EVALUATION INTERN
5 days ago
Houston
Job Description The mission of the Children’s Museum Houston is to transform communities through innovative, child-centered learning that improves the trajectories of all children in Greater Houston. For more than four decades, Children’s Museum Houston has supported student achievement, empowered parents, and ignited a life-long love of learning. We are consistently rated as one of the top children's museums in the nation. Our programming serves more than 900,000 participants annually at the Museum, at the Fort Bend Children’s Discovery Center, and at 270+ outreach locations across Greater Houston. We welcome families with offerings that include 13 exhibits, a performing arts series, a full slate of cultural programming, science activities led by degreed educators, and weekly Free Family Nights. Job Summary: The Children’s Museum of Houston is seeking a graduate or PhD student with an interest in evaluation, visitor research, and qualitative methods to assist with ongoing studies of museum exhibits and programs. The Evaluation Intern will conduct surveys, intercept interviews, and observational research to understand visitor engagement, learning, and satisfaction. This internship provides early-career educators or evaluators with hands-on experience applying evaluation frameworks in an informal learning environment. This is an unpaid internship designed to provide graduate students with applied professional experience. Academic credit may be arranged if approved by the student’s institution. The position requires a commitment of 8–10 hours per week for one academic semester. Duties and Responsibilities: • Engage with museum visitors, beneficiaries, and other stakeholders in a professional and welcoming manner to encourage participation in evaluation activities, • Conduct surveys, intercept interviews, and structured observations to gather insights on visitor engagement, exhibit interactions, and overall experience., • Collect and document observational data, interview transcripts, and focus group notes in a clear and organized format for analysis., • Support the development and refinement of evaluation instruments, including surveys and observation templates., • Compile, clean, and organize data in Excel to ensure accuracy and readiness for analysis., • Assist the Evaluation Coordinator in preparing statistical summaries, evaluation briefs, and reports for internal teams and funders., • Participate in weekly evaluation meetings to discuss data quality, methodological rigor, and emerging insights., • Maintain confidentiality, ethical integrity, and inclusive practices throughout all data collection and reporting activities., • Perform other duties as assigned to support ongoing evaluation and institutional learning. Skills and Qualifications: • Strong interest in evaluation, visitor studies, or applied research methods., • Demonstrated interest in formal or informal learning environments, and equity-focused evaluation is preferred, • Excellent communication and interpersonal skills; comfortable engaging with families and children in diverse settings., • Detail-oriented with consistent, accurate data recording and documentation habits., • Strong analytical and writing skills for summarizing qualitative and quantitative findings., • Ability to work collaboratively within a team and follow established research and evaluation protocols., • Proficient in survey design and analysis platforms (e.g., SurveyMonkey), Microsoft Office, and Excel, including pivot tables, formulas, and chart creation., • Interest in learning and applying statistical methods and interpreting quantitative data., • Proficiency in English (written and spoken) required; Spanish proficiency (spoken) preferred. Preferred qualifications: • College coursework in education, psychology, sociology, anthropology, statistics, or related fields., • Experience with Power BI or other data visualization tools., • Experience conducting or assisting with interviews, focus groups, or observational research., • Strong attention to detail in data collection, record-keeping, and transcription., • Experience working in an educational setting, such as a school, childcare program, library, or similar programs, is a plus., • Previous experience in survey administration, data collection, focus group facilitation, and conducting interviews is a plus., • Able to move around the Museum frequently, sometimes walking or standing for extended periods of time., • Able to travel using own transportation from the Museum to outreach event sites in the Greater Houston Area., • Able to carry lightweight objects, lift boxes, and roll carts when needed We believe in creating an environment of diversity, equity, and inclusion, without bias. We know we are better when we are developed, engaged, and able to contribute our whole authentic selves to accomplish the mission of the Children’s Museum Houston. Our people are trusted experts. We invest in the health and well-being of our workforce, train, and reward talent, and develop leaders at all levels to bring out the best in each other. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. Employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, national or ethnic origin, gender (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristics protected by law.