Kera Collective conducted two rounds of program evaluation to understand the experience and impact of Coastal Maine Botanical Garden’s (CMBG) Advanced Studies in Professional Horticulture programs, which vary in format from standalone lectures to multi-session certificate courses.
The Museum of Science, Boston and Boston University received funding from the National Science Foundation to develop and implement a pilot program mentoring high school students in science research, communication, and education practices, through the lens of experimental psychology research.
The Museum of Science, Boston and Boston University received funding from the National Science Foundation to develop and implement a pilot program mentoring high school students in science research, communication, and education practices, through the lens of experimental psychology research.
Supported by the National Science Foundation, the Global Soundscapes! Big Data, Big Screens, Open Ears project employs a variety of informal learning experiences to present the physics of sound and the new science of soundscape ecology. The interdisciplinary science of soundscape ecology analyzes sounds over time in different ecosystems around the world. The major components of the Global Soundscapes project are an educator-led interactive giant-screen theater show, group activities, and websites. All components are designed with both sighted and visually impaired students in mind. Multimedia
The purpose of the 3-year formative and summative evaluation was to gauge public perceptions of the utility and quality of NASA-funded workshops and programs offered by the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences. This final summative report includes 3-year project findings from 11 NASA Educator Workshops and three Astronomy Days events.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
North Carolina State Museum of Natural ScienceMary Styers
This is the summative evaluation of Statistics for Action (SfA). The mixed-methods evaluation included both process (project implementation) and impact (project effectiveness) assessments. It was posited a cascade-like impact of SfA, in which new materials would be developed by TERC staff; a host of environmental organizations would be trained to utilize them with grass roots community groups; and these groups would then incorporate SfA into their ongoing environmental campaigns. Ultimately, it was theorized, the public messaging around environmental issues would be strengthened by SfA’s
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Arbor Consulting PartnersMargaret ConnorsMindy FriedMadeleine Taylor
resourceevaluationProfessional Development, Conferences, and Networks
Children’s Discovery Museum of San Jose (CDM) contracted Randi Korn & Associates, Inc. (RK&A) to study the professional development component of Mammoth Discovery!, a NSF-funded project. The professional development part of the project convened a group of museum professionals (cohort participants) from select children’s museums to participate in several workshops, developed and conducted by CDM staff, and gatherings at a number of Association of Children’s Museums (ACM) conferences. RK&A conducted the evaluation to measure the impact of these experiences on the professional practice of cohort
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Randi Korn & Associates, Inc.Children's Discovery Museum of San Jose
A NSF EArly-concept Grant for Exploratory Research (EAGER) was awarded to Principal Investigator John Fraser, PhD, AIA, in collaboration with co-Principal Investigators, Mary Miss and William Solecki, PhD, for City as Living Laboratory for Sustainability in Urban Design (CaLL). The CaLL project explored how public art installations can promote public discussion about sustainability. The project examined the emerging role of artists and visual thinkers as people with the skills to encourage conversation between scientists and the public. The grant supported an experimental installation
Leaders of the only two large-scale assessments of environmental literacy used in the U.S. to date (Programme for International Student Assessment [PISA] and the National Environmental Literacy Assessment [NELA]), led by an experienced PI representing the North American Association for Environmental Education, to develop a new, comprehensive, research-based framework for assessing environmental literacy. By bringing together, for the first time, experts in research, assessment, and evaluation from the fields of science education, environmental education, and related social science fields -
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Joe E HeimlichNorth American Association for Environmental Education
Portal to the Public (PoP) is a proven, scalable guiding framework for Informal Science Educators (ISE) to engage scientists and public audiences in face-to-face interactions that promote appreciation and understanding of current scientific research and its application. The PoP approach has two important characteristics that set it apart for other efforts: PoP (1) focused exclusively on interactions between scientists and general public visitors; and (2) included professional development for the scientists interacting with the public. The three collaborating museums (Pacific Science Center
In an effort to prepare female high school students for a college curriculum and achieve gender parity in the engineering industry, WGBH has developed an initiative entitled, Engineer Your Life (EYL). The initiative is targeted toward female high school students, career counselors/educators, and professional engineers. It is designed to: 1) increase these target audiences' understanding of engineering, 2) inspire young women to explore engineering as a career option and 3) help adults encourage young women to investigate engineering opportunities. One component of this initiative involves
The Sam Noble Museum contracted Randi Korn & Associates, Inc. (RK&A) to evaluate their Whitten-Newman ExplorOlogy Program. The program offers hands-on, immersive experiences in scientific field research to classroom teachers and middle and high school students. The evaluation study explored how participants experienced the program and how their sense of self and identity was affected during the year following the program's completion. How did we approach this study? The Whitten-Newman ExplorOlogy Program offers an in-depth program experience to a select number of teachers and students. We
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Randi Korn & Associates, Inc.Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History