Our Projects
The following projects illustrate the range of our interests and
expertise. Our work includes:
Most projects result in one or more reports. Go here for a complete
list of reports written by Selinda Research Associates personnel.
Underground
Adventure,
the Field Museum, Chicago, IL
Underground Adventure is a large exhibition about things that live underground and the soil in which they live.
We conducted front-end and formative evaluations for this project.
We are currently conducting a summative
evaluation (ranging from 1996 to the present). You can see the online version of Underground
Adventure at:
< http://www.fmnh.org/ua/default.htm
>.
Telling Images, the Art
Institute, Chicago, IL
We served as instructional designers and evaluators for this interactive orientation art gallery for novice museum visitors.
We analyzed label copy for exhibition as well as designed and implemented a summative evaluation of
the exhibition (1999-2000). You can read a brief description of
this exhibition at:
< http://www.artic.edu/aic/exhibitions/telling.html
>
AirWorks for Kids, DuPage
Children's Museum, Naperville, IL
This project had three inter-related components: a museum exhibition, a hands-on program for public school children, and a research project. It focused on concepts surrounding air power for
an audience of two- through ten-year-old children.
We conducted formative and remedial evaluations dealing with children's understandings of air and air-related
concepts (1997-2000). Here is a link with a brief description
of the exhibition:
< http://www.dupagechildrensmuseum.org/visit_airworks.html
>
Traveling Experiment Gallery,
Science Museum of
Minnesota, St. Paul, MN
The Traveling Experiment Gallery, a multi-unit exhibition based on the museum's existing physical sciences gallery, toured the United States. We conducted a naturalistic summative evaluation at a variety of host venues to investigate the ways in which the exhibition fit into the host museums'
cultures (1997-1998). The Traveling Experiment Gallery is
still available for booking through the Exhibit Source at the Science
Museum of Minnesota:
< http://www.smm.org/exhibitsource/62.html
>
See a more
complete list of exhibit evaluations
Park Voyagers, Museums in the
Parks, Chicago, IL
Park Voyagers is an educational partnership between nine museums and the Chicago Park District, offering community-based educational enrichment programs to families designed to connect them to
(and build new family audiences) for museums. We have developed and implemented a two-phase remedial evaluation study to assess the
program's effectiveness in meeting its educational goals and in building new museum audiences (2001-present).
Resident Program, Morton
Arboretum, Lisle, IL
This is a residential environmental education program for fifth- and
sixth-grade students. We are conducting a remedial/summative evaluation including site visits, focus groups, and depth interviews to identify areas of the program that need to be revised
(2000-present). Information about the Resident Program is
available at:
< http://www.mortonarb.org/education/school_and_youth_addl_programs.htm#overnight
>
Zoo Adventure Passport, Brookfield
Zoo, Brookfield, IL
We served as evaluators for the Zoo Adventure Passport (ZAP!)
program at Brookfield Zoo. This collaborative project (with neighborhood libraries) brings the zoo into Chicago-area communities and encourages participants to visit the zoo with their families (1998-2000).
Bridging the Gap, Discovery Place, Inc.,
Charlotte, NC
Bridging the Gap was
a collaborative program with the Girl Scouts of America to involve girls
with science, engineering, and math.
We conducted a multi-stage evaluation of both the science
“badge-in-a-box” materials used by Girl Scout leaders and the
dissemination of these materials to Girl Scout Councils around the United States
(1994-2001). The Bridging the Gap Web site is:
< http://www.bridginggap.org/btg-001.htm
>.
Kids' Design Engineering Lab, DuPage Children's
Museum, Naperville, IL
This hands-on museum program engaged public school children in the processes of engineering. We
conducted formative and summative evaluations of this program, which
deals with children's understandings of pneumatics (1994-1995). A
brief description of Kids' Design Engineering may be found near the
bottom of this page:
< http://www.dupagechildrensmuseum.org/programs_labs.html
>
See a more
complete list of program evaluations
RiverWeb, Science Museum of
Minnesota, St. Paul, MN
RiverWeb is a multi-museum collaborative project. The
Science Museum of Minnesota, St. Louis Science Center, and Illinois
State Museum are working with NCSA (National Center for Supercomputing Applications) in Champaign-Urbana,
Illinois, to develop a series of state-of-the-art computer-based modeling exhibits dealing with the Mississippi River. We have designed and implemented a two-phase evaluation study including a front-end study to assess visitors' understandings of the River and their use of
technology as well as a formative evaluation of exhibit prototypes
(1998-present). Here's the RiverWeb Web site:
< http://archive.ncsa.uiuc.edu/Cyberia/RiverWeb/
>
Museums in the Classroom, Shedd
Aquarium, Chicago, IL
We served as evaluators for for the Shedd Aquarium's implementation of Museums in the
Classroom, a state-wide project to bring museum resources into 25 public school classrooms via the Internet. As part of this program, children from around the state worked with the Shedd Aquarium to develop multidisciplinary online projects that explored aquatic sciences (1998-2000).
MuseumLink-Illinois, Illinois State
Museum, Springfield, IL
MuseumLink was a collaborative project with the Illinois State Board of Education to
a) equip selected classrooms around the state with sophisticated computer technology and
b) develop content-rich museum Web sites for use by teachers and students around the state. We conducted front-end and formative evaluations
(1997-2001). Here's the MuseumLink Web site:
< http://www.museum.state.il.us/muslink/index.html
>
Atmospheric Explorations, Science Museum of Minnesota,
St.
Paul, MN
These
computer simulations engage visitors in hands-on manipulations and
investigations of weather phenomena.
We consulted with the exhibit development team and conducted a
summative evaluation of phase one and front-end evaluations for phase
two (1995-present). Several of these programs may be purchased
through Riverside Scientific, Inc.:
< http://www.riversci.com/
>
See a more
complete list of technology evaluations
These are projects where we advised clients, reviewed programs, developed plans, or trained staff rather than undertaking evaluation studies with our own staff.
Audience Research Consultant, Chicago Historical
Society, Chicago, IL
We have consulted with the Chicago Historical Society as they prepare to develop new museum exhibitions (1998-present).
Interpretation Consultant, Glenbow
Museum, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
We have consulted with their Visitor Memory and Learning project, a research/development effort incorporating a research-based theoretical model into the re-design of their First Nations Gallery
(1996-present).
Education Consultant, High Desert
Museum, Bend, OR
We consulted with the Education Department at the High Desert Museum to develop a long-range interpretation and evaluation plan.
We conducted a review of the existing department and its programs, presented workshops and training, and coordinated the planning process (1993-1994).
Evaluation Consultant, the Science Museum, London, United Kingdom
We served as an evaluation consultant for the Launch Pad exhibition gallery, a permanent hands-on interactive space to engage visitors with physical science concepts.
We assessed visitor knowledge outcomes (1993). Go here to see an
online version of this exhibition:
< http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/online/launch/index.asp
>
See a
more complete list of consultancies
Start at the top of the complete list of projects
Most projects result in one or more reports. Go here for a complete
list of reports written by Selinda Research Associates personnel.
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