ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology Centers
Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related institutions.
*****************************************************************************
Hi, Kirsten:
That is REALLY helpful. Thanks so much for taking the time to
respond so comprehensively.
Eric Siegel
New York Hall of Science
[log in to unmask]
(718) 699-0005 x 317
On May 10, 2006, at 3:55 PM, Kirsten Ellenbogen wrote:
> ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology
> Centers
> Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related
> institutions.
> **********************************************************************
> *******
>
> As Janet said earlier, Science on a Sphere is here at the Science
> Museum of Minnesota. It will be on display in the former Visible
> Paleo Lab, as a stand alone exhibit into summer 2008. It then
> will get incorporated into the new Water Planet exhibition in fall
> 2008. (And then begin a national tour in fall 2009.) Pat Hamilton,
> Bette Schmit, and the Water Planet team are doing quite a bit of
> prototyping with SOS over the next year or so to figure out the
> best ways to allow visitors interact with the sphere (i.e., without
> a staff-led demonstration).
>
> In 2004, Maryland Science Center had RMC Research Corporation
> conduct a front end study of the visitor experience with SOS during
> staff-led presentations (they actually had science center staff and
> NOAA staff lead presentations). The appeal rating from visitors was
> very high. 98% of visitors - across age groups - rated SOS as
> either very good or excellent. The length of time visitors were
> willing to spend listening to the presentation was extraordinary.
> Presentations lasted 40 minutes, and the majority of the visitors
> stayed from beginning to end. If you're interested in getting more
> detail about this study Roberta Cooks is probably the best person
> to contact: [log in to unmask]
>
> We conducted a front end study here at the Science Museum of
> Minnesota to find out more about the unfacilitated visitor
> experience. We used a standard set of four NOAA-provided images
> (e.g., Blue Marble, Earth at Night...) with voice over. The "show"
> lasted 6 minutes and 55 seconds and looped continuously. We found
> that the median stay time for visitors was 3 minutes. That's a long
> time for us compared to other video based presentations, or even
> our interactive software. When asked what they found most
> interesting, 40% of the visitors mentioned something related to do
> the technology (e.g., "it looks like its floating," " you always
> see maps on the wall, but this is something you can walk around")
> which is similar to the responses the Maryland study got to a
> similar question. The second and third most common responses we got
> were related to visualization of the earth ("how earth looks from
> outer space") and the affective experience ("I'm here, I'm
> somewhere in this world.") We also asked specific questions about
> what the visitors thought they were seeing for each of the four
> images as we are trying to figure out the best ways to help
> visitors understand complex satellite images. One of the confusing
> quirks of SOS is that visitors are not sure where they should stand
> (particularly as the voice over directed visitors to "walk to the
> other side" at one point). Unless you have staff on hand to say -
> walk over here to see the wild fires or stand there to see the
> hurricane - you can miss exciting imagery. The team here is working
> on a combination of mediation techniques (not staff-led) to help
> people know where they need to be to see a geographically-localized
> spot on the sphere. Our study showed that visitors have a strong
> interest in being able to control the images that are displayed and
> being able to display temporary labels to identify images (more
> than 90% of visitors rated their desire to do these two things at 5
> or above, on a ten point scale). These desires are counter to the
> current design of SOS, but the team here is working on ways to
> supplement the sphere with computer kiosks that allow visitors to
> "capture" an image from the sphere and interact with it by adding
> other layers of satellite imagery or adding explanatory details.
>
> We'll be working on this over the next two years, and also
> coordinating with other folks dealing with public understanding of
> satellite images. One of the groups we're collaborating with is
> Shawn Rowe and Molly Phipps at the Hatfield Marine Science Center/
> Oregon State University. SOS would take up most of the exhibit
> space at their institution, so they're studying the public's
> experiences with other (smaller) technology-supported exploration
> of satellite imagery. We're working on coordinating our studies to
> see what the public gains from 3-D experiences with satellite
> imagery compared to 2-D experiences, as well as the comparative
> pros and cons of the various projection technology out there. You
> can reach Shawn at [log in to unmask]
>
> Ok, probably far more detail than you wanted, Eric.....
>
> Kirsten
>
>
> Kirsten Ellenbogen
> Director of Evaluation & Research in Learning
> Science Museum of Minnesota
> 120 West Kellogg Blvd.
> Saint Paul, MN 55102
> Phone: +1-651-221-2560
> Fax: +1-651-265-9811
>
> **********************************************************************
> *
> More information about the Informal Science Education Network and the
> Association of Science-Technology Centers may be found at http://
> www.astc.org.
> 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]
***********************************************************************
More information about the Informal Science Education Network and the
Association of Science-Technology Centers may be found at http://www.astc.org.
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]
|
