Constanze Melicharek

Apenheul Primate Park, NL

EAZA Visitor Study Working Group

Visitor studies: about understanding and enhancing visitors experience in informal learning settings

03.12.2008

- IZE listserver

- 162 adresses

- from 123 institutions

What happens when you send a mail 2

Tak for din henvendelse.

Jeg er gået på barsel:-))

Jeg vil være tilbage i fulde

omdrejninger og nye

spændende omgivelser 1.

februar 2009.

Har du mindre opgaver som

du ønsker løst, eller større

projekter som du ønsker

feedback på, kan jeg

kontaktes på mail eller

nedenstående adresse.

Med venlig hilsen,

XY

I am out of office due to meetings and annual leave.

Mail did nog arrive because...- Mailboxes were full- Mailadresses were protected against spam- Not authorized to send an email to this person

03.12.2008

6.11 pm (within 45 minutes)

Isle of Wight!

04.12.2008

(within 1 day)

13.12.2008

(within 10 days)

31.12.2008

(within 4 weeks)31

5Reminder 05.01.2009

12.01.2009

(one week after reminder)

12

preliminary end:

07.02.2009

(2 months after start)

7

types of visitors studies sent

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2

4

6

8

10

12

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Example: Evaluating labels and routing

e.g. Rotterdam zoo

How many people

look at species sign?

How about text versus

cartoons?

Location of sign?

Example: Evaluating new enclosures

e.g. Vienna zoo, bird house

tracking: how long do people stay?

How does the composition

of the group influence that?

questionnaires on opinion

(preference, welfare)

Example: tracking visitors

e.g. Apenheul Primate Park

Chip in monkeyfree bag

Student using a

pocket observer

Example: Evaluating formal education

e.g. Kaunas Zoo

Primary school program evaluated

Interviews in beginning and end

Knowledge and attitude

Example: marketing

e.g. Nuernberg Zoo

Where do visitors come from?

How did they get the idea?

How far did they travel?

Also: missions of the zoo

Willingness to pay for educational programs or conservation

Example: ethical questions

e.g. Odense Zoo

Have visitors give their point of view on several ethical questions

sample size: 40 000

can combine education with visitor studies

Example: fundamental research

Zoo Salzburg: dogs and zoos

Example: fundamental research

Zoo Chester: viewing area and visitor behaviour

Example: fundamental research

Czech Zoo Federation: Where are we now with environmental education?

Example: fundamental research

Zoo Colchester: How efficient are different learning approaches (mainly Contextual Model of Learning)?

Example: fundamental research

Paignton, NVD: attitude towards zoos

Example: fundamental research

Chester Zoo: How does visitor density influence visitor behaviour?

Example: fundamental research

Aquarium Genova: Develop instrument to measure educational effectiveness

KEEP UP WITH THE GOOD WORK

OR ELSE GET STARTED!

To be continued, but for now:

THE END