Blog - Empowered Development Consulting

Nurturing Interest in Museum Careers through Summer Camp Fun

October 19, 2023October 20, 2023 by Meghan SchiedelNo Comments

Students from Shelton Murphey Johnson House (SJM House) in Eugene, Oregon, set out to answer in a pilot program of their Museum Career Intensive Summer Camp work on their exhibit plans. What is a Museum? What does it take to make a Museum ‘tick?’ This is the central question that the campers at Shelton Murphey Johnson House (SJM House) in Eugene, Oregon, set out to answer in a pilot program of their Museum Career Intensive Summer Camp. This brand-new summer camp was the brainchild of Leah Murray and was made possible by a community grant from the Lane County Cultural Coalition. The week-long camp focused on careers within the museum industry. Campers learned what goes into each department of a museum and the various skill sets that are required to make a museum (or zoo, nature center, or aquarium) work. Campers got to explore and learn these skills using a project-based learning model, where they created a public exhibition that was presented...

UX Your Staff Training

April 3, 2023March 9, 2023 by Meghan SchiedelNo Comments

The more I learn about UX (User Experience) research, the more I love it and feel the pull to change careers. This got me thinking; I can apply UX principles to training and instructional design and enjoy the best of both worlds. UX Defined If UX research is new to you, it is the systematic study of target users and their needs to add realistic parameters to design processes. UX researchers center the user’s experience early on in the design process, and researchers use various methods to uncover problems and design opportunities. Good UX research is done by carefully selecting the best methods to obtain the necessary information you need to collect from possible users of your product. UX research categorizes these research design methods in two ways: attitudinal, you listen to what users say—e.g., in interviews, and behavioral – you see what users do through observational studies. Data can be collected both quantitatively and qualitatively. It is also most effective when...

Happier Hour and The Power of Fun

March 20, 2023March 1, 2023 by Meghan SchiedelNo Comments

Recently I read two books that had interesting points of intersection. The first was The Power of Fun by Catherine Price, and the second was Happier Hour by Cassie Holmes. On a fundamental level, both books look at how you spend your time. Both books are working to present a new way of thinking about time management and “productivity.” Neither are explicitly business books, but we can learn a lot from applying these individualized approaches to staff training, development, and retention. With “quiet quitting” being a hot business topic, I think leaders could gain much insight from these two books. Employees are looking for a work culture where they feel valued and respected. Most would argue that adequate compensation for their work is the most important thing. Still, another important factor is whether or not a place of work supports healthy boundaries and the ability to care for both your physical and mental health. I hope you will consider reading these...

A Metaverse of Possibility

March 6, 2023February 28, 2023 by Meghan SchiedelNo Comments

As instructional designers, we often aim to create more engaging and immersive ways for our participants to learn new information and skills. As digital learning has increased, so have the options for those looking to utilize its power. Virtual reality and the metaverse are new emerging technology that breaks the walls of the traditional training classroom is virtual reality and the metaverse. If you want to understand the metaverse, it is helpful to think of the current internet we use as a solo 2D experience built on video and flat web pages. In comparison, ‘The Metaverse’ is the marketing term used for the evolution of the internet into a shared 3D social experience in virtual worlds. Learning is a social experience; therefore, the potential of this new medium to unlock unprecedented learner engagement and speed of content acquisition is very exciting. What’s the difference between ‘virtual reality (VR)’ and the metaverse? Virtual Reality (VR) is the term used to describe a three-dimensional,...

To Truly Understand Some Lack of Embarrassment is Key

February 6, 2023December 21, 2022 by Meghan SchiedelNo Comments

Why are kids so good at asking why? As adults, we also want to know why, but crucial differences between kids and us get in the way of really understanding why (or why we don’t) seek the answer. So whether you want to know why visitors to your museum are not coming back after their first visit or wonder why employee satisfaction is down, the keys lie in cultivating our inner child to get to the answer to both simple and complex questions. Kids’ lack of embarrassment is a key factor in their strengths in exploring the world around them. Toddlers and small children are not embarrassed about not knowing something. We, as adults, are terrified to look stupid in front of others. We are socialized to think that we are stupid if we don’t know something. Unfortunately, years of schooling and working in teams have provided plenty of experiences that enforced this idea. We may remember once asking why and...

I Ask AI for the Top Ten Tips to Train Your Employees

January 23, 2023December 21, 2022 by Meghan SchiedelNo Comments

Read the full post here. I recently wrote about what AI (ChatGPT) thinks are the ten most important practices in program evaluation, and when doing that, I was surprised at how accurate I found the results. This got me thinking. What would AI say are the top ten tips for training your employees? ChatGPT is a chatbot that uses GPT-3, a large language model developed by OpenAI, to generate natural-sounding responses to user input. It can engage in open-ended conversations on various topics and provide information on specific subjects if trained on relevant data. Here is what it said when I asked it the following question: “What are ten tips for training your employees?” AI's Top Ten Tips for Training Your Employees Clearly communicate the goals and objectives of the training.Make sure the training is relevant to the employees’ roles and responsibilities.Create a positive learning environment.Use a variety of training methods to accommodate different learning styles.Provide ample opportunities for employees to practice and apply...

I Ask AI bot ChatGPT About Program Evaluation

January 9, 2023December 21, 2022 by Meghan SchiedelNo Comments

I have recently seen the AI chatbot ChatGPT everywhere in my social feeds. ChatGPT uses GPT-3, a large language model developed by OpenAI, to generate natural-sounding responses to user input. It can engage in open-ended conversations on various topics and can even provide information on specific subjects if trained on relevant data. ChatGPT I saw Kyle Bowen from Museums As Progress use ChatGPT to write an invitation to the professional community he co-facilitates. I couldn’t help but wonder what ChatGPT should write the best practice for program evaluation in the style of the 10 Commandments. The results were surprisingly spot on. AI's 10 Commandments of Program Evaluation Thou shalt clearly define the purpose and goals of the evaluation.Thou shalt involve stakeholders in the design and implementation of the evaluation.Thou shalt use appropriate and reliable methods for data collection and analysis.Thou shalt ensure the evaluation is objective, unbiased, and transparent.Thou shalt report the findings and recommendations in a clear and concise manner.Thou shalt use the evaluation findings to inform decision-making and...

Change is Required

December 12, 2022November 3, 2022 by Meghan SchiedelNo Comments

The recently released publication, Change Is Required; Preparing for the Post-Pandemic Museum, is a culmination of essays by leading museum professionals as the entire field begins to adapt and change to cultural and professional realignment over the last two years. Some of the questions the book’s essayists ponder include: Can we break through traditional hierarchies to change our decision-making processes?Do we need to consider new shapes and structures for our organizations?How can we reform and update our hiring and advancement practices to support the needs of our people--and the sustainability of our institutions? Like many other organizations, the COVID-19 pandemic challenged American museums to rethink old assumptions and examine outdated models. The book gives examples of 50 American museums that have set new visions for themselves and their communities. Some examples featured in the essays include museums that have taken a decisive turn to digital programming and others that have changed focus toward community and developing new collaborations with their neighbors and local...

Are You Getting This?

November 28, 2022November 3, 2022 by Meghan SchiedelNo Comments

It is a widely shared experience to be hosting a training or workshop and look into the crowd of participants staring back at you and wonder, are they getting it? In the previous post, I shared about pre-assessments and how they can help your workshops or training become more engaging through proper pacing and meeting students where they are. In this post, I’ll share another form of assessment that will allow you to measure participants learning in real-time to give you information to improve your training to meet the needs of the participants. This type of assessment is often called formative assessment. What is a Formative Assessment? The Yale Poorvu Center for Teaching and Learning defines formative assessment as a form that allows both instructor and student to monitor progress toward achieving learning objectives by identifying misconceptions, struggles, and learning gaps. These assessments are often characterized by their informal nature. They are usually embedded in a lesson and take less time to complete. They...

Power of the Pre-Assessment

November 14, 2022November 3, 2022 by Meghan SchiedelNo Comments

Are you planning a workshop or upcoming training? Wondering what the best way not to bore your trainees is? Or you might wonder, how should I assess employees’ existing knowledge? You might also be asking yourself, how do I know what they know or don’t know? All of these questions can be answered by using the power of the pre-assessment. Pre-assessment is crucial to ensure the proper pacing of information. For example, if you think people attending your training know more than they do, you risk jumping into the deep end with trainees who metaphorically don’t know how to swim. They might find your training confusing or overwhelming and leave with a sense that they weren’t understood or, even worse, that they are stupid or unable to learn content they should be able to grasp. Alternatively, if you don’t assess for knowledge that trainees already have, you might get feedback that the training was easy, not helpful, or even a...