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In response to Robin's notes below - here are a few thoughts. It is perfectly possible to observe, document and describe learning in museums. We would not be 'measuring' it. 'Measuring' suggests quantifiable targets and quantities of facts and information that can be counted. We know that learning in museums is far more than this, involving the emotions - affective aspects, and experience. We need to find a way of evaluating museum education that takes on board the constructivist learning theory that most of us subscribe to. To do this we need to develop a new language of evaluation that indicates that we are concerned with individual learning, which might be very different foreach person involved. Qualitative research gives us good models for the observation of site-specific events, learner and teacher testimony, stakeholder attitudes, and so on. My students have used drawings as ways of assessing learning. Yes it takes time. But no you don't need to do a huge amount, and yes, students and others could be used if trained. There are good models around of how to do it, based on the three-year evaluation project with a group of museum/gallery educators. Let's not get deflected by adopting inappropriate methods. We need to push this whole issue to work for us not against us. Eilean Date: Fri, 18 Sep 1998 00:21:36 +0100 Reply-to: [log in to unmask] Subject: Re: Museum Education Service performance indicators From: Robin Clutterbuck <[log in to unmask]> To: [log in to unmask] If we can't use academic research on learning performance, we have to fall back on market research. In addition to measuring bums on seats we can measure how often the bums return to the seats. Market research will also show 'brand awareness', and how long the awareness remains after the visit. This means that museums might be required to conduct visitor surveys - which many of them don't do at the moment. The logistical difficulties of collecting qualitative information would make research of performance almost impossible. As Roland says, 'we could try to agree the conditions that best support learning and demonstrate performance in achieving them', but to measure 'learning' we'd need to measure subjects before, during and after a visit to the museum - only possible with formal visits. I think the only way is by measuring the popularity of agreed 'educational' elements of a museum, 'brand awareness', memory of the visit and percentages of repeat visits. Robin Clutterbuck Newton Abbot, Devon Eilean Hooper-Greenhill Director Department of Museum Studies University of Leicester 103/105 Princess Road East Leicester LE1 7LG UK email: [log in to unmask]: http://www.le.ac.uk/museumstudies/ %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%