Valuing free-choice learning in national parks

Self-directed learning in parks deserves to recognized for its effectiveness

Think Piece. Changing Thinking about Learning for a Changing World

As academics and evaluators working in the USA and Europe we are often asked to either assess the effectiveness of informal or free-choice environmental learning experiences, or to lend our expertise (coupled with solid visitor studies) to improve those experiences. What we encounter is an interesting conundrum: many environmental, conservation or preservation learning programmes or experiences start with goals or objectives that are extremely attractive to funders – changing visitors’ or participants’ understanding, attitudes or even behaviours in some profound fashion – and create a sense of importance and self-worth in those who devise these experiences. However, upon reflection and after a close analysis of the likely visitor experiences, many of these goals seem unrealistic, or seem to apply only for a small proportion of the target audience: those who are on the brink of changing. The reason for this apparent disconnect is manifold: the need to promise administrators, directors, agency heads, funders and donors ‘impacts’ and significant ‘outcomes’ leads to promises that are inappropriate or are difficult to meet; secondly, institutions operate under the banner of wanting to change – by themselves and through their own isolated efforts – those who are served by them; and mostly, those who devise and deliver these experiences may lack a deep understanding of the nature of out-of-school, informal or free-choice learning. We will address the latter issue in this article since understanding the nature of learning that occurs outside the formal sector is relatively new and, in our experience, not widely shared

Understanding the Use of Tablet Technology as a Mechanism for Improving Teaching and Learning in the Corvallis School District

The Tablets in Classrooms (TIC) program was initiated by the Corvallis School District (CSD) during the 2012-13 school year. TIC provides teachers and students in elementary and middle grades with Apple iPads as new pedagogical tools for teaching and learning. The school district contracted with Oregon State University’s Center for Research on Lifelong STEM Learning to explore if, how and when tablets support learning, based on the past three years of experiences from teachers, students, parents, pedagogical and technical support staff and administrators. The goal of the study was to identify key aspects of effective use of tablet devices and to assess the implications of tablet technology use in classrooms. This report is based on a district-wide teacher survey and a number of interviews and focus groups with teachers, students, parents and administrators, in an attempt to capture a variety of perspectives on the affordances and challenges of using tablets in and out of classrooms for the purpose of enhanced instruction and learning

Conveying Science through Art Professional Development Experience : Participant Takeaways and Recommendations for the Future

The STEM Research Center at Oregon State University was invited by Guerilla Science and Pratt Institute to evaluate the professional development experiences for two cohorts of science and art professionals. Each professional development experience consisted of a three-day workshop and field experience in August and September 2019. We used workshop observation, workshop post-surveys, field experience post surveys, and a six month follow-up survey to provide feedback about: 1) the quality and usefulness of the professional development experience for participants, and 2) effectiveness of the professional development experience for achieving the key participant outcomes of increased dispositions to and increased self-efficacy in three areas: • Creating experiences that live in the intersection of science and theatre • Creating experiences that connect to the emotions and interests of the audience • Creating experiences that communicate science in non-science settings

L’SPACE Evaluation Report Phase B-D (Fall 2018- Fall 2021)

This report shows results from the developmental evaluation of phases B-D of the Lucy Student Pipeline Accelerator and Competency Enabler (L’SPACE) Program. The STEM Research Center at Oregon State University led an external evaluation for the program. This evaluation focuses on program development and success by analyzing student outcomes and feedback

STEM Beyond School Year 2: Accomplishments and Challenges: An Evaluation Report Prepared for the OSU Extension 4-H and Portland Metro STEM Partnership Team

The Center for Research on Lifelong STEM Learning was invited by the Oregon State University Extension Service 4-H Youth Development and the Portland Metro STEM Partnership to evaluate Year 2 of the STEM Beyond School (SBS) project. The STEM Beyond School project seeks to improve underserved youth’s access to and interest in STEM learning through 1) the development of a statewide network of out-of-school providers focused on STEM learning opportunities, 2) building capacity of out-of-school providers to deliver effective STEM programming, and 3) delivering high dose programming to underserved youth. The Center evaluated the impact of the second year of programming on several youth outcomes (attitude towards learning, persistence in solving problems, active engagement with science, connection with and enjoyment in the program itself, and attitude toward science including whether they can succeed in science), assessed the type and quality of programming offered to youth, and analyzed the development of a state-wide network that supports out-of-school learning. In its second year, the SBS project continued to focus on collecting data that would address outcomes of the project and inform the development and maintenance of a sustainable infrastructure that would support a Networked Learning Community of community-based STEM education providers. This report draws from various data collection methods to provide insights into the development of the STEM Beyond School network and the potential impact of out-of-school programming on youth’s learner identity and associated factors which contribute to the development of interest in STEM and STEM learning. Data were collected from SBS program providers, and youth participants through online and paper-based surveys; interviews with program providers; and reporting workbooks and post-program surveys completed by program providers

Science and Art Teaching Practices for Oregon Elementary Teachers: Results of a Landscape Survey

An Evaluation Report for the Oregon Department of Education. In collaboration with classroom teachers and WRAP personnel we developed and implemented a survey to collect baseline data on the science and arts teaching practices for ALL elementary teachers. This included “regular” classroom teachers (those teachers with an assigned physical classroom and set of students), art teachers, music teachers, PE teachers and other educators or administrators. In December 2022 we recruited three (3) elementary teachers to assist us in survey development, in particular framing questions around frequency of teaching time for both arts and science instruction. One important outcome was that we formulated questions around “dedicated” teaching time where instruction was only focused on science or art content and “integrated” teaching when teachers combine science or art with other instructional areas (such as math or literacy). We also learned that there was a lot of nuances in trying to capture the science and art teaching data; for example, some schools have large blocks of time when they have a particular focus on a science content area and then equally large blocks when science teaching is replaced by instruction in other fields, such as social science. It can be difficult to reduce this instructional framework to a weekly allotment of science teaching

Going Beyond Hooked Participants: The Nibble-and-Drop Framework for Classifying Citizen Science Participation

Many citizen science (CS) programs aim to grow and sustain a pool of enthusiastic participants who consistently contribute their efforts to a specific scientific endeavor. Consequently, much research has explored CS participants’ motivations and their relationship to participant recruitment and retention. However, much of this research has focused on actively participating citizen scientists. If researchers want to elucidate the relationship between participant factors (such as demographics and motivations) and participant retention, it is necessary to develop a more comprehensive picture of the different degrees of participation in CS. This paper presents a framework for classifying participation throughout the participant’s engagement in a CS project/program. We suggest a CS participation model that captures the dynamic nature of participation across an arc of volunteering. Called the Nibble-and-Drop Framework, the model describes multiple exit points and stages of contribution typical of participation in a CS program. Applying the framework to the NASA GLOBE Observer (GO) CS program, we found that it captured the dynamics of participation in a global-scale, mobile, app-based, contributory-style CS project. The framework guided our analysis of how different participant factors correlate with degrees of participation. We found that participants were motivated to initially participate because they wanted to contribute to NASA research and science. Participants who dropped out of the program at various points often initially engaged through specific collection events and did not feel the need to continue contributing beyond the event; other drop-outs doubted whether their contributions were meaningful, showing again the need to ensure that participants understand the value of their engagement in a CS project.Keywords: Retention, Recruitment, Participation, Evaluatio

Best Practices for Field Days: Validating an Informal Science Education Field Day Observation Tool

This archival publication may not reflect current scientific knowledge or recommendations. Current information available from the University of Minnesota Extension: https://www.extension.umn.edu.A study was conducted at the Metro Children’sWater Festival (CWF) in St Paul, Minnesota in the fall of 2008 where 44 schools and more than 1,200 fifth grade students participated in the one day event. The purpose of the study was to assess the validity of an observation tool for informal science education around Field Day programs. Content validity (Modified Delphi) and coder reliability of the observation tool was established the previous years (NSF, #0635559). Items from the observation tool were mapped to students’ evaluation questions to determine the degree to which observed characteristics of the field day are aligned with student perception. It is conceivable that they don’t align. Students’ assessment of their experience is based on factors that have little to do with what educators care about. Significant correlations support the validity; lack there of, on the other hand, does not indicate that the tool isn’t valid

Getting to Know Guerilla Science Participants: Evaluating Unexpected and Unusual Science Encounters: A Report Prepared for the Simons Foundation

Creative projects at the interface of science and art can be appealing to both science-interested and art-interested audiences. They therefore present a unique opportunity to connect with cultural and learning identities of a wide range of people, and to preach beyond the already-interested and science-engaged “choir” that make up a significant proportion of science museum attendees and consumers of science media. Guerilla Science develops live events that bring scientists into face-to-face contact with the public as part of imaginatively designed immersive story worlds, often co-designed with artists (e.g. sound artists, performance artists, food and experience designers and visual artists), that take place in the places and spaces where science is least expected, for example music and arts festivals, disused urban spaces, and nightclubs. Its primary target audience are young adults who do not see science as being for them. Since its inception in 2008, Guerilla Science has reached over 100,000 members of the public, worked with over 300 scientists and artists, and been featured in publications like The New Yorker, Guardian, BBC, and Vice