Evaluator | Formative Evaluation: Discovery Center at Murfree Spring: Animals All-Around Zoom Virtual Field Trips | Harvard Graduate School of Education
Jan 2021-May 2021
Team: Kexin Kang and Shannon Stanton
Graduate students in EDU T523: Formative Evaluation for Educational Product Development at HGSE conducted a formative evaluation study to assess the effectiveness of Discovery Center at Murfree Spring’s Animals All-Around Zoom Virtual Field Trips as it relates to Grades K-5 learning and engagement. The study intended to examine evidence of positive learning experiences and accessibility for the students and teachers who attended sessions that address the museum’s goal in control testing the viability in digital programs in conjunction with in-person programs at a time when the US is facing a pandemic and community needs have abruptly changed.
The project discussed in the following report illustrates the relevance of evaluation in the prototype development phase through examples of a formative evaluation, and the importance in studying methodological challenges that can be introduced during a formative evaluation process. As a result, our evaluation group was able to make recommendations to the Discovery Center facilitation team to improve the product under development. The HGSE evaluation team believes these improvements will maximize the likelihood that when reintroduced the Zoom Virtual Field Trip program will successfully communicate its intended message to museum visitors.
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