Designing Our World (DOW) was a four-year NSF-funded initiative in which the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI) sought to promote girls’ pursuit of engineering careers through community-based programming, exhibition development, and identity research. The overarching aim of DOW was to engage girls ages 9–14 with experiences that illuminate the social, personally relevant, and altruistic nature of engineering. In addition to programming for girls, the project also included workshops for parents/caregivers, professional development for staff from community partners; and an exhibition
As part of a grant from the National Science Foundation, the National Federation of the Blind (NFB) developed, implemented, and evaluated the National Center for Blind Youth in Science (NCBYS), a three-year full-scale development project to increase informal learning opportunities for blind youth in STEM. Through this grant, the NCBYS extended opportunities for informal science learning for the direct benefit of blind students by conducting six NFB STEM2U regional programs included programs for blind youth, their parents/caregivers, blind teen mentors (apprentices), and museum educators.
Staff facilitators in museums and science centers are a critical but often overlooked component of the visitor experience. Despite assertions about the important role they play in visitor learning, there continues to be almost no research to understand staff facilitation in these settings or identify effective practices. To address these gaps, we conducted a design-based research study to describe the work of experienced museum educators and iteratively refine a model of staff facilitation to support family learning at interactive math exhibits developed through a prior project. The resulting
The Water for Life project has been an effective, and in some cases an essential vehicle for addressing issues around water quality and retention in island settings where water security is an on-going challenge. The focus on local partnerships was a highly valued attribute of the WfL project, and the informal science and conservation education resources produced and disseminated by the project have had a significant impact on these populations
This final evaluation report shares findings from the summative evaluation study of the Connected Science Learning: Linking In-School and Out-of-School STEM Learning (CSL) journal as well as themes that emerged across the broader three-year evaluation study. The ongoing study was conducted by researchers at the Center for Research on Lifelong STEM Learning at Oregon State University in collaboration with the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) and the Association of Science-Technology Centers (ASTC).
The CSL journal was the result of an Early-concept Grant for Exploratory Research
The National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) and the Association for Science-Technology Centers (ASTC), with support from the National Science Foundation (NSF), has launched an initiative to develop and distribute two pilot issues of a new resource for STEM education practitioners in both formal and informal (out-of-school) settings. An aim of the new resource is to better connect practitioners across education settings and the research and knowledge base about STEM learning. David Heil & Associates, Inc. (DHA) is serving in a co-PI role on the grant to provide NSTA and ASTC with
This report details the formative evaluation study conducted through collaboration with the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) and the Association of Science-Technology Centers (ASTC) to inform the iterative development and piloting of the Connected Science Learning: Connecting In-School and Out-of-School STEM Learning journal. The journal was the result of an Early Concept Grant for Exploratory Research (EAGER) project funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) to develop, disseminate and evaluate a new resource for connecting STEM education practitioners across settings and to
A three day TTT session was held in May 2015 at Twin Cities PBS in St. Paul, MN to train nine representatives from NGCP State Collaboratives in the SciGirls Seven and Citizen SciGirls project materials (episodes, activities). NGCP chose the nine leaders (from nine states) through an application process specifically targeting regions who had not previously received training on SciGirls research-based strategies. These trainers were then expected to hold two training sessions with up to 30 educators at each session between fall of 2015 and fall of 2016. Fourteen sessions were held reaching
National Air and Space Museum, Washington DC
Summative Evaluation for Educational Program, 2016
The National Air and Space Museum (NASM) contracted Randi Korn & Associates, Inc. (RK&A) to conduct a summative evaluation of Science in Pre-K, an onsite and online teacher professional development program that NASM developed for the District of Columbia Public Charter Schools’ (DCPS). The program supports preschool teachers in teaching science through exploration and problem solving. This evaluation is a continuation of a planning and evaluation project initiated in 2013. In 2013, RK&A
Libraries across the country have been reimagining their community role and leveraging their resources and public trust to strengthen community-based learning and foster critical thinking, problem solving, and engagement in STEM. What started some years ago as independent experiments has become a national movement. The Space Science Institute's National Center for Interactive Learning (NCIL), in partnership with the Lunar and Planetary Institute (LPI), received funding from the National Science Foundation for the first-ever Public Libraries & STEM conference, at the Sheraton Denver Downtown
Since its completion in 1937, the Golden Gate Bridge has become one of the world’s most recognized landmarks as both an iconic public works accomplishment and a popular tourist destination. In 2008, the National Science Foundation (NSF) awarded a $3 million grant to the Golden Gate Bridge Highway & Transportation District to leverage this status in developing informal education resources to interpret the science, engineering and history of the bridge. Through this initiative the Golden Gate Bridge would become a model for other public works venues for providing informal science education and