The National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) Committee on STEM Education (CoSTEM) was created to coordinate federal programs and activities that support STEM education pursuant to the requirements of Sec. 101 of the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010. The CoSTEM addresses a wide range of education and workforce policy issues including: research and development efforts that focus on STEM education at the PreK-12, undergraduate, graduate, and lifelong learning levels; and current and projected STEM workforce needs, trends, and issues. This paper describes the role of assessment
With increased resources and professionalism come increased expectations for the evaluation of individual projects to also provide field-wide evidence for the impact of ISE. But there has not been a significant growth in the use of psychometric measures that are validated to support field-wide assessments and norm-referenced tests for the field. This essay argues that expectations for the field to adopt normed assessments need to be contextualized in the practice and realities of ISE evaluation. While at the same time, evaluators of ISE projects need to build upon stepping stones such as
The Universally Designed Museum Programming project was envisioned as a way to create public programs that are more inclusive of people with disabilities. We used the concepts of universal design and Universal Design for Learning as well as our prior experiences with these topics in exhibition design and nanotechnology programming as a foundation for our work. Through this project, we gained insight into building a community of interest, facilitating a charrette in an inclusive way, using universal design guidelines to develop programs, and measuring the effectiveness of our process.
Twenty-four Learning Labs in libraries and museums across the country are engaging America’s youth in learning settings where they gain skills and following their passions. A new publication, Learning Labs in Libraries and Museums: Transformative Spaces for Teens, describes these innovative teen spaces. The report details the research behind the labs, the practices that support meaningful learning, and the impacts of a movement that grew with support from the Institute of Museum and Library Services and its private partner, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.
To better help museum visitors make sense of large data sets, also called “Big Data”, this study focused on the types of visual representations visitors recognize, and how they make meaning (or not) of various visuals. Individual adults and youths were shown five different data visualizations (one from each of five categories), one at a time, and asked if the visualization looked familiar and how it was read. This study found that Context and previous experience matters. Participants of all ages are familiar with a wide variety of visual displays of data. If a participant encounters a visual
This report provides background information about the Flathead Watershed, the people responsible for funding the project and an depth description of Phase I, the Delphi Survey. The report includes participant information, methodology, data acquisition and findings.
This catalog details the extent of NASA’s game portfolio, so that others developing new games are able to build upon the lessons learned from the past. Enclosed herein are details on fourteen individual games that have been created by or for NASA as well as two collections of hosted Flash games. Each entry has information about the game, including a screen shot, point of contact (if available), and a link to the game’s site. The games are identified by genre, NASA content or contribution, and intended audience or Entertainment Software Review Board (ESRB) rating.
This report highlights advances in neuroscience with potential implications for education and lifelong learning. The report authors, including neuroscientists, cognitive psychologists and education specialists, agree that if applied properly, the impacts of neuroscience could be highly beneficial in schools and beyond. The report argues that our growing understanding of how we learn should play a much greater role in education policy and should also feature in teacher training. The report also discusses the challenges and limitations of applying neuroscience in the classroom and in learning
This report from the National Research Council explores how learning changes the physical structure of the brain, how existing knowledge affects what people notice and how they learn, the amazing learning potential of infants, and the relationship between classroom learning and learning in everyday settings such as community and the workplace. It identifies learning needs and opportunities for teachers and provides a realistic look at the role of technology in education.
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National Research Council
resourceresearchProfessional Development, Conferences, and Networks
This White Paper summarizes the work of C-COVES, a two-year IMLS-funded project designed to Create a Collaboration for Ongoing Visitor Experience Studies. Specifically, C-COVES was intended to research the feasibility of creating a multi-institutional network of science centers across the country united in studying the visitor experience within and across organizations nationwide. In August of 2013, 27 museum professionals from 11 science centers ranging in size, community context, and evaluation capacity, as well as 3 consulting or industry organizations, came together to elaborate the
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Museum of Science, BostonRyan Auster
resourceresearchProfessional Development, Conferences, and Networks
In December, 2013, a group of leaders of six informal science education (ISE) assessment projects met in Palo Alto, CA for a 2-day exploration of the state of the art of measuring the impact of informal STEM education experiences. The goals for the meeting were to explore in depth the technical and practical details of the assessments, share and critique findings, and review plans for ongoing work to validate and refine measures.
A major goal for the Garibay Group is to provide the team with a working document that could help inform their thinking in developing the new Gallery of Natural Sciences. This report is an analysis and synthesis of the literature on dioramas. The review focused on the question: "What do we know about visitor outcomes at habitat dioramas and how are those outcomes achieved?"