HM Tower of London - Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI)

1 April 29, 2005 Mrs. Bridget Clifford Senior Curator ( Tower Library) Royal Armouries, HM Tower of London London EC3N 4AB United Kingdom Dear Mrs. Clifford: Enclosed is our report entitled Hands on History at HM Tower of London . It was written at the Tower of London facilities during the period March 14 through April 29, 2005. Preliminary work was completed in Worcester , Massachusetts, prior to our arrival in London . Copies of this report are simultaneously being submitted to Professors FitzPatrick and Sanbonmatsu for evaluation. Upon faculty review, the original copy of this report will be catalogued in the Gordon Library at Worcester Polytechnic Institute .

2 We appreciate the time and assistance that you and your staff have devoted to us. Sincerely, Justin Clark _____ Robert Cutler _____ Jonathan Sikes _____ Kevin Toomey _____ JS6 Hands on History at HM Tower of London A Report Submitted to: Professor Malcolm FitzPatrick Professor John Sanbonmatsu London , Project Centre By Justin Clark _____ Robert Cutler _____ Jonathan Sikes _____ Kevin Toomey _____ In Cooperation With Mrs.

3 Bridget Clifford, Curator; Tower of London Royal Armouries Education Service Tower of London April 28, 2005 This project report is submitted in partial fulfillment of the degree requirements of Worcester Polytechnic Institute . The views and opinions expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the positions or opinions of HM Tower of London or Worcester Polytechnic Institute . This report is the product of an educational program, and is intended to serve as partial documentation for the evaluation of academic achievement.

4 The reader should not construe the report as a working document. ii Abstract This report, prepared for the Royal Armouries Education Staff, evaluates the educational quality of their Hands on History exhibit and its appeal to various groups. This was achieved through surveys and observation of visitors and interviews with Tower staff.

5 Results show that hands-on methods are more effective at keeping visitors at an exhibit for extended period; hands-on exhibits should be incorporated into future exhibition designs. iii Authorship Page This project involved a great deal of collecting data, analyzing data, and writing. Without each team members considerable contribution to the report it would have been a daunting task.

6 The positive team chemistry throughout was principally responsible for the success of the project. We all had a hand in the writing all of the sections of this report. One person may have written a preliminary draft after a group discussion of the subject matter; then, the other group members read that draft and edited or reword the text as necessary. Each member of the team has contributed to each aspect of the paper; therefore, there was no appropriate method by which to divide up the work and determine which team members have completed specific sections.

7 The culmination of our writing and ideas created the final draft. Each one of us read and marked a printed copy of the report in its entirety to make sure that we were all comfortable with the printed version. We feel that each team member has contributed to this report to the best of their ability and believe that the equal division of work throughout the project has been excellently managed and carried out. iv Acknowledgments For their patience, generosity and assistance, we would like to thank our project sponsor, Bridget Clifford, Mandy Martin-Smith, Irene Davies, Liz Denton, Laura Drake, and Mark Folwell.

8 We would also like to thank the entire WPI IGSD department. v Table of Contents 1. 2. Background ..3 Brief History of the 3 Transition from Royal Palace to Museum ..5 Royal Armouries ..6 Hands on History Exhibit .. 6 Museums ..9 Learning Methods in Museums ..11 Learning through Museums ..12 Demographics .. 14 Age.

9 14 15 Cultural Educational Background ..17 3. Assessment Methodology .. 18 Sampling ..18 Data Collection Methods ..19 Data Analysis Methods .. 20 Demographic 20 Sponsor Liaison and Museum Educator Interviews ..21 Visitor Observation ..23 4. Demographics ..25 Comment Book Survey I/II Questions 26 Question 1 ..27 Question 2 ..27 Question 3 ..28 Question 4 ..28 Question 5 ..28 Survey I Questions 29 Survey II Questions 6-9 .. 29 Question 6 ..30 Question 7 ..30 Question 8 ..30 Question 9.

10 31 Ant-trail Warden Interviews ..34 5. Demographics ..36 Comment Book Survey Demographics ..37 Survey I/II Questions 37 Question 1 ..37 Question 2 ..38 Question 3 ..39 Question 4 ..40 vi Question 5 ..41 Survey I Questions 42 Question 6 ..42 Question 7 ..43 Survey II Questions 6-9 .. 44 Question 6.