In May 1999, Randi Korn & Associates, Inc. (RK&A), began a comprehensive summative evaluation of the four permanent galleries and the overall visitor experience of The Tech Museum of Innovation in San Jose, California. For this first phase of evaluation, there were four reports - one for each gallery. This document presents the discussion, recommendations, and executive summaries from Phase I. Data for this phase were collected in July and August 1999. The evaluation was undertaken to document the scope of the galleries' impact and effectiveness as well as to identify elements in existing
This report presents the findings of a summative evaluation of Invention at Play, conducted by Randi Korn & Associates, Inc. (RK&A), for the Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History. Invention at Play is a traveling exhibition developed by the Lemelson Center in partnership with the Science Museum of Minnesota and is funded by The Lemelson Foundation and the National Science Foundation. Data collection took place at two venues: in December 2002 at the National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C.,
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Randi Korn & Associates, Inc.Smithsonian Institution
Nanoscale science and engineering study and create materials and devices on the molecular scale. The Nanobiotechnology Center, a National Science Foundation supported Science and Technology Center, collaborated with Ithaca, New York's Sciencenter, a hands-on museum, and Painted Universe, Inc. an exhibition design-and-fabrication team, to create It's a NanoWorld, a 3,000 square-foot, hands-on traveling exhibition. Edu, Inc., an external evaluation group, led front-end research and formative evaluation to guide and refine development of the exhibition. Summative evaluation investigated visitors'
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Douglas SpencerCornell UniversityVictoria AngelottiSciencenter
Robotics brings together learning across mechanism, computation and interaction using the compelling model of real-time interaction with physically instantiated intelligent devices. The project described here is the third stage of the Personal Rover Project, which aims to produce technology, curriculum and evaluation techniques for use with after-school, out-of-school and informal learning environments mediated by robotics. Our most recent work has resulted in the Personal Exploration Rover (PER), whose goal is to create and evaluate a robot interaction that will educate members of the general
Design It! Building Design Challenges in After School Programs, funded by the National Science Foundation, is a collaboration between the Education Development Center (EDC), the National Institute for Out-of-School Time (NIOST) and science centers/museums and after school programs located in community-based organizations (CBOs) in six cities. The project's primary goal was to improve the quality of programming in after school programs by establishing long term relationships between science centers/museums and after school programs and developing, incorporating and institutionalizing hands-on
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Patricia CampbellEducation Development CenterLesley PerlmanEarl Hadley
The tool was created by 4H Nebraska to measure students’ (7-10th graders ) learning and attitudes towards science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The tool also assesses students’ attitude about GPS (Global Positioning Systems) and GIS (Geographical Imaging Systems).
Assesses children's interest in, attitude towards, and experiences in science and technology, as well as their opinion about environmental challenges and career aspirations.
This study was conducted as a part of the formative evaluation of the NISE Network forum Energy Challenges, Nanotech Solutions? The purpose of the forum was to bring members of the public together to discuss how they would suggest that NSF distribute funding among three different energy-related research topics: nanotechnology-dependent energy, existing alternative energy, and conservation & energy efficiency. During 2008, all five NISE Network Forum Team institutions (Exploratorium, Museum of Science, Museum of Life and Science, Science Museum of Minnesota, and Oregon Museum of Science and
This study was conducted as part of the formative evaluation of the NISE Network forum Privacy. Civil Liberties. Nanotechnology. The purpose of the forum was to bring members of the public together to discuss whether nanotechnology applications that could impact privacy should be used. During the course of the forum, participants learned about nanotechnology from expert speakers, learned about the societal and ethical implications of nanotechnology through the play Let Alone, had a chance to ask questions of the experts, participated in a small group discussion where they talked about the pros
The Science Museum of Minnesota surveyed 16 museum visitors after they participated in the Exploring Measurement: Ruler Activity at NanoDays. This formative testing of the activity assessed the activity’s ability to convey the size of a nanometer, and that scientists need to use special tools when working at the nanoscale.