ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology Centers
Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related institutions.
*****************************************************************************

You're right! I think I left out the word "necessarily."  Apologies to all.  I hundred percent agree with getting different opinions, perspectives, and data from visitors in the mix of exhibit development.  I think more is better rather than fewer.  Sorry for the typo/omission.  Formal formative evaluation can be a tool, and integral to all aspects of exhibit development.  My point would more correctly be viewed as consideration, iteration, practice, experiment, and learning all make for better exhibits and that it does not necessarily take a professional evaluator to do this (and this is not to discount evaluator significance).  Such practices were very much part of the process originally devised at the Exploratorium,  every exhibit was an experiment in engagement.  This process was further aptly defined and describe in APE by Josh Gutwill and Thomas Humphrey.  It is, however, also present in the Cookbooks, Working Prototypes and earlier publications.  And it's infused throughout the movie Palace of Delights.  

The point about other projects and museums is that the evaluation may or may not be conscious and directly intentional, but it is there in some form.  Humans tend do it.  It's a major component of how we have survived and flourished.

Clearly many, many exhibits have benefitted through evaluative persistence, trial, error, feedback, etc. 

Sorry about that, it was late and I was taken with "hath," and distracted by a formatting rejection.


C
On Oct 28, 2011, at 10:21 AM, Martin Weiss wrote:

> ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology Centers
> Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related institutions.
> *****************************************************************************
> 
> Charlie
> 
> Your question about flop to star is impossible to answer. However, if you do
> a gedanken (thought) experiment, all of us who develop or direct exhibition
> projects can identify exhibits and exhibitions that would have been a flop
> if not for formative evaluation. And I also hope we can admit we learn
> something from each project that informs our next project or should. If not
> then something is wrong with the practice. Learning should not stop with the
> exhibition just as a science experiment or investigation does not end but
> should raise further questions for the next experiment. OK not an exact
> analogy but I think you get my point about learning from what we do. I
> always understood your objection was to summative evaluation and how it is
> reported. Now I get the impression in some of your posts that ALL evaluation
> is suspect and you cite a handful of exhibitions that you feel exemplify why
> evaluation is worthless. A moving target Charlie makes discussion difficult.
> 
> I don't really think that it is the question of evaluation stifling
> creativity but how evaluation can be used as a learning tool for
> professional development AND advancing the practice of developing
> exhibitions and programs.I think there are ways we can improve how we inform
> each other about what we have done and what works or did not ANd why.This is
> the process we should be discussing not who we each think is creative and
> thinking outside the box (what box, by the way?).
> 
> Martin
> 
> On Fri, Oct 28, 2011 at 2:30 AM, Charles Carlson <[log in to unmask]
>> wrote:
> 
>> ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology Centers
>> Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related
>> institutions.
>> 
>> *****************************************************************************
>> 
>> Well said. ( I don't consider myself old-style anything, by the way.)  I
>> very much concur with your insight that that there is a difference between
>> evaluation and research (I'm not sure museums generally are the best
>> test-bed, but will set this that aside for another time).  And evaluation
>> can undoubtedly play a valuable role.  But please identify one single
>> exhibit or exhibition that has greatly benefited from the tender hands of
>> evaluation.  And by greatly, I mean been changed from flop  to star.  From
>> my experience, these are even further and far between.  This is not to
>> condemn evaluation, nor the hand of another brain, but simply to highlight
>> the inescapable fact, that evaluation hath not a better exhibit made.
>> 
>> C
>> On Oct 27, 2011, at 11:06 PM, Carey Tisdal wrote:
>> .

The opinions and thoughts expressed here are my own and should in no way be construed or attributed to the Exploratorium or related organization, and do not represent an institutional position.
Charles Carlson
Senior Scientist
exploratorium
3601 Lyon St.
San Francisco, CA 94123
[log in to unmask]
Tel:   415-561-0319
Fax:  415-561-0370
http://blogs.exploratorium.edu/whyintercept/









***********************************************************************
For information about the Association of Science-Technology Centers and the Informal Science Education Network please visit www.astc.org.

Check out the latest case studies and reviews on ExhibitFiles at www.exhibitfiles.org.

The ISEN-ASTC-L email list is powered by LISTSERVR software from L-Soft. To learn more, visit
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html.

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
[log in to unmask]