Summative Evaluation of “Coral Reef Adventure”

The summative evaluation focuses on two project components: (1) an IMAX® Dome film, titled Coral Reef Adventure, and (2) an associated interactive exhibit, titled Weird, Wild and Underwater, intended to be displayed in museum and science center lobbies. The general goals for the summative evaluation study were to assess the appeal of "Coral Reef Adventure" film and the lobby exhibit; acquisition of scientific knowledge and understanding as related to the project’s learning goals and understanding of film topics; and the impact that the exhibit has on viewers of the film. A separate-sample pretest-posttest design was used to evaluate Coral Reef Adventure in natural theater settings with a random sampling of adult film viewers. The St. Paul site did not have the lobby exhibit displayed whereas the San Jose site did. Three-quarters of adult viewers rated the film as "very interesting." Those who viewed the film showed significantly higher knowledge scores compared to those who had yet to see the film. Learning outcomes were not significantly impacted by interaction with the lobby exhibit.