Specialist Seminar:
Evaluation Skills Workshop

30 January 2004

ReDiscover funding partners - and other grant givers too - are placing increasing emphasis on the role of evaluation in project development and delivery. Three international practitioners in evaluation and visitor studies led this workshop. The goals were to address in theory and practice 'why evaluate?' and 'when and how to evaluate?'; and to improve professional practice through skill sharing.

Presentations

Assessing learning in the museum environment:
A practical guide for museum evaluators
Dr Ben Gammon, Head of Learning & Audience Development, Science Museum, London

The aim of this paper is to provide a practical guide to quickly but reliably assessing the educational value of an exhibit, exhibition, event, web-based resources etc within the constraints of time, money and staff faced by most museums. Rather than asking, "Has learning taken place?" we ask "Is learning taking place?" 

Assessing learning in the museum environment (PDF file 112K)
Science Museum, London

 

Evaluation: Why, When and How?
Susie Fisher, The Susie Fisher Group

Think feedback, not evaluation; think feeding, not judging. This presentation uses three case studies to highlight the best ways to use evaluation.

Evaluation: Why, When and How? (PDF file 830K)

 

Assessing Free-Choice Learning in Science Centres
John H. Falk, PhD, Director, Institute for Learning Innovation Annapolis, Maryland

What is it we are assessing? Where do science centres fit within the public’s science learning world? How should we define our audience? What kind of learning should we be measuring? When should we measure learning?

Assessing Free-Choice Learning in Science Centres (PDF file 103K)
Institute for Learning Innovation
 

The Workshop was supported by the Wellcome Trust.