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
With support from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, The Wild Center (TWC) engaged Insight Evaluation Services (IES) to assess the impact of specific outreach activities of the Northern New York Maple Project between September 2013 and September 2015. Data for this two-year evaluation study were collected via in-depth telephone interviews conducted with a total of 25 participants, including 16 Tupper Tappers (Tupper Lake area residents who engaged in backyard tapping to provide sap for syrup production at the museum through the Community Maple Project), four local school teachers
The Robert R. McCormick Foundation contracted RK&A to conduct a formative evaluation of the Freedom Express mobile museum program to assess the degree to which the program supports students toward the achievement of stated civic engagement-related outcomes. How did we approach this study? The evaluation was designed to explore the extent to which students demonstrate desired outcomes after experiencing the Freedom Express program and to identify the extent to which teachers value and recognize the benefits of the program. To capture diverse perspectives and produce reliable data, RK&A utilized
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Randi Korn & Associates, Inc.Randi Korn
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 study explored visitors’ use and interpretation of the prototypes (including barriers to use and interpretation), understanding of the relationships among people-place-invention and 21st century skills, and interpretation of what the Places of Invention exhibition is about. How did we approach this study
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Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and InnovationRandi KornEmily CraigAmanda KrantzNational Museum of American HistorySmithsonian Institution