Advancing Evaluation in Informal Science Learning

Past, Present, and Future Directions
1. Auflage 2027
ISBN: 978-1-041-16755-6
Verlag: Taylor & Francis

Buch, Englisch, 280 Seiten, Format (B × H): 178 mm x 254 mm

Reihe: Teaching and Learning in Science Series

This resource explores evaluation within the informal science education landscape, now an essential component of science learning outside K-12 classrooms. Utilizing case studies from academics and professionals working within informal science, the book outlines how these educators can study, support, and better engage with evaluation activities. Contributors highlight the substantial work being done within informal science education assessment, underscoring the need to prioritize program evaluation and equip staff with the knowledge, experience, and resources to confidently and competently carry evaluations forward. Case studies are organized along three sections: assessment of learning, evaluation of programs and exhibits, and building capacity for evaluation. Chapters within these sections address multiple informal science settings, including designed settings (museums), outdoor spaces, citizen science, and media, as well as lessons learned, key takeaways, and applying best practices from the presented studies to other contexts. Assessment chapters consider how standardized metrics of learning are established in informal settings, and the last section focuses on models for informal science educators to gain confidence and support in conducting evaluation as part of their practice. All sections include a synthesis chapter that draws out important themes from across chapters. Ideal for any informal science educator, this book acknowledges the challenges and celebrates the successes of carrying out assessment and evaluation in these settings, both reflecting on the unique work that has been undertaken unique to informal science and bolstering the field for the future.

Zielgruppe

Professional Practice & Development

Autoren/Hrsg.

Kubarek, Joy

Lederman, Judith S.

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Section 1: Assessment of Learning in Informal Science Settings 1. Rethinking Measures of Learning and Knowledge 2. Evaluating Individual Learning Outcomes in the Context of Citizen Science Activities 3. Emerging Implications of the Valuing Inclusion Metrics for Informal Science Education 4. Leveraging Program Activities As Evaluation: Opportunities And Challenges Of Embedded Assessment In Informal Science Learning 5. Authentic Assessment In Outdoor Learning Contexts 6. Self-Assessment Of Informal Science Educators And How To Identify Areas Of Growth For Professional Development 7. What Matters Next: Evaluating Informal Science With The Activation Framework And Tools 8. Reflecting On Standardized Metrics For Assessing The Visitor Experience In Informal Science Settings: Lessons From COVES 9. Summary of Key Takeaways from the Assessment Section  Section 2: Evaluation Of Programs And Exhibits In Informal Science Settings  10. If You Don’t Ask, You Don’t Know: Strategies For Evaluating And Engaging Minority Audiences With Science On Youtube 11. Think It Through, Make It Work: Study Design For Exhibit Evaluation 12. Formative Evaluation As Collaborative Reflective Practice 13. Visitor Engagement In Exhibit Evaluation: Designing And Iterating Creative Methods 14. Centering Families When Designing Evaluation Studies 15. From The Littles To The Bigs: Evaluation With Schools 16. Evaluating The Short- And Long-Term Impacts Of Youth Career Development Programs 17. Listening As Evaluation: Developing A Process For Authentic Community Collaborations 18. Integrating Culturally Responsive Evaluation Approaches in Informal Science Settings 19. Becoming Te Pa Hono: Reframing Evaluation Through a Te Ao Maori Lens at Auckland Zoo 20. Summary of Key Takeaways from the Evaluation of Programs and Exhibits Section  Section 3: Building Capacity for Evaluation Amongst Informal Science Educators  21. Supporting Evaluation As A Core Competency Of Informal Science Educators In The ISE-PCK Framework 22. A Framework For Selecting Learning Outcomes In Informal STEM Education 23. Evaluation Conversations As Professional Development For Informal Science Educators 24. Measuring The Impact Of Team-Wide Evaluation Capacity Building Efforts With Informal Science Educators 25. Evaluation Communities of Practice: A Case Study of the Denver Evaluation Network 26. The Role Of Process Benefits And Risk Reduction In Supporting A Positive Evaluation Culture 27. Evaluation Policy In The Informal Science Funding Landscape: Past, Present, And Future 28. Summary of Key Takeaways from the Building Capacity for Evaluation Section Concluding Remarks: Synthesis and Opportunities for the Future: Reflections on a Field in Motion

Über Autor(innen)

Joy Kubarek is Co-Founder/Partner of Inform Evaluation & Research, an education research and evaluation consulting firm supporting evaluation and research with informal science organizations. Previously she was the Vice President of Learning at the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, USA.

Judith Lederman is an Emeritus Professor and was Director of Teacher Education in the Department of Mathematics and Science Education at Illinois Institute of Technology, USA. She has been the Curator of Education at the Rhode Island Museum of Natural History and an elementary, middle and high science teacher.