Questacon > Other Web Sites > 3rd Science Centre World Congress > Research and Evaluation

IIISCWC

Parallel Sessions

Research and evaluation: what are the important messages for science centres?

Contextual learning & its influence on exhibition development

Participants review the understanding we have about the importance of contextual learning: physical, personal and cultural. They observe visitors use and analyse their own interactions with exhibits. Group discussion focuses on how the physical, personal and cultural context of the participant's country influences conveying the same/similar topics in each participant's institution.

Session leader: Dennis Schatz, Associate Director,
Pacific Science Centre, USA.
Lynn Dierking, Director,
Institute for Learning Innavation, USA.

The impact of science centres on their surrounding communities & preliminary research findings

How can we justify the value of science centres to governments, sponsors and others? This session will report on international research into the ways that science centres are meeting their missions and highlight some particularly relevant studies. Participants will identify and discuss key research that is needed by the science centre industry.

Session leader: Robin Garnett, International Research Co-ordinator,
Questacon, Australia.

Science centres and the public: what are they achieving?

In this session, research with adult visitors, which has been continuing at Questacon for the past five years, will be described. Implications for the public awareness of science, for exhibit design and for future directions of science centres will be discussed. Possible new directions for research will be suggested.

Speaker: Susan Stocklmayer, Director, National Centre for Public Awareness of Science,
Australian National University, Australia.

Evaluating travelling programs in Australia and New Zealand

This session shares the evaluation methods and outcomes of traveling programs in Australia (the Shell Questacon Science Circus, NRMA RoadZone and the Queensland Sciencentre Roadshow) and New Zealand (the National Science Technology Roadshow).

Session leader: Ian Kennedy, Director,
National Science Technology Roadshow, New Zealand.

Reconceptualising the nature of learning from science centres

This session will present and describe the most contemporary and innovative views of visitor learning arising from science centre and museum experiences. The panel will discuss several perspectives of learning for practically conceptualising the experiences of visitors in and beyond their immediate in-gallery encounters.

Session leader: Dr David Anderson, Senior Researcher, QUT Museums Collaborative,
Queensland University of Technology, Australia.

Research on learning in science centres

Speakers will share findings from a range of recent research on learning in science centres, discussing some of the problems and issues that arise in this important area. Questions for the direction of future research will be raised for discussion.

Session leader: Dr Léonie Rennie, Professor of Science and Technology Education,
Curtin University of Technology, Australia.

Unexpected and creative misuse of exhibits

Visitors use exhibits sometimes completely differently than planned. This misuse can be creative and an added value oe as well as a problem. The roundtable aims to collect and analyse your most striking examples and to discuss how to handle this phenomenon.

Session leaders: Mikko Myllykoski, Head, Exhibition Planning,
Heureka, Finland.
John Falk, Director,
Institute for Learning Innovation, USA.

Handbook for evaluating prototypes — an Australian perspective on formative evaluation

The development and building of an interactive exhibit is difficult. Ideally, formative evaluation of prototypes allows for modification prior to installation and enhances the likelihood of a successful product. ASTEN engaged academic researchers to develop a handbook and a training program for the formative evaluation of prototypes of the BHP WildScience exhibition. A generic handbook was developed because it provided a way for exhibit builders at other centres to learn the method of formative evaluation. This presentation provides an overview of the handbook and its implementation at Questacon. You can download the handbook (968 kB pdf).

Speakers: Dr Terence McClafferty, Acting Site Manager,
Western Australian Museum - Kalgoorlie-Boulder, Australia.
Prof Léonie Rennie, Professor of Science and Technology Education,
Curtin University of Technology, Australia.
Ilze Groves,
Exhibition Consultant, Australia.

Redefining our exhibition standards or what are we learning from the new generation of science centres?

The exhibitions in each new science centre project help to inform the progress of the field. The aim of this session is to share and compare these philosophies, and through audience discussion, stimulate the field.

Session leader: Peter Anderson, President,
Blue Wave Presentations, Ltd, UK.

Plenary & Major Sessions and Parallel Sessions (colour pdf, 295 kB)