Ocean Bound! A Summative Evaluation

This summative evaluation of Ocean Bound! was conducted by Serrell & Associates for the Sciencenter in Ithaca, NY. The main message of the exhibition was: What we do on land not only affects the local environment, it affects the ocean as well. A healthy watershed means a healthier ocean. Four methods were used to collect data: unobtrusive tracking; pre-visit interviews; post-visit questionnaires; and a post-visit activity. Visitor comments and feedback showed strong evidence of understanding the exhibition's main concepts and included references to specific content from 7 of the 11 exhibits. Visitors who were unobtrusively tracked spent an average of 9 minutes in the gallery and were observed actively engaged at many of the exhibits. When visitors were asked Overall, thinking about what you saw and learned here today, finish this sentence: I would like to remember three categories emerged: They wanted to remember something about the experience; they wanted to remember something about the content; they wanted to remember to do something. Visitor intentions to carry out new conservation-related behaviors will be investigated in a long-term study.