Study of Collaborations between Museums and Media

As part of the Summative Evaluation of the DragonflyTV GPS: Going Places in Science series, between July 2005 and November 2006, RMC Research conducted a study of the collaboration between the DragonflyTV (DFTV) production staff and its science center and museum partners. Central to the innovative DFTV series, the collaboration involved museum professionals in the production process and presented science museums and centers as sites of learning and of fun on national television. It also offered professionals in the two industries a ground-breaking opportunity to learn about another format for informal science education. More than a single collaboration, the experience involved fifteen unique partnerships, between DFTV's consistent and relatively small content and production staff and the staff of fifteen diverse informal learning institutions. Thirty-three people, including educators, curatorial and public relations staff in the partnering institutions and DFTV staff members, were interviewed for the study. Baseline and final interviews were conducted to capture both initial expectations about the collaboration and ideas about learning in informal science education venues, and to collect actual collaboration stories and reflections on participant learning. The appendix of this report includes interview protocols.