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

Ed

We have been proponents of rigorous evaluation for exhibitions over the 20+
years I have been at the Hall of Science and there is absolutely no doubt
 that the exhibitions we have developed are better for the evaluations. By
doing rigorous formative evaluation we do not run the risk of expensive
remedial evaluation and we have, with JKAssociates, been doing formative
evaluation on groups of related exhibits rather than one at a time. In this
way we get a good idea of how the exhibit elements relate to each other in
the formative stage rather than waiting for remedial evaluation. We have
found this to be more efficient and cost effective.

Martin

On Tue, Jan 4, 2011 at 1:56 PM, Ed Rodley <[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.
>
> *****************************************************************************
>
> What a great way to start out the new year!! I'd like to thank Charlie for
> asking such a potentially inflammatory question in so thoughtful and
> respectful a manner. You can't have a difficult conversation if you start
> off being rude or snarky, and I'm glad Charlie was able to resist the
> temptation to slip in a zinger or two.
>
> I am also eager to see what my evaluation colleagues have to say. In my own
> 20+ years in exhibits, I don't think I've ever worked on an exhibit or
> exhibition that couldn't have benefited from both evaluation and a
> willingness to make changes based on patterns of user behavior, not just
> anecdote. Personally, the best exhibition I've ever worked on went through
> rigorous (and I do mean rigorous) formative evaluation. The key difference
> with that project was that it had a budget for both remedial evaluation and
> for making changes after opening based on the remedial.  Particularly on the
> scale of an exhibition, remedial evaluation is critical. Individual
> components can be tested til the cows come home and never tell you how
> they'll interact with each other in a room full of people.  It never fails
> to humble me to see how unpredictable visitors in a gallery can be.
>
> In a way, the reactions to this comment remind me a lot of the way
> accessibility gets discussed. When you frame the discussion as "the
> government makes us do all this stuff and it costs money I could spend on
> other stuff." then it's hard to see beyond that to essential issues.  If
> evaluation is just something you put in to satisfy NSF, then you're probably
> not oing to learn anything useful from it. The same goes for ADA. If your
> goal is just to "be in compliance", then ADA will always be a millstone.
>
> Does evaluation cost? Yes. I know I've choked when reading the odd
> evaluation budget or two in the past. Does it provide benefit? In my
> experience, yes. Does the latter justify the former? Now that's an
> interesting question. I suppose that depends on how you do it and why you do
> it.
>
> Ed
>
> –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Martin Weiss, PhD
Science Interpretation, Consultant
New York Hall of Science

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