DESIGN SQUAD GLOBAL (DSG) is a web-based, mobile-accessible digital hub and outreach initiative that creates new opportunities to empower middle school youth to solve real-world problems and understand the impact of engineering in a global context. The project builds on the Design Squad model for engineering education (including a television show and website). The ultimate goals of Design Squad Global are to: (1) develop innovative ways to incorporate effective engineering education into informal learning environments; (2) inform the field about promising practices in cross-cultural
Learn how to create opportunities for young people from low-income, ethnically diverse communities to learn about growing food, doing science, and how science can help them contribute to their community in positive ways. The authors developed a program that integrates hydroponics (a method of growing plants indoors without soil) into both in-school and out-of-school educational settings.
The San Diego Natural History Museum (theNAT) contracted RK&A to conduct a summative evaluation of the exhibition Extraordinary Ideas from Ordinary People: A History of Citizen Science and to explore how well the exhibition communicates an inclusive view of science. The goals for the evaluation were to explore visitors’ behaviors in the exhibition as well as understand what meanings visitors made from the exhibition, particularly with regard to how the exhibition’s messages about citizen science are resonating in the context of visitors’ science identity.
RK&A conducted timing and tracking
The development of character is a valued objective for many kinds of educational programs that take place both in and outside of school. Educators and administrators who develop and run programs that seek to develop character recognize that the established approaches for doing so have much in common, and they are eager to learn about promising practices used in other settings, evidence of effectiveness, and ways to measure the effectiveness of their own approaches.
In July 2016, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine held a workshop to review research and practice
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resourceevaluationProfessional Development, Conferences, and Networks
Researching the Value of Educator Actions for Learning (REVEAL) is an NSF-funded research project, led by the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI) in collaboration with TERC and Oregon State University (OSU), which studied the impact of science center staff facilitation strategies at math exhibits. Building on and using exhibits from Design Zone—an interactive math exhibition which engaged visitors in exploring algebraic relationships and functions—the study was designed to add to the scant existing literature about the impact of staff facilitation on visitors. The study also aimed to
This document is a list of culturally responsive research resources developed by the Researching the Value of Educator Actions for Learning (REVEAL) project.
This document outlines the culturally responsive research (CRR) framework developed to guide planning, data collection and analysis, and dissemination throughout the Researching the Value of Educator Actions for Learning (REVEAL) project. REVEAL was a National Science Foundation-funded initiative that studied the impact of staff facilitation by museum educators on family learning at interactive exhibits in a science center. Led by the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, the project was conducted in partnership with Oregon State University and TERC. The project included a design-based
Ciencia Pública is a National Science Foundation (NSF) -funded initiative in which the Exploratorium, in collaboration with the Boys and Girls Club of San Francisco (BGCSF), developed a parklet to engage Latino families in STEM content. The Parklet is located in San Francisco’s Mission District (the Mission), a historically Latino neighborhood. Buena Vista Horace Mann School (BVHM) is an additional project partner and hosts the Parklet on its site. Garibay Group conducted a summative evaluation of the project outcomes. This report discusses evaluation findings.
This paper provides an analysis of the implementation and the outcomes of Scienza Attiva, an Italian national project for secondary school students, that makes use of deliberative democracy tools to address socio-scientific issues of great impact. The analysis has required a mixed method including surveys of students' pre- and post-project opinions, focus groups and interviews with students and teachers. The results from this evaluation study provide evidence that the project improves students' understanding of socio-scientific issues, strengthens their awareness of the importance of
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Federica CornaliGianfranco PomattoSelena Agnella
In 2016, more than 120 National Park Service (NPS) units conducted BioBlitzes, supported by a collaboration between The National Geographic Society and the National Park Service. The Lawrence Hall of Science conducted an evaluation of participant and park outcomes at the cornerstone BioBlitz throughout the National Capital region, at the large (regional) Showcase BioBlitzes, and at additional events at National Parks across the US. The report includes a description of the evaluation project, case studies from 3 BioBlitzes, findings, recommendations, and the instruments used to measure
From 2014-2016, Pacific Science Center continued and expanded the Science Technology Engineering and Math Out-of-School-Time (STEM-OST) program with the purpose of delivering programs to stem the summer learning loss. Specifically, the project expanded to new venues in the Puget Sound (Washington) region; modified the lessons and activities so they also served students in grades K-2; aligned the curriculum with the Next Generation Science Standards (recently adopted by the Washington State Legislature) and increased the number of Family Science Days and Family Science Workshops offered to
From 2013-2016, Pacific Science Center, implemented the Exploring Earth Systems Sciences (EESS) project with the purpose of developing and delivering scripted demonstrations utilizing the Science On a Sphere (SOS) technology in order to promote understanding of and increase interest in Earth systems sciences. Specifically, the grant allowed the Science Interpretation team to research and write 20-minute presentations, targeted towards visitors aged 11 and older, about nine unique topics such as: climate change, weather, seasons, or the Polar Regions. Staff were then provided training in