As part of its overall effort to enhance learning in informal environments, the Advancing Informal STEM Learning (AISL) program, seeks to advance new approaches to, and evidence-based understanding of, the design and development of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) learning in informal environments. This includes providing multiple pathways for broadening access to and engagement in STEM learning experiences, advancing innovative research on and assessment of STEM learning in informal environments, and developing understandings of deeper learning by participants. In alignment with these aims, the University of Washington will design and pilot an innovative leadership development program, NextGen Broadening Participation in ISE Professional Learning Program, to develop the leadership capacity of mid-career professionals, primarily from underrepresented groups in STEM, whose work focuses on broadening participation in informal STEM education (ISE). Unlike most existing ISE leadership models, this pathways project will employ a bottom-up, iterative design approach to engage program participants and garner new insights. Formative data and analysis will be used to better understand the broadening participation context, inform the model, and develop strategies and resources necessary to best support a more diversified next generation of ISE leaders. This pilot study is timely and significant. There is currently a substantial dearth of literature on the intersection between broadening participation and mid-level professional leadership development. Likewise, there are few comparable models in the current AISL portfolio. As such, the findings from this pilot will address critical gaps in the AISL portfolio and in the field, at large. It has the potential to markedly transform the capacity and impact of next generation ISE leaders. Over an eighteen-month period, this feasibility study will design, implement and test key aspects of the model to determine its potential for short and long term success. Using a competitive application process, twenty ISE mid-career professionals, who work primarily within broadening participation in STEM contexts, will be recruited to participate in the NextGen Broadening Participation in ISE Professional Learning Program. The year-long program includes four core components: (a) 4-day workshop, (b) four online webinars, (c) pilot projects carried out in participants' home institutions, and (d) poster presentations of projects at a national conference. A small cohort of faculty-mentors -- leaders from both research and practice in ISE broadening participation efforts -- will serve as participant mentors and play an integral role in the design and implementation of the program. Evaluative efforts will focus on documenting the efficacy of the design strategies (ex., recruitment, mentorship, social networking), the interests, needs, and professional growth of participants and the implications for broadening participation in STEM. The evaluation will be informed by data collected via interviews, surveys, focus groups, observations, content analyses of discourse, and participant deliverables. Formative and summative external evaluations will be conducted by the Garibay Group.
Informal science educators, researchers, and evaluators are interested in directly engaging with the challenges and opportunities of increasing diversity and meaningful intersectionality. The annual meetings of organizations like the American Alliance of Museums (AAM), the Association of Science and Technology Centers (ASTC), and the Visitors Studies Association (VSA) have consistently featured sessions relevant to these topics. NSF's goal of broadening participation means there are also project specific efforts currently underway to directly address methods and strategies for increasing diversity and inclusion in STEM. The Connected Audience Conference will provide an opportunity to engage in an international conversation that directly leverages this momentum and has the potential to motivate focused collective action among participants producing a greater impact on the field. This travel award supports an enhanced U.S. presence at the Connected Audience International Conference to be held in Vienna, Austria September 14-16, 2017. The premise of the meeting is that the role of museums and other cultural institutions in society is rapidly changing as these institutions strive to become more vital resources and partners in initiatives designed to support science learning, social development and growth in an increasingly science and technology-driven world. The goal for U.S. participation is to support established researchers in this area as well as mid-career professionals. The meeting is comprised of: thought leaders, case study presenters, poster presenters and general participants. Thought leaders will highlight theoretical and practical approaches to broadening participation designed to be provocative and stimulate discussion in the breakout sessions. Case study presenters will be paired to illustrate similarities and/or differences in project design, implementation, or outcomes. Structuring the case studies in this way supports conversations focused on cross-country and cross-institution synergies. The poster session presenters were selected and grouped to encourage productive and comparisons specifically exploring the potential for cross-cutting methods to more effectively engage with audiences. U.S. attendees supported under this travel grant represent those who are engaged in this work actively and positioned to continue making important contributions to the field. International participants represent a range of cultural institutions with the largest proportion attending from science centers and children's museums; however, all participants come because of their interest, concerns and expertise in issues related to equity and greater participation. The structure of the meeting will provide participants with significant time for iterative reflection and active discussion to make each session personally relevant and meaningful. This intentionally allows lots of room for pushback and even outright disagreement with any of the ideas proposed by the thought leaders, case study presenters, and poster session presenters. This award is funded by the Advancing Informal STEM Learning (AISL) program, which seeks to advance new approaches to, and evidence-based understanding of, the design and development of STEM learning in informal environments. This includes providing multiple pathways for broadening access to and engagement in STEM learning experiences. The Connected Audience conference is designed to significantly contribute to an international conversation about the future of informal science education institutions in the learning ecologies of 21st century citizens. Through exploration of new findings and international cross-pollination of best practices, conference participants will be able to develop improved strategies for increasing and diversifying who participates in informal science education experiences as well as how they participate. A white paper written by the U.S. participants will be used to share findings and insights with the broader informal education field.
This report presents findings from a formative evaluation of Science Education for New Civic Engagements and Responsibilities-Informal Science Education (SENCER-ISE), a National Science Foundation and Noyce Foundation funded initiative to support partnerships between informal science and higher education institutions. This evaluation looked primarily at the collaborative infrastructure of SENCER-ISE, which included the web site, SENCER Summer Institute, and communications with project staff and/or the advisory board. This evaluation is the third evaluation that Randi Korn & Associates, Inc
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RK&A, Inc.
resourceevaluationProfessional Development, Conferences, and Networks
The National Center for Science and Civic Engagement (NCSCE) contracted Randi Korn & Associates, Inc. (RK&A) to conduct a summative evaluation of its SENCER-ISE project partnerships. SENCER-ISE is an initiative that brings partners from higher education (HE) together with partners from informal science education (ISE) to create projects that engage audiences in science using the lens of civic engagement. SENCER funded 10 partnerships over three years—six through the National Science Foundation (DRL #1001795) and four through the Noyce Foundation. Previously, RK&A conducted a formative
This report presents findings from an evaluation of the Maximizing Collective Impact Through Cross-Sector Partnerships planning meeting conducted by RK&A, Inc. for the National Center for Science and Civic Engagement (NCSCE). The meeting, which took place in March 2017, was funded through the National Science Foundation's Advancing Informal STEM Learning Program (NSF-AISL 1612376), brought together individuals from NCSCE's SENCER/SENCER-ISE network, NISE Net, and other networks to leverage the expertise and insights of participants and imagine and articulate ideas for cross-network projects.
As a form of public engagement, science festivals have rapidly expanded in size and number over recent years. However, as with other domains of informal public engagement that are not linked to policy outcomes, existing research does not fully address science festivals’ impacts and popularity. This study adduces evidence from surveys and focus groups to elucidate the perspectives of visitors at a large UK science festival. Results show that visitors value the opportunities afforded by the science festival to interact with scientific researchers and to encounter different types of science
Access to high quality evaluation results is essential for science communicators to identify negative patterns of audience response and improve outcomes. However, there are many good reasons why robust evaluation linked is not routinely conducted and linked to science communication practice. This essay begins by identifying some of the common challenges that explain this gap between evaluation evidence and practice. Automating evaluation processes through new technologies is then explicated as one solution to these challenges, capable of yielding accurate real-time results that can directly
Since 2000, the UK government has funded surveys aimed at understanding the UK public's attitudes toward science, scientists, and science policy. Known as the Public Attitudes to Science series, these surveys and their predecessors have long been used in UK science communication policy, practice, and scholarship as a source of authoritative knowledge about science-related attitudes and behaviors. Given their importance and the significant public funding investment they represent, detailed academic scrutiny of the studies is needed. In this essay, we critically review the most recently
Scientific institutions are increasingly embracing values of inclusivity and public engagement, but how do these two dimensions intersect? Science festivals have rapidly expanded in recent years as an outgrowth of these values, aiming to engage and educate the public about scientific topics and research. While resources invested in public engagement by scientists, universities, and governments are admirable in principle; this study indicates that their ambition to broaden the reach of science may be going unrealized in practice. Using data from three major UK science festivals, we demonstrate
A majority of Americans rely on general outlets for science news but more say specialty sources get the facts right about science. This report presents findings from a survey conducted among a nationally representative sample of 4000+ adults from May 30-June 12, 2017. The survey asked about a range of issues from how the public encounters science news and assesses what and who to trust to other ways that people engage with science information in everyday life, including participation in citizen science research projects, hobbies, and consumption of entertainment programming built around
Citizen science is public participation in research and scientific endeavors. Different models are proliferating across various disciplines. Citizens volunteer as data collectors in science projects, collaborate with scientific experts on research design, and actively lead and carry out research. The last form of citizen science, in which citizens exert a high degree of control and ownership over scientific activities, tends to be action-oriented, with research conducted to support interventional activities or policy change. We call this form community citizen science, and it can be of
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Ramya ChariLuke MatthewsMarjory BlumenthalAmanda EdelmanTherese Jones
The Summer Science in New England project has established a regional network of summer camp programs grounded in ocean science. In year one, six institutions - New England Aquarium, Northeastern University's Marine Science Center, University of Rhode Island's Alton Jones Camp, the University of Connecticut's Project Oceanology, the Seacoast Science Center in NH, and the Marine Environmental Research Institute in Maine - work alongside research scientists to engage campers, ages 14 and up, in near-shore biodiversity monitoring. In years two and three, the number of partners increases to 10, then 12. The project provides a citizen science experience across a wide geographical area, supports and trains informal science center staff to incorporate citizen science while using environmental literacy principles with teens, and offers opportunities for all participants to share findings with peers at annual forums.