How to Assess Experience – The New Trend in Research Technique, Use in Nonprofit Sector of Entertainment and Educational Industries

This paper presents a pre-test research on the assessment of learning experience in a museum developed for the particular purposes of science centers. This tool is a combination of two existing frameworks for the assessment of learning: The MARVEL project from Australia and Visitors Engagement Framework described by Chantel Barriault. The new methodology uses and explores the benefit of these in order to obtain even more valuable information about the one day visit of a particular visitor. This will help the science centers improve their concept and educational environment. The main difference from already presented methodologies consists in the way of observation, using a pair of special glasses with the ability to record audio and video. Thanks to these glasses, the observer does not have to be present in person, so, in the end, more realistic data about natural behavior of the visitors are collected. Especially the audio data, which allow us to hear the conversations and the immediate opinion and understanding of the visitors, are very valuable. By applying this method, the science centers will gain information on the depth of the visitor’s learning experience, on how the learning took place as well as on the spatial and time division of the visit and learning process and, finally, on the visitors’ personal reflections.