This presentation was part of the "ISE Learning Research and Evaluation" dyad at the 2015 CAISE Convening on Broader Impacts + Informal Science Education held in Arlington, VA on April 7-8. The presentation describes the difference between research and evaluation, highlights from informal science education (ISE) findings in the learning sciences, research and evaluation highlights, and potential research and evaluation questions.
Florida State University and partner University of Alabama will collect and analyze data on how STEM teachers can most effectively collaborate with librarians. The data will be collected at focus groups held at four national conferences: the American Association of School Librarians, the Public Library Association, the National Science Teachers Association, and the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. This variety of participants at these conferences will allow for diverse opinions, thoughts, and ideas to be compiled, supporting the analysis of how the collaboration between STEM teacher and librarian is working today and providing recommendations on how it could be improved. The overall goal of this planning grant is to assess what is happening in the field so the information can then be shared with the educational and library communities for greater impact.
McCallie et al. (2009) propose that two pedagogical models within informal science education, public understanding of science and public engagement with science, constitute a continuum rather than separate paradigms. This chapter seeks to understand the spread of informal science education projects along this continuum and uncover groupings through the creation of a project catalog. Through cluster analysis, it was found that the submitted projects fell into four categories along the spectrum: expert presentations and Q&A sessions about the natural and designed world; exhibits encouraging
This study examines broader impact activities that are used to fulfill National Science Foundation's (NSF) broader impact criterion (BIC). While there have been many studies that discuss the merits and pitfalls of asking scientists to address BIC, there have been few studies that examine exactly what types of outreach and science communication activities Principal Investigators (PIs) are proposing to do. In an effort to fill this gap, this thesis draws from science communication theory and program logic modeling to inform a qualitative analysis of proposed broader impacts activities (BIAs) in
NOVA Labs (www.pbs.org/nova/labs) is a web-based platform designed to engage teens and educators with authentic data, scientific games, tools, and opportunities to communicate with and assist working scientists. The present study sought to investigate the outcomes achieved by users of the fourth NOVA Labs platform developed: RNA Lab. The RNA Lab includes several key components of the previous labs (e.g., videos, educator guides, etc.). The major difference is that the RNA Lab “research challenge” is a game component. The NOVA Education team's overarching goals for teens using the Lab focused
Tornado Alley is a giant screen adventure that follows renegade filmmaker Sean Casey and the scientists of VORTEX2, the largest tornado research project ever assembled, on their epic missions to encounter one of Earth’s most awe-inspiring events: the birth of a tornado. Program components included the giant screen film; a Web site; educators’ guides and resources for classroom and informal learning; and professional development sessions utilizing cyberinfrastructure to facilitate remote interactions between educators and researchers performing actual data manipulations. In addition, an
The purpose of this case study was to describe the nature of high school students’ experiences in the immersive four-day field experience at Stone Laboratory Biological Field Station including excursions to Kelley’s Island and South Bass Island. Six tenth, eleventh, and twelfth grade students participated through interviews, photovoice, observations, and a survey. Pretrip semi-structured interviews were conducted to understand each participant student’s relationship with science. Participants were given cameras to record their field trip experiences to relate what they found interesting
The University of Maryland's project, Curate Cloud: Building Digital Curation Excellence through Professional Education, Cloud Computing and Community Outreach, will provide cultural heritage institutions with tools and resources to help them evaluate, select, and implement digital curation solutions. The project focuses on underrepresented institutions, developing and deploying an innovative research and learning environment that will lower financial, technical, and infrastructure barriers. Twenty mid-career professionals will enroll in a new certificate program to gain theoretical and practical knowledge about digital curation and cloud computing and will design and implement their own cloud-based curated collections. Curate Cloud will help transform the field by developing an open-source research and educational platform and by removing barriers to access for curation tools and resources.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Jimmy Lin
resourceprojectProfessional Development, Conferences, and Networks
Curating Research Assets and Data using Lifecycle Education (CRADLE): Data Management Education Tools for Librarians, Archivists, & Content Creators is a collaboration among the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill's School of Information & Library Science, the Odum Institute for Research in Social Science, and the University Libraries. It is focused on helping data librarians, archivists, and information and library science students learn about data management and on providing instruction to data creators in their institutions. The project will result in free online courses on data management for researchers and information professionals to be offered through a "free university" platform as well as face-to-face workshops involving UNC staff, faculty, and students. Support is provided for two CRADLE fellows who will learn about and contribute to the development of this work on effective and efficient data lifecycle management.
The goal of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro's Academic and Cultural Enrichment (ACE) Scholars: New Americans for Community College Librarianship project is to increase the number of immigrants and refugees in community college librarianship. The project includes a recruitment drive, a targeted and focused curriculum that emphasizes multicultural, multilingual, and community engaged librarianship, and a proven practicum model, the Real Learning Connections. The project will result in a sustainable curriculum as well as a multilingual and multicultural cadre of 10 librarians, ready to serve diverse community college students, and ready to work in community college library environments.
This article takes a critical look at three pervasive urban legends in education about the nature of learners, learning, and teaching and looks at what educational and psychological research has to say about them. The three legends can be seen as variations on one central theme, namely, that it is the learner who knows best and that she or he should be the controlling force in her or his learning. The first legend is one of learners as digital natives who form a generation of students knowing by nature how to learn from new media, and for whom “old” media and methods used in teaching/learning
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Paul KirschnerJeroen van Merrienboer
LIGO's Science Education Center is in charge of Education and Public Outreach Component for the LIGO Livingston Observatory. The three prime efforts are: (1) Professional development for teachers utilizing lab facilities and cross-institute collaborations. (2) Outreach to students K-16 (targeting 5- 9th grade), with on-site field trips to the LIGO Lab and Science Education Center, as well as off-site visits & presentations. (3) Outreach to the general public and community groups with on-site tours and Science Education Center Experience, as well as off=site visits and presentations. LIGO's Science Education Center is located at the LIGO Observatory, and has an auditorium, a classroom and a 5000 square foot exhibit hall with interactive exhibits at its disposal to complete its mission. In addition LIGO-SEC staff serve to help press and documentary film makers complete their missions in telling the "LIGO story" and encouraging budding scientists.