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Hi All,

I want to emphasize how impressed I was about the results of  "random" sampling of AP Physic students.  Clearly, a visit to the Exploratorium had a significant impact on their attitudes towards science.  I would be even better to do a control group.  I share Alan's view from over 40 years of experience that there's not likely "one" visitor.  I would observe that scientists literally "know what got them interested," and that's really good but it has it's downsides too.

I primarily wish that we actually tested many of the observations and hypothesis that are generated over the course of exhibit evaluations.  What infuriates me, is that exhibit evaluation and research on learning are conflated with economic interest's of museums; that it is almost impossible to run controlled studies that come to understand human learning behavior without vested interests.

The upshot is, people tend make all kinds of predictions about this and that, but they're predictions with many complex variables.  They are typically way too complex for our sample sizes, but we do it over and over again.  The error bars of predictability are immense, and I personally find that frustrating, not because it's a difficult problem (which it is) but because the approach is highly unlikely to result in a meaningful solution.  

That said, I believe that museums are a perfect place to find a solution.  They are better indicators than schools because they more accurately approximate the complexities of life and are thus a better integral.

In my view, which I think ought to be our view, I'm satisfied to say an exhibit has STEM content and it's popular, and people spend X amount of time at it.  Beyond that we ought to engage in controlled research at a few institutions, and the research ought to be part of cognitive science studies. Creating a mass of marginally comparable studies will not solve anything; if anything it clutters more than sharpen. 

Actually, I think we ought to verify that a few institutions are representative of the body at large and then move forward.  Museums present a useful and really unprecedented way of studying human behavior and learning over the course of human life, and it's an opportunity that remains unrealized.

C


On Apr 1, 2013, at 6:55 PM, Alan Friedman <[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.
> *****************************************************************************
> 
> Linda, I think that reviewer must indeed like reading books on walls.  Not
> a typical visitor.  But then there probably isn't such a thing as a
> typical visitor.  We each have our own styles of learning, and one of the
> great things about ISE is that it can accommodate a great variety of
> learning styles.  Our reviewer discounted what kids could learn when they
> are having fun, but that's the same kind of mistake we make sometimes when
> we assume that nobody reads any text beyond the titles.  Fortunately ISE
> organizations (like the Shedd) have learned how to accommodate multiple
> learning styles throughout their exhibits and programs.  Some use layers
> of text, with smaller typeface for the finer details, and some use audio
> tours, guides or explainers, publications, podcasts, QR codes, and iPad
> on-screen texts for those who do indeed want to probe more deeply than
> other visitors.
> 
> We know enough not to try to present information as if every visitor were
> like our reviewer or Professor Dawkins, or that every visitor is
> completely allergic to printed words.  So I think reviewers like Dawkins
> and Rothstein, while certainly entitled to their own opinions, do us all a
> disservice when they assume that everyone learns the same way they do.  I
> can understand reviewers like Rothstein not crediting the value of hard
> evidence like visitor studies, but I don't understand how a scientist like
> Dawkins can issue his opinions without at least trying to look at
> evaluation and other evidence for learning, both cognitive and affective,
> in ISE.  I'm looking forward to learning from the exploding custard myself.
> 
> Alan
> ________________________________________
> Alan J. Friedman, Ph.D.
> Consultant for Museum Development and Science Communication
> 29 West 10th Street
> New York, New York 10011 USA
> T  +1 917 882-6671
> E   [log in to unmask] <mailto:[log in to unmask]>
> W www.FriedmanConsults.com <http://www.friedmanconsults.com/>
> 
> a member of The Museum Group
> www.museumgroup.com <http://www.museumgroup.com/>
> 
> On 4/1/13 12:13 AM, "Wilson, Linda" <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> 
> 
>> Alan, I was struck by your statement about the reviewer preferring
>> exhibits with long texts.  Our studies have consistently shown that
>> content, whether on a graphic panel or the amount of information
>> presented in a program, can easily overwhelm a visitor, and less content
>> presented at any one time is more impactful and is retained longer.
>> We've progressed so far from 'books on walls'.  I wonder if your reviewer
>> really enjoyed standing for long periods, reading allo that <grin>
>> 
>> Linda Wilson
>> Sr. Director, Impact Assessment
>> John G. Shedd Aquarium
>> Chicago IL
>> [log in to unmask]
>> ________________________________________

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
http://blogs.exploratorium.edu/whyintercept/
Twitter: @charliec53
email: [log in to unmask] 
Tel:   415-528-4319
Fax:  415-885-6011














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