Develop Projects (2016)

As a growing professional field, informal STEM education has developed a variety of evidence-based approaches to learning and an established,experienced community of educators, researchers, media developers and many others who design and implement projects in out-of-school educational settings. There is a direct relationship between the ISE setting, event or activity and its learning goals and objectives. It is also often the case that the affordances of a particular setting shape the learning outcomes as much as the learning goals leverage the affordances of the setting. Other variables include the availability and appropriateness of proximal audiences for the project and the content and pedagogical expertise of the team developing it. 
 
By using an informal STEM learning strategy, or by partnering or collaborating with an existing informal education organization, program or individual project developers have unlimited opportunities to create innovative experiences and settings for learning about STEM.
 
InformalScience.org provides examples and resources that can help you identify potential collaborators, develop a proposal, design evaluation, share results, and support you through the lifecycle of an informal STEM project. Explore the following pages as you research, propose, evaluate and disseminate an informal STEM education project, or visit our new Project Planner which includes resources and examples for helping you develop a new project or collaboration, including a funding quiz.