Assessing Learning in Process: Videotaping Visitors in Museums

Josh GutwillActing Director of Visitor

Research

Adam KlingerEvaluation Systems SpecialistQuickTime™ and a

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Workshop Goals

Morning• Know when to use video methods• Treat visitor participants ethically

• Record conversations & behaviors

Afternoon• Code digital video data• Analyze coded data (Excel, not stats)

• A better vantage point for observations

• Hear visitor conversations verbatim

• A way to reliably capture subtle phenomena

• Better interrater reliability • Visual evidence to share with stakeholders

What does video offer over other methods?

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Where might other methods work better?

• Quick formative studies with immediate deadlines

• When your research questions are not likely to be answered by observing spontaneous behavior or dialogue– Example: how do people interpret a particular part of the label that they may not use when they approach it on their own?

Adam Klinger

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• Video systems use different components and configurations depending on the study goal– The Exploratorium has used many systems for different projects

– Each system has its advantages and disadvantages

• Focus on video recording methods– Josh will discuss informed consent issues later

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Video System Types

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GIVE: a Lab Study

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• A randomized clinical trial design• A lab was built and used for the study in order to control for as many extraneous variables as possible

• Cameras and mics were permanently mounted above the four exhibits

• Quiet conditions in a small space made getting good quality audio relatively easy

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GIVE: a Lab Study

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GIVE: a Lab Study

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GIVE: a Lab Study

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Geometry Playground: Eye in the Sky

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• An exhibit development project with a research component

• Studies families as they use multiple exhibits

• Parent / child dyads are recruited and recorded as they move through the area

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Geometry Playground: Eye in the Sky

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• Visitors are asked to wear clip-on microphones and a small radio transmitter

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Geometry Playground: Eye in the Sky

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• Visitors are tracked by 2 Pan / Zoom / Tilt cameras mounted 35 feet overhead

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Geometry Playground: Eye in the Sky

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• The cameras are controlled from an office using joysticks and security camera software

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Geometry Playground: Eye in the Sky

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• Wireless microphones allow us to:– Hear visitors clearly even in noisy areas

• PZT cameras allow us to:– Track visitors through the area, even if they separate

– Choose the best angle to see what’s important

– Use one camera for details and the other for the big picture

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Geometry Playground: Eye in the Sky

• Video: Tracking a Parent/Child Dyad

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Geometry Playground: Eye in the Sky

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APE: Recording at single exhibits on the floor

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• Interested in real-world experiences– We wanted the area to look to visitors like any other part of the floor

– We wanted visitors to use exhibits uncued

• Needed video of many visitor interactions at a single exhibit

• We wanted to capture conversations between visitors

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APE: Recording at single exhibits on the floor

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• Phase 1: recording in an open area of the floor– We used sturdy telescoping stands– We used two shotgun microphones

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APE: Recording at single exhibits on the floor

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APE: Recording at single exhibits on the floor

• Phase 1I: Building the Sound Abatement Area

Sound absorbing featuresCarpeting

Sound absorbing walls

Sound absorbing hood

4 shotgun microphones

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APE: Recording at single exhibits on the floor

• Phase 1I: Building the Sound Abatement Area

Quick setup features:Trusses on ceiling

Movable clamps to mount:– Microphones– Camera– Mixer

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APE: Recording at single exhibits on the floor

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APE: Recording at single exhibits on the floor

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• There are schematics for three systems in your packet– GP Eye in the Sky– Simplified APE– Four microphone APE

• We’ll use the last two to help set up our own systems later

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Schematics