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Computational thinking is central to many science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) careers of the future, yet many young children do not have opportunities to develop the computational thinking (CT) skills that lay the foundation for future STEM trajectories leading to these careers. This project will address this opportunity gap through developing and researching a story-based approach to fostering computational...

Science centers are well-positioned to support the communities that surround them through activities and programming that advance community goals. However, little is known about how science centers can act within larger networks to collectively apply innovations to meet community needs. This project will address this gap in practice by developing and researching a network, whose central hub is a science...

This project will advance practice in informal science education with a scalable and adaptable model for community-based, co-design of a future STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math) Center. With a collaborative approach, the project aims to ensure that the design of the Center prioritizes fostering skills, knowledge, and interests that align with projected economic growth areas, which is needed...

The emergence of increasingly powerful AI technologies calls for the design and development of K-12 AI literacy curricula that can support students who will be entering a profoundly changed labor market. However, developing, implementing, and scaling AI literacy curricula poses significant challenges. It will be essential to develop a robust, evidence-based AI education research foundation that can inform AI literacy...

It is important to prepare the world's youth and the future workforce with fundamental knowledge of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Informal settings, such as museums, offer great opportunities in helping youth and the general public learn about AI. In this paper, we will discuss the design of a Virtual Human Exhibit that aims to communicate to the public about the capabilities...

In this paper, we describe our experience developing a framework for understanding AI systems that we use to drive the design of AI learning experiences for elementary-aged youth in an informal, free-choice environment. This framework—detect/interpret/respond (DIR)—shows promise as a flexible and age-adaptable model for youth to connect across learning experiences and work toward a coherent understanding of AI. As an...

As artificial intelligence (AI) profoundly reshapes our personal and professional lives, there are growing calls to support pre-college aged youth as they develop capacity to engage critically and productively with AI. While efforts to introduce AI concepts to pre-college aged youth have largely focused on older teens, there is growing recognition of the importance of developing AI literacy among younger...

The increasing presence and importance of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in our society has led to calls for its inclusion at all levels of education. However, the field is only beginning to understand what how AI learning experiences may be designed to be effective and developmentally appropriate, especially for young children. One challenge children encounter is in conceptualizing the “intelligence” of...

As young people increasingly use AI in their daily lives, it is imperative to foster these learners’ AI literacy. We present Knowledge Net, a collaborative tangible tabletop museum exhibit aimed at teaching users about knowledge representations, which are central to understanding AI and understudied in AI education research. In this exhibit, we center creative making and embodied interaction by allowing...

It is essential to increase children’s understanding of artificial intelligence and machine learning as they encounter it through their daily activities. We have developed DataBites, a museum exhibit aimed at fostering middle-school-age children’s understanding of supervised machine learning. DataBites engages visitors in learning about the steps and practices of supervised machine learning, using three guiding design principles: embodied interaction, creativity,...

Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) has witnessed unprecedented growth in text-to-image AI tools. Yet, much remains unknown about users’ prompt journey with such tools in the wild. In this paper, we posit that designing human-centered text-to-image AI tools requires a clear understanding of how individuals intuitively approach crafting prompts, and what challenges they may encounter. To address this, we conducted semi-structured...

LuminAI is an interactive art installation that allows participants to collaborate with an AI dance partner by improvising movements. During the interaction, the participant dances with an AI dance partner who learns from the participant’s movements in real-time and remixes them into new, unexpected forms of motion. LuminAI blurs the lines between the participant and AI agent, inviting the participant...

As generative AI rapidly enters everyday life, educational interventions for teaching about AI need to cater to how young people,in particular middle schoolers who are at a critical age for reasoning skills and identity formation, conceptualize and interact with AI. We conducted nine focus groups with 24 middle school students to elicit their interests, conceptions of, and approaches to a...

As text-to-image AI tools grow in capability and widespread use, research has focused on studying individualistic user prompt crafting strategies. Recognizing that technologies are socially constructed, this paper examines prompt engineering through a social lens. We propose reframing prompt engineering as a socio-cultural practice shaped by collective knowledge building. Through qualitative analysis of 19 semi-structured interviews with members of the...

Fostering young learners’ literacy surrounding AI technologies is becoming increasingly important as AI is becoming integrated in many aspects of our lives and is having far-reaching impacts on society. We have developed Knowledge Net and Creature Features, two activity boxes for family groups to engage with in their homes that communicate AI literacy competencies such as understanding knowledge representations, the...

In this conference presentation, we show how group mentoring promotes a sense of belonging for middle school students in an afterschool science program....

In this presentation we show how scientists gain awareness about inequality in education by volunteering as mentors to urban middle school youth in a science after school mentoring program....

This poster describes how group mentoring processes promote middle school youth's science identity....

This visual report, produced by the STEM Research Center at Oregon State University, summarizes the results of a study to understand how ISL organizations could use newly developed professional learning tools. This study was part of a broader project, Professional Pathways in Informal STEM Learning (ISL), which supports professional learning for anyone who works in the ISL field. Science and technology...

This field scan, conducted between October 2022 and January 2023, examines professional competency frameworks, job postings, and academic curricula in the ISL field. The results informed the development of an updated Framework for professional competency in the ISL field. This research was part of a broader project, Professional Pathways in Informal STEM Learning (ISL), which supports professional learning for anyone...

The Learning Plan is a tool for charting your path for professional growth in the ISL field. The Learning Plan is part of a broader project, Professional Pathways in Informal STEM Learning (ISL), which supports professional learning for anyone who works in the ISL field. Science and technology centers and museums, natural history museums, children’s museums, zoos, aquariums, nature centers, botanical...

The Self-Assessment is a tool for reflecting on your skills and knowledge as an ISL professional. The Self-Assessment is part of a broader project, Professional Pathways in Informal STEM Learning (ISL), which supports professional learning for anyone who works in the ISL field. Science and technology centers and museums, natural history museums, children’s museums, zoos, aquariums, nature centers, botanical gardens, planetariums,...

The Framework is a tool for exploring professional competencies across a broad range of ISL work. The Framework is part of a broader project, Professional Pathways in Informal STEM Learning (ISL), which supports professional learning for anyone who works in the ISL field. Science and technology centers and museums, natural history museums, children’s museums, zoos, aquariums, nature centers, botanical gardens,...

Museums and science centers offer rich STEM opportunities for teens, from climate advocacy to leadership development. But how can these institutions build sustainable, equity-centered collaborations with young people and their communities? This session shared outcomes from Creating Sustainable Community, Museum, and University Collaborations, a one-year NSF-AISL–funded partnership among researchers, informal science educators, and teen participants from ten museums and universities...

This paper offers a model of formative science assessment as an ongoing dialogic process for building understanding that is multimodal, embodied, and relational, rooted in cultural expression and collective sense-making....