Designing an Exhibit

Session Two

Pose the critical task

• Organize a trip to a local museum to help students learn about professional exhibits and the nature of the design process. Explain to students that they are to use their new knowledge of the qualities and techniques of effective exhibits to complete the critical task:

Critique and rank the effectiveness of three exhibits.

Introduce the evaluation form

• Organize students into groups of two and give each pair a copy of Evaluating the Exhibits.Explain that the evaluation sheet asks them to rate the effectiveness of three exhibits on a scale of zero to three. Ask students to give reasons for their ratings by explaining how the techniques communicated the intended qualities. Check that students record the names of the exhibits they are evaluating.

Rank exhibits

• After students have evaluated the exhibits, ask them to tally the total score for each exhibit. Students can now rank the exhibits—first, second and third—based on the overall ratings. Lead a discussion in which each pair presents to the class, or a small group, the exhibit that received their best rating. Ask each group to specify the techniques that were used to make the exhibit effective. End the discussion by asking the class for examples of exhibits that were not effective. Ask students to identify what was missing from these exhibits and to suggest techniques to improve the exhibits.