Professional Pathways in ISL: Framework

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, planetariums, and other types of museums and cultural organizations play a vital role in stimulating public interest and engagement in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). Each year, hundreds of millions of people explore and learn about STEM topics through exhibits, educational programs, and community events. The success of those experiences depends on a skilled and knowledgeable ISL professional workforce. The Framework describes 66 competencies--organized across four domains--that ISL professionals have identified as central to their work.