This report describes how the YOUmedia program at the Harold Washington Library Center in Chicago attempts to take advantage of networked and digital media to provide engaging learning opportunities for youth through the emerging Connected Learning Model. The report describes the design of the program, the youth audiences targeted, the benefits received by program participants, and the role of staff and adults in the program. It offers suggestions for other organizations who would like to start similar programs.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
University of ChicagoPenny Bender SebringEric BrownKate JulianStacey EhrlichSusan SporteErin BradleyLisa Meyer
This paper examines hypothesized outcomes of informal science learning experiences and analyzes the methods used to assess those outcomes. The authors deconstruct several studies on informal science learning to identify strengths and weaknesses and examine the potential of new approaches to informal learning.
In this report, the authors review research of afterschool programs and discuss the effects of these programs on participating youth as a means to advance science learning and attitudes toward science. The report analyzes the qualities of programs that yield the best results in terms of comprehension and sustained science learning.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Board on Science EducationSarah Schwartz
This is a presentation about the ScienceCenter Netzwork, a network of science centers and museums in Austria. The presentation was a part of the Summit on Informal Science Networks at the Association of Science-Technology Centers annual conference in Albuquerque, NM.
This report is the result of a task force convened between 2008 and 2009 by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) to identify the new contexts facing libraries and museums, such as the evolution of the global economy and the need for 21st century skills. The report is designed to help decision makers and leaders in libraries and museums envision the futures of their institutions, respond to future needs, and build awareness among policymakers about museums' and libraries' key roles in the nation's learning system. The report also provides a self-assessment tool for libraries and
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Institute of Museum and Library ServicesInstitute of Museum and Library Services
This Handbook was developed to provide project directors and principal investigators working with the National Science Foundation (NSF) with a basic guide for evaluating NSF’s educational projects. It is aimed at people who need to learn more about both the value of evaluation and how to design and carry out an evaluation, rather than those who already have a solid base of experience in the field. It builds on firmly established principles, blending technical knowledge and common sense to meet the special needs of NSF and its stakeholders. The Handbook discusses quantitative and qualitative
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Joy Frechtling WestatNational Science Foundation
resourceresearchProfessional Development, Conferences, and Networks
During this session at the 2013 Visitor Studies Association Annual Conference the authors discussed our preliminary framework for addressing the question of how to evaluate an evaluation. The three-part framework—(1) Worth of the Intervention, (2) Appropriateness of the Evaluation Study, and (3) Usefulness for Stakeholders—comprises a set of criteria for evaluating summative evaluations. The authors shared early impressions from in-progress work on practical applications of the framework, solicited feedback on the framework, and brainstormed ideas for innovative evaluation tools and measures
In this article, the author shares general research on the subject of transformation in the context of historical/cultural organizations. The author's research examined seven history museums who had undergone various levels of change and transformation and looked for similarities, idiosyncrasies, patterns, and differences across the organizations and their stakeholders' interests. These changes and transformations are presented in a broader context of shifts in the missions and structure of cultural organizations, and presents key understandings for those institutions seeking to undergo change
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Candace Tangorra MetalicAmerican Association for State and Local History
This book addresses controversial changes in a major cultural organization through the lens of a vital need for a shift in thinking as museums enter the 21st century. Robert Janes is a leading voice in the changes taking place in Canada's cultural institutions. In this case study, the author candidly discusses layoffs, union/management relations, and the urgency of sustainability. Contributions from museum staff highlight the human side of change, and essays by Canadian and international museum directors present thoughtful perspectives.
This nationwide study sought to detect and evaluate the shifting priorities of today's attractions visitors and how their needs and wants drive their behavior. The data revealed trends in how people view, plan for, and react to their world as they travel throughout the country. The research compares recent findings to pre-recession studies to track key shifts in consumer behavior in the post-recession era.
This technical report summarizes the statistical analyses used to determine how well the Measuring Activation (MA) instrument developed through the Science Learning Activation Lab project gathers appropriate information about the five dimensions of activation. The MA instrument was designed to evaluate the impact of science-learning programs and experiences on activation, and contains a series of survey items organized around five identified dimensions of activation. The five dimensions of activation are: fascination, values, perceived autonomy, competency beliefs, and scientific sensemaking.
This report is the result of a project to investigate through a sociocultural lens whether girls-only, informal STEM experiences have potential long-term influences on young women's lives, both in terms of STEM but also more generally. The authors documented young women's perceptions of their program experiences and the ways in which they influenced their future choices in education, careers, leisure pursuits, and ways of thinking about what science is and who does it. This report includes the questionnaire used in the study.