Class review: Using the floor-specific data you looked at in class, how would you apply some of this information to design an evaluation? What types of questions would you ask and why? Are there specific exhibits you might look at?
The data discussed in class for the first floor is a very in depth review of what staff observe the guest experience to be. Most of the exhibits are seen as geared to all ages and accessible for all guests. I would want to see if the guests that come in to MOXI feel the same way. Surveying guests about a few of our exhibits like the Handprint globe and From here to there (agreed upon universally accessible) and some exhibits like reactable and foley studios that we think of as not very accessible. Survey questions are the most open questions but they can limit the answers of the responding guests give if they are simple rating questions. The best way to get in depth answers is a short response survey, if these are too long then guests may experience survey fatigue.
Readings: What are some of the challenges of measuring learning in MOXI? What kinds of evaluations do you think would be the most helpful in assessing learning in this space and why?
At MOXI we do not have learning outcomes or standards to meet, as schools and formal classrooms do. This makes the measuring of learning difficult as it is more about the experience that guests are having, than concepts they are learning. In the exploration lab activities the outcomes and learning objectives are clear and can be evaluated by the worksheets that the students complete. The only way to realistically and accurately evaluate learning at MOXI would be to conduct surveys on similar groups before and after their visit. This may be best done by surveying some students from a school before there visit and some from the same school and class after their visit.
Hey Matthew, or anyone else for that matter. I'm wondering what sort of questions you may ask a class of visiting students before/after their visit to MOXI, given that we have no concrete conceptual learning outcomes. Like you say, the labs do get teach some scientific concepts, but I wonder how we could measure our effect on students' learning process itself, or their perception of themselves as scientists/engineers. Can we measure the less tangible mission to "ignite learning through interactive experience?"
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I think you're both getting at the fact that we might not benefit from a traditional summative assessment - i.e teach a concept and then test for regurgitation of that concept. But we could do summative assessment in how students apply ideas learned at MOXI. Even though we emphasize process over product/content, that doesn't meant their isn't a learning outcome. Not to say that it isn't difficult to measure. But maybe you just have to evaluate more openly - like Matthew, you mention a survey could be an effective tool for this.
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