Who We Are
InformalScience.org is a growing online community site that strives to support knowledge-sharing, collaboration and the growth of innovation among diverse professionals in the field of informal science education. In addition to being a rich information resource, the site seeks to connect research, practice and evaluation work to a living collection of informal learning projects. The site's recent redesign was based on extensive user studies (focus groups, surveys, phone interviews, server log files, anecdotal feedback) and in consultation with our advisors. From these findings we developed Creating a Vision for InformalScience.org [PDF | 7.1MB] with LotterShelly to guide the design process. We continue to build and iterate on this vision in response to community needs and developments in the broad field of informal science education.
InformalScience.org is an ongoing project of the University of Pittsburgh's Center for Learning in Out-of-School Environments (UPCLOSE) at the Learning Research and Development Center. UPCLOSE is a group of researchers, designers, educators and technologists dedicated to building and applying a practical theory of learning to the design of informal environments and experiences. Through creative partnerships with museums, community organizations and other non-profits, we are exploring new ways to conceptualize, design and evaluate informal learning experiences and everyday learning.
To learn more about our project team, visit our Project Page on InformalScience.org and remember to create or update your own project to share with the field.
Who You Are
Online survey and user study results revealed that InformalScience.org has a broad base of users. Respondents represented a variety of professions, including educators, evaluators, designers, administrators, students, producers and writers. Site visitors come from museums, university/independent research groups, and other types of organizations involved in informal learning (e.g., multimedia, design firms, afterschool programs).
For more background on our user community research please read the Informalscience.org Front-End User Survey Summary and the InformalScience.org User Study.
Our Advisory Board
UPCLOSE is working closely with an eleven-member Working Board of Advisors to build the next version of InformalScience.org. The board includes practitioners and researchers who have demonstrated a strong commitment to improving informal learning and strengthening connections between research and practice. Going forward, our advisors will serve as community leaders, active contributors and stewards to help cultivate a vibrant online community of learners for informal science education.
Meet the InformalScience.org Advisory Board »
Our Funder
The National Science Foundation is an independent U.S. government agency responsible for promoting science and engineering through programs that invest over $3.3 billion per year in almost 20,000 research and education projects in science and engineering. Today's investments in people, in ideas, and in the exploration of the unknown will help determine the course of the United States in the 21st century.
Visit the National Science Foundation website »
Go to grant information for Informalscience.org: Building a Web Community for Informal Science »