Using Museum Guests as Crowdsourced Participants in Human Subject Research

Nuessle, Tiffany M.; McNamara, Patricia A.; Garneau, Nicole L.

doi:10.1111/cura.12371

Cited by 3 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…Through participation in this study, the visitors become familiar with the scientific process and can understand how the study relates to their own lives. Evaluation data from this study shows that guests both enjoy and value participating in authentic genetics research [Nuessle, McNamara and Garneau, 2020].…”

Section: Genetics Ismentioning

confidence: 87%

Beyond the Base-ics: approaches to driving connection through genetics in museums

Howell¹,

Reisenauer²,

Valkanas³

et al. 2022

JCOM

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Genetics literacy is crucial for making informed decisions. However, perceived complexity, educational gaps, and misleading media narratives make reaching diverse populations difficult. Interventions to improve genetics literacy beyond K—12 classrooms should center on building science trust and self-efficacy. We used a mixed methods approach to survey 12 museums with genetics content and found 3 framing devices, “Genetics is Fun,” “Genetics is Relevant,” and “Genetics is Discovery.” While each framing strategy leads to high engagement with genetics topics, these approaches differed in ways that affect ability to learn and how genetics is perceived. Exhibit creators should consider design ramifications when creating a genetics exhibit that builds genetic literacy.

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Section: Genetics Ismentioning

confidence: 87%

Beyond the Base-ics: approaches to driving connection through genetics in museums

Howell¹,

Reisenauer²,

Valkanas³

et al. 2022

JCOM

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Section: Genetics Is Discovery: Florida Museum Of Natural History Bumentioning

confidence: 87%

Evaluation and Discussion of Genetics Content in Museums

Howell

Reisenauer

Valkanas

et al. 2021

Preprint

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BackgroundGenetics literacy is crucial for making informed personal decisions. With rapid advances in genetic technology, a foundational understanding of genetics is now more important than ever for meaningful engagement with questions surrounding health, privacy, and policy. However, genetic content engagement barriers, including geographic unavailability, lack of prior education, and misleading media narratives, can make it difficult to reach diverse populations. Furthermore, with growing mistrust in science and genetic information, interventions to improve genetics literacy, particularly to those beyond a K – 12 classroom, require an approach centered on building science trust and self-efficacy. ResultsFor the meta-analysis, we found genetics content in 88 of the 691 museums queried, typically in science (n=37) and natural history (n=25) exhibits. While genetics content was present in 42 states, there were large portions of the country that were more than 150 miles away from any museum featuring genetics. We found a high concentration of genetics content in sponsored exhibits and a low concentration of content within children’s museums, reinforcing narratives of genetic technology as product and genetics as difficult, respectively. In framing devices, museums fell into one of three categories. Museums with the meta-narrative “Genetics is Fun” focused on interactivity and volunteer facilitation, and emphasized specific inherited traits and genetics tools and technology. Museums highlighting the meta-narrative “Genetics is Relevant” highlighted DNA basics and health testing. Finally, museums with the meta-narrative “Genetics is Discovery” featured heavy use of fishbowl-style genetics labs, highly visible museum collections, and an emphasis on visitor participation in science research. ConclusionWhile each of these meta-narratives leads to high engagement with genetics topics, they also all lead to construction of different personal identities around these topics. For example, watching a diverse set of scientists work in a fishbowl lab broadens definitions of who can be a scientist, but active participation in a genetics experiment through volunteer facilitation builds science self-efficacy. Furthermore, narratives focusing on technological breakthroughs alone may inadvertently send a message that genetics is complex and impersonal. Exhibit creators should consider the design ramifications of each of these choices when creating an impactful genetics exhibit.

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The role of visitor studies in shaping visitor‐centered museums

Hayde,

Weiss,

Meyer

2024

Curator The Museum Journal

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Visitor studies are an important source of knowledge within museum practice: They inform what we believe about our audiences, what kinds of interpretation we develop, and how we conceptualize success. As visitor studies professionals, we see firsthand that the ways we gather data have implications for how we and our colleagues view visitors and how visitors perceive our institutions. Meanwhile, we also see opportunities for visitor studies within museums' broader aspirations to become more visitor‐centered, as defined by meaningful two‐way engagement with visitors. Using real‐world project examples, this paper explores possibilities for moving toward a more visitor‐centered approach to data collection, in which practitioners can more clearly privilege meaning, transparency, and care. As starting points, we suggest that active attention to four considerations should inform more visitor‐centered visitor studies: comfort (i.e., the well‐being of people); context (i.e., the circumstances of museum experiences and study implementation); flexibility (i.e., responsiveness to dynamics that imply a need for change); and value (i.e., supporting relations of mutual benefit).

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Using Museum Guests as Crowdsourced Participants in Human Subject Research

Cited by 3 publications

References 22 publications

Beyond the Base-ics: approaches to driving connection through genetics in museums

Beyond the Base-ics: approaches to driving connection through genetics in museums

Evaluation and Discussion of Genetics Content in Museums

The role of visitor studies in shaping visitor‐centered museums

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