Within the field of evaluation, there are a limited number of places where evaluators can share their reports. We are fortunate that one such resource exists in the informal learning community − informalscience.org. Informalscience.org provides evaluators access to a rich collection of reports they can use to inform their practice and learn about a wide … Read more
Over the past decade, there has been increased interest in the details and depth of visitors’ experiences in informal educational settings. National Science Foundation (NSF) and other agencies have funded research projects studying visitors in museums, zoos, aquaria and parks. Evaluation studies, as well, now more often examine visitor behavior and attitudes, rather than just … Read more
The Board on Science Education at the National Academies, in cooperation with the Harvard Program in Education, Afterschool and Resiliency, recently convened a Summit on Assessment of Informal and Afterschool Science Learning in Irvine, CA. Summit participants were invited to isolate gaps in the informal science assessment field, strategize ways to work together as a … Read more
It’s hard to believe it’s been nearly a month since the meeting, so our apologies for the delayed post! In between vacation and other work, we thought it might be helpful to recount the three action areas identified during the final session, and in particular the diverse questions participants raised to help inform next steps. … Read more
Edited July 8, 2016. Download a PDF copy of this article. Attention is a scarce resource—perhaps the most precious scarce resource there is. – Csikszentmihalyi and Hermanson, “Intrinsic Motivation in Museums: What Makes Visitors Want to Learn?” Introduction In 1998 I wrote Paying Attention: Visitors and Museum Exhibitions, a book supported by a National Science Foundation (NSF) … Read more