Look and listen to recognise learning
Making a choice about the methods and tools to use to evaluate your exhibition can be a challenge.
Knowledge around evaluating learning at exhibits is important for educators, exhibit builders and researchers. In this interactive session, participants will be introduced to three different methods evaluators have used in the past and their reasons for the method chosen based on exhibition type. Teams of participants will then try out these tools & techniques in an exhibition environment, observing visitor behaviour at an exhibit. The presenters will work with these groups to help them better understand which behaviours they should pay attention to and how to collect data. The full group will then rejoin to discuss insights, consider challenges encountered, and implications in using these methods.
Session speakers
San Francisco
United States
Elsa will present and lead participants through a first-hand experience evaluating informal learning experiences. She has evaluated museum exhibitions for over twenty-five years, and recently concluded a large evaluation for experimenta. Her continuing research on how disciplines such as social science, neuroscience, and cognitive science can inform research and evaluation in informal settings has motivated her exploring innovative approaches in evaluating visitors’ interactions at exhibits.
Director of contents and science engagement
Juliana will share two evaluations that were done at Parque Explora before Covid: Hack the museum (2019) and Measuring the level of understanding of conservation message in the Aquarium (2019). These will be a useful experience for participants to understand more about how to look, how to listen, and what to measure (apart from time) when tracking to determine which exhibits are more engaging in a certain exhibition.
Audience Research & Evaluation Professional
Claudia speaks about a Timing&Tracking study at the experimenta studios, maker-oriented spaces where visitors can immerse themselves in activities such as making a newspaper or programming robo-vehicles. To identify challenges and barriers taking place during these activities, we decided to observe more variables than just the route and length of stay. To facilitate the work of the observers, observation is carried out in a computer-assisted way, which can be test-tried in the session.
