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resource evaluation Exhibitions
This is the Summative Evaluation of the traveling exhibition Human +. It was done by Joe Heimlich and his team at OSU.
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TEAM MEMBERS: New York Hall of Science Eric Siegel Joe E Heimlich
resource research Professional Development, Conferences, and Networks
Designed learning environments like museums have the potential to change the way that families think and talk about scientific topics together in everyday contexts like the home. The current study examines the affect of a visit to a museum exhibit highlighting the processes of manufacturing on the ability of parents and children to talk about how familiar objects are made. A model for family knowledge building is also presented as a means of assessing whether parents and children improved their understanding of manufacturing processes after their museum visit. A simulated home activity
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resource research Public Programs
STEM learning ecosystems harness unique contributions of educators, policymakers, families, and others in symbiosis toward a comprehensive vision of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education for all children. This paper describes the attributes and strategies of 15 leading ecosystem efforts throughout the country with the hope that others may use their lessons to deepen rich STEM learning for many more of America’s children.
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TEAM MEMBERS: Noyce Foundation Kathleen Traphagen Saskia Traill
resource research Public Programs
This article reports on part of a larger study of how 11- and 12-year-old students construct knowledge about electricity and magnetism by drawing on aspects of their experiences during the course of a school visit to an interactive science museum and subsequent classroom activities linked to the science museum exhibits. The significance of this study is that it focuses on an aspect of school visits to informal learning centers that has been neglected by researchers in the past, namely the influence of post-visit activities in the classroom on subsequent learning and knowledge construction
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TEAM MEMBERS: David Anderson Keith Lucas Ian Ginns Lynn Dierking
resource project Public Programs
The project will conduct a mapping study to describe the contexts, characteristics and practices of a national sample of science-focused Out-of-School Time (OST) programs. The study targets OST programs for middle- and high-school-aged youth, including after-school programs, camps, workshops, internships, and other models. While millions of dollars are invested in these programs, and tens of thousands of students participate , as a community, we have no truly comprehensive view of the wide variety of formats, audiences, and approaches that are represented by the many active programs. Where, when, and by whom are these science-rich programs conducted? What types of experiences do they offer to what kinds of students, with what goals? What organizational and experiential factors affect the outcomes for these youth? Ultimately, we wish to understand how these differences in program design are related to youth outcomes such as STEM learning, attitudes and interest, and their later career and educational choices. To answer these questions, we are gathering data through documents, interviews, and the online MOST-Science Questionnaire.
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TEAM MEMBERS: University of Colorado Boulder Sandra Laursen Robert Tai Xitao Fan
resource research Public Programs
Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics(STEM) programs in out-of-school time (OST) are designed to supplement school work, ignite student interest, and extend STEM learning. From interactive museum exhibits to summer-long science camps, opportunities for informal student engagement in STEM learning abound. What difference do these programs make, and how can we improve them? These questions preoccupy educators and funders alike. OST program developers and providers can benefit from understanding why evaluation is critical to the success of STEM OST programs, what data collection
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TEAM MEMBERS: Stephanie Wilkerson Carol Haden
resource research Public Programs
This article examines afterschool science in light of the National Research Council’s comprehensive synthesis report on promoting science learning in informal environments (NRC, 2009). We present the results of our analysis of qualitative case studies of nine state-funded afterschool sites in California, discussing the strengths of these programs against the background of three key site-based constraints—time available for science, staff’s science backgrounds, and instructional materials—as well as the importance of partnerships with outside organizations to support sites in overcoming these
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TEAM MEMBERS: Patrik Lundh Ann House Barbara Means Christopher Harris
resource research Public Programs
This document describes the Dimensions of Success (DoS), an assessment tool created by researchers at the Program in Education, Afterschool, and Resiliency (PEAR). DoS was created to help out-of-school time programs and researchers monitor and measure quality. It allows observers to collect systemic data along 12 quality indicators to pinpoint the strengths and weaknesses of afterschool science learning experiences.
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TEAM MEMBERS: Anahit Papazian Ashima Shah Caitlin Rufo-McCormick
resource research Public Programs
Although stakeholders agree that afterschool STEM education can be powerful, there is less agreement on the critical question of which aspects of STEM education the afterschool field is best positioned to support. Hence, in spring 2012, the Afterschool Alliance undertook a study to ask afterschool stakeholders what aspects of STEM learning the field is best positioned to support. The aim of the Afterschool STEM Outcomes Study was to identify consensus views on appropriate and feasible outcomes and indicators for afterschool STEM programs. The study provides a realistic vision of the field’s
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resource evaluation Exhibitions
Design Zone’s primary objective is to engage visitors in algebraic thinking, with a special focus on reaching a target audience of 10- to 14-year-olds and their families. The exhibition is organized into three thematic areas: art, music, and engineering. Exhibits in each area are based on real-world design challenges in which math and algebra are used. Garibay Group was contracted to conduct the summative evaluation of Design Zone. Using a mixed methods approach, data were collected at three museums hosting the Design Zone exhibition.
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TEAM MEMBERS: Oregon Museum of Science and Industry Cecilia Garibay Jane Schaefer Eric Gyllenhaal
resource evaluation Exhibitions
The Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History (NMAH) contracted Randi Korn & Associates, Inc. (RK&A) to conduct a formative evaluation for Places of Invention, an exhibition funded by the National Science Foundation. The exhibition aims to stimulate visitors’ thought about how people, resources, and spaces work together to support invention in historic and modern communities. Through formative evaluation, RK&A explores visitors’ use of exhibition prototypes (including barriers to use) and the meanings visitors take away
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TEAM MEMBERS: Randi Korn & Associates, Inc. Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation National Museum of American History Smithsonian Institution
resource project Public Programs
The C2C award addresses the lack of validated instruments to measure teamwork and collaboration in middle and high school students in out of school time (OST) settings by implementing a rigorous four-phase process to develop new assessments. Phase 1 focuses on defining the construct of teamwork and collaboration skills so it aligns with the research literature and is relevant to outcomes in a variety of STEM OST programs. Construct maps are developed during Phase 2 to guide item development. The instruments are piloted in Phase 3 through think-aloud interviews and survey administration with a diverse set of youth and programs. Through an iterative process, items are revised or removed based on their psychometric properties. The final phase is a national field test with a cross-section of STEM OST programs. C2C's intellectual merit is its potential to advance understanding of how to measure teamwork and collaboration skills in STEM OST programs. There is a national call for more measures to evaluate 21st century skills. C2C's creation of instruments to measure teamwork and collaboration skills in STEM OST programs helps to address this gap. The work of C2C addresses broader impacts and benefit society by creating tools to understand the role STEM OST programs play in readying our nation's youth for the STEM workforce. C2C will create instruments validated specifically for this diverse population, allowing programs to understand the role they play in important societal STEM workforce readiness outcomes. C2C also benefits the informal science education field by conceptualizing the construct of teamwork and collaboration within STEM OST programs and developing validated instruments to understand the impact of these programs on youth.
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TEAM MEMBERS: University of Minnesota-Twin Cities Amy Grack Nelson Frances Lawrenz