ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology Centers
Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related institutions.
*****************************************************************************
Eric,
You are not imagining it. Many years ago, Cary Tisdal did some
surveys at St. Louis and one of the results was that people want the
human interaction. I have seen that anecdotally in every place I
have ever worked (dare I say that you can't buck 3 million years of
evolution as a social species???!) Seriously though, visitors want
an opportunity to ask questions, add their two-cents worth, and
generally have an engaging experience.
Beryl
At 9:45 AM -0400 7/6/06, Eric Siegel wrote:
>ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology Centers
>Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related institutions.
>*****************************************************************************
>
>Hello, all:
>
>We have been noticing something anecdotally, and I am wondering if
>others have similar experience. Visitors to the Hall seem
>increasingly to be interested in our scheduled demo's, cart based
>programs, and interactive theater programs (programs involving human
>facilitation). Similarly, visitors always rate our Explainers as
>the high point of the visitor experience here. In a traveling
>exhibition we are hosting, Crime Scene Insects, I have been noticing
>that almost all the visitors crowd around the live bug cart,
>facilitated by an Explainer, that we bring in.
>
>I am wondering whether anecdotal evidence or systematic research is
>available to assess the importance of these "human delivered
>experiences" (demos, cart programs, science lunch counters,
>facilitated labs, theater programs) vis a vis their counterparts of
>unfacilitated experiences such as exhibitions, media kiosks, etc. I
>am not including formal workshops and classes in my thinking about
>these experiences, as they seem to be less "free choice" from the
>visitors pov.
>
>I will be glad for any pointers in that direction from the ASTC List
>swarm mind.
>
>Eric Siegel
>Executive VP
> Programs and Planning
>NY Hall of Science
>47-01 111th Street
>Queens, NY 11368
>[log in to unmask]
>718 699 0005 x 317
>www.nyscience.org
>
>
>
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>More information about the Informal Science Education Network and the
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--
Beryl Rosenthal, Ph.D.
Director of Exhibitions and Public Programs
MIT Museum
265 Massachusetts Ave.
Cambridge, MA 02139
Tel: 617-452-2111
Fax: 617-253-8994
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"A great place to explore ideas, invention, and innovation:
http://web.mit.edu/museum"
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More information about the Informal Science Education Network and the
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To remove your e-mail address from the ISEN-ASTC-L list, send the
message SIGNOFF ISEN-ASTC-L in the BODY of a message to
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