aspect of the evaluation was to assess the collaborative process within each of the five partner sites, across the project as a whole, and with project leadership to determine the strengths and challenges of
The Language of Conservation was a collaborative project between libraries, zoos, and poets nationwide to replicate a project originally undertaken by the Central Park Zoo. The project model built zoo, library, and poet-in-residence partnerships in five host cities: Brookfield, Illinois; Jacksonville, Florida; Little Rock, Arkansas; Milwaukee, Wisconsin; and New Orleans, Louisiana. It was anticipated that the zoo exhibits would result in positive outcomes for zoo visitors who encountered the poetry, including increasing the conservation thinking and language used after a visit and creating a
In 2007 Miami University, in partnership with the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden (Zoo) and the Institute for Learning Innovation (ILI), received a National Science Foundation Grant to develop, create, implement, and evaluate the impacts of Wild Research, a whole zoo exhibit. The purpose of Wild Research was to promote Zoo visitors' engagement in inquiry, across generations, and increase visitors' awareness of conservation issues. ILI was charged with conducting the summative evaluation for Wild Research. This study was conducted to answer the question: What is the impact on visitors to
Suitcase Science is a community-inspired theatre program and exhibit that highlights many scientific disciplines, including anthropology, biology, chemistry, geology, sociology and material culture. Its development was funded through a Legacy grant from the state of Minnesota. To help generate topics and ideas to include in the Suitcase Science show and exhibit, SMM held several workshops in communities around the state. SMM staff invited local community members to bring two objects of value, meaning, or significance to the workshop and to share their story about them. These stories and
The Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens contracted Randi Korn & Associates, Inc. (RK&A) to conduct a summative evaluation of the California Condor Rescue Zone (CCRZ), an immersive, facilitated play space designed for elementary school-age children. The summative evaluation explored how well CCRZ achieved its goals for children and adults. How did we approach this study? RK&A conducted naturalistic observations and exit interviews over a six-day period in February and March, 2011. Naturalistic observations documented the behavior of visitors and Zoo staff/volunteers in California Condor
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Randi Korn & Associates, Inc.Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens
Monterey Bay Aquarium (MBA) contracted Randi Korn & Associates, Inc. (RK&A) to evaluate Hot Pink Flamingos: Stories of Hope in a Changing Sea, a special exhibition that, according to MBA, explores how climate change is affecting ocean life and recommends small changes we all can make to help the oceans as well as big changes we can make together to solve the climate crisis. A summative evaluation explored how well MBA achieved its goals for the exhibition and identified other significant findings that may affect future projects. This evaluation combined methodologies to understand how visitors
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Randi Korn & Associates, Inc.Monterey Bay Aquarium