A business within a business: museum-based research centres
Many museums throughout the world have developed learning research centres not only to advance the mission of the institution but also to support their business model. These centres serve multiple purposes: they uniquely impact the programming and practice at their site and within the larger STEM education community while advancing learning theory and driving revenue.
Panellists from three museum-based learning research centres will discuss how each institution defines a “research centre” and outline how these entities fulfill these goals. Each model will also highlight the complex relationship between the staff of the research centre and the programmatic staff of the museum. Who are the researchers? Who is doing the evaluation? What role do staff from both entities play in consulting with organisations outside the institution?
These “research arms” involve many pros and cons, core functions and revenue implications to the museums in which they reside. This panel will showcase the affordances and struggles of this complex relationship and provide opportunities for audience members to ask questions and contribute new ideas.
Facilitator
Head Marketing and Partnerships
Swiss Science Center Technorama
Session speakers
Director of Learning & Research
Children's Museum of Pittsburgh
Lisa Brahms directs the Learning & Research department at Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh and will share the Museum’s integrated approach to research and practice. At the Children's Museum, researchers work closely with educators and designers to identify ways to create to conceptualize, support and assess learning within and across museum experiences. Through this work, we create a “shared language for learning” that builds capacity both internally and field-wide.
Manager of Exhibition and Featured Experiences
I might have a different entrance to this session. At VilVite, we don’t have any research department but do cooperate with universities and colleges in Norway that do research.
For VilVite it is important that there is research going on about science centers and what impact we might have on kids/students/families. It is also important for us to be part of the “academical world”, to get respect and reputation for the work we do. It also affects our possibilities for financing.
Copernicus Science Centre
Aleksandra Wójcik is the Director in charge of the Copernican Revolution Lab - an Interdisciplinary R&D center conducting research in the field of learning studies with the aim of prototyping and creating innovative solutions for education.
Aleksandra will share the concept of the CRL business model including staffing and financing as well as the vision of the relation between the science center and R&D activities.
