Explainers & visitor services
Today, educational research is facing a complexity of personal and physical aspects associated with the learning process. Therefore, instruments for gathering data, such as questionnaires or mind maps, become more elaborate and specific in order...
Explainers & visitor services
The aim of the session is to share and discuss manifestation of humour in our science communication activities, our science centres and museums. Does humour help in any way? It adds a “fun factor” to the visitors’ experience and makes people...
Technology
Mobile applications offer a wide range of new ways for discovering complementary content, before, during and after the visit. Some of them work on dedicated systems, others on standard devices. Some carry content, some bring interaction. This...
Exhibit development
The biodiversity crisis, climate change, and major environmental changes create uncertainty and anxiety concerning our future. We now live with the threat of disasters that could profoundly affect our lives. Yet it is important to avoid passivity...
Outreach
Science LinX, the University of Groningen science centre, links formal to informal education and addresses a target group usually considered risky or difficult, 14 to 17 year old teens, using the BètaMentality Model. This model maps the drives of...
Education
Produced and published by science centres in an appealing format, science popularisation books, especially those meant for children, reveal science centres’ concerns. Their purpose is to get youngsters informed about topical issues, to provide...
Operations & finance
In the last months a number of new science centres have opened. Each of them has its own concept and theme. In a Pecha Kucha session you can get a quick overview of these new projects. Pecha Kucha means the each speaker has 20 Powerpoint slides...
Education
The public’s perception of chemistry is mixed and misconceptions are rife e.g organic food is good; ‘chemicals’ in food are bad. In this session we look at different approaches museums and science centres are adopting to engage visitors in a two-...
Explainers & visitor services
While death is the ultimate fate of every one of us, confronting it is difficult and often avoided. Should science museums deal with this topic? If so, how? What would be the rationale for deciding to approach this challenging topic? What would...
Explainers & visitor services
The idea of “access” to science centres is often seen as synonymous to physical access to its facilities. While providing for such access is extremely important, efforts have seldom been made to ensure cognitive access to the science centres’...
Outreach
What happens when a) you ask an angry visitor to solve the problem they’re complaining about?; b) when you ask young people who never visit the museum to guest curate the entry feature of your newest high-profile gallery?; c) when...
Explainers & visitor services
Increasing numbers of science centres are asking themselves what extra things they can do to support and inspire talented students. Whether during a daytime visit, or as an after-school programme, there are number of opportunities to be grasped...