Professional Development & Training - Research Assistants

This section includes training outlines, tips for recruiting participants in a museum environment, and other resources related to professional development for research assistants.

The Researcher Orientation Guide highlights the goals of a researcher orientation and outlines a typical orientation schedule. The document includes an orientation planning checklist, and a research contact information form.

Participant Recruitment in the Museum – Tips for Research Assistants suggests several successful strategies and methods researchers may use to recruit participants in a museum setting.

Caregiver Education - Tips for Communicating with Visitors suggests strategies for educating visitor groups of various types (e.g. school groups, extended families, children visiting with an adult other than their parent/legal guardian, etc.).

Recruiting and Training Research Assistants for the Museum Environment outlines effective strategies for finding and introducing new researchers to the Living Lab program and describes how to “ease researchers in” to their role in the Living Lab.

Researcher Orientation – Reflection Form is used to record researcher questions that arise during orientations. Researcher questions can be used to help streamline future trainings.