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There are a couple of points about exhibit evaluation that jump to my
mind. I think what is important about incorporating evaluation into a
project from the start is that it can guide the development of goals and
objectives. And while goals and objectives can evolve throughout the
development process it is a conduit for that shared vision to to be
openly discussed and measured.
I also think about prototyping, comparing it to the path that program
development takes. In programs, prototyping continues as long as the the
program is presented. Each time an educator gets in front of an audience
they are constantly readjusting - it might suddenly be a pre-school
group, or a group with special needs. In this way the educator really
gets to know the range of audiences that are participating and what
iterations of the program will work for that group. Prototyping does
that for exhibits. Its how we try out concepts with the range of
audiences to see if our ideas work. Its how we get to know how things
can work with each new idea. To me, that does not limit creativity, but
pushes us to be more creative to figure out how to bring our ideas out
clearly to the people who come.
Lynn Baum
Senior Content Developer
Jan Crocker Museum Associates
www.jc-ma.biz
On 10/26/11 3:21 AM, Charles Carlson wrote:
> ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology Centers
> Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related institutions.
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>
> These are interesting thoughts and observations. When I started working at the Exploratorium in 1972, we just built stuff and fiddled with it until it worked to our satisfaction. But "satisfaction" actually meant until we communicated to visitors what we intended. We talked with visitors, changed signs, watched, observed, counted, and modified. These are all steps in formative evaluation and assessment. In the day, most exhibits built for museums were created by outside contractors. They made their best guess, deliver it and walked away.
>
> The secret sauce of the Exploratorium was our luxury to fiddle––working prototypes,. as well called them. It was rigorous work. Not well documented by enlarge, but part of our culture and "fabric." It's almost always possible to improve and modify the exhibit experience, it's an integral part of culture and communication.
>
> Over time, the tradition morphed and expanded, formal educational and evaluative programs emerged, many things were codified as individual museum cultures meshed, and the community grew. Interestingly, as I reflect back on my career and development, Frank O. didn't send us around to other museums, and he typically didn't mention that some else had created something similar. We generally read the scientific literature, and caught the latest craze. He watch us re-invent "the wheel." And we got it right sometimes, but the dedication was to getting it right.
>
> I thinks it hard to know exactly what works before hand, but you know it when you get it.
> Charlie
>
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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.
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