iSaveSpecies—Sustaining Life Summative Evaluation Report for the Boonshoft Museum

The iSaveSpecies project, created by Project Dragonfly at Miami University and a consortium of zoos, museums, and aquariums, designed and implemented a socially-networked exhibit system to engage family visitors to museums, zoos, and aquariums in inquiry and conservation. The second wave of the iSaveSpecies exhibit stations focused on Sustaining Life, allowing families to conduct research and learn about conservation efforts. The Boonshoft Museum incorporated three of these touchscreen-based research and action kiosks in their Mead Westvaco Hallway and Treehouse area exhibit.

In this report, we describe the impact of the kiosks to engage family visitors in inquiry, STEM, and conservation actions. Findings indicate that visitors who engaged with the iSaveSpecies inquiry kiosks were somewhat more likely to report they used basic science inquiry skills during their museum visit, felt more knowledgeable about bats and conservation efforts to protect bats, and that the kiosks added value to their visit.

Appendix includes instruments.