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The story of the field of visitor studies is long and somewhat winding—and it continues to grow and evolve. Visitor studies professionals are focused on all facets of the visitor experience in museums, zoos, nature centers, visitor centers, historic sites, parks and other informal learning settings. They are committed to understanding and enhancing visitor experiences ... Read more

At the 2023 the Visitor Studies Association virtual conference, new and returning attendees will need to confront exclusionary practices and discuss ways to broaden the field by examining evaluative insights from staff and volunteers not traditionally included in evaluation. By acknowledging and welcoming the experience, skill, and knowledge that all staff and individuals provide, attendees can ... Read more

The Visitor Studies Association represents a community of evaluation practitioners and visitor advocates who draw on many of the same norms and best practices, cultivated and refined over decades of experience and learning. As we gather once again in person, it is an opportune moment to critically examine our collective perspectives and knowledge, to capitalize ... Read more

The 2014 Visitor Studies Association (VSA) Annual Conference will take place in Albuquerque, New Mexico from July 15-19, 2014. The conference is an opportunity for the informal learning community to gather and pose questions, explore diverse opinions, debate controversial issues, challenge assumptions, and share successes and struggles. This year’s theme is Building Capacity for Evaluation: ... Read more

The Visitor Studies Association is pleased to announce the call for proposals for the 2015 conference in Indianapolis, IN. The conference will take place July 16-18, 2015 with the theme: Taking Action for Improvement, Growth, and Social Change. Please find the full guidelines on the VSA conference website. The 2015 conference offers a venue for ... Read more

The Visitor Studies Association is hosting the 33rd Annual Visitor Studies Association Conference on July 12–14, 2022 in Omaha, Nebraska. The theme is “Creating Space and Coming Together”. Visit the conference website here.

The Visitor Studies Group is hosting their Visitor Studies Group Conference 2022 on May 12-13 2022 in London and online. The theme is “Evaluation challenges: From troubles to triumphs and everything in between”. Proposals are due January 31 2022. More information is here.

  Overview Through personally meaningful and emotional connections and experiences, zoos strive to inspire their visitors to become stewards for the natural world and care for animals (both in the zoo and the wild).  Research has shown that people are more knowledgeable about and interested in conserving animals and the natural world after a zoo ... Read more

The 2018 STEM for All Video Showcase: Transforming the Educational Landscape is live now through Monday, May 21. Funded by the (U.S.) National Science Foundation (NSF), this fourth annual event features more than 200 short videos of federally funded projects doing groundbreaking work in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education. The showcase provides the ... Read more

The Visitor Studies Association (VSA) is pleased to announce its 2017 Call for Posters. The deadline for submission is April 7, 2017. The VSA Conference, with the theme New Pathways in Visitor Studies, will take place July 18-22, 2017 in Columbus, Ohio.

The Visitor Studies Association (VSA) seeks proposals for session presentations and workshops for the 2017 conference in Columbus, OH July 18-22.  VSA seeks to foster a sense of community among its members, who gather once a year to pose intriguing questions, explore diverse opinions, debate controversial issues, challenge assumptions and share their successes and their ... Read more

The Visitor Studies Association (VSA) launched a newly redesigned website at its 28th Annual Conference in July 2015. The website can be found at http://www.visitorstudies.org/. Site features, including email groups, job boards, and more, will continue to be migrated over upcoming weeks.

Is your school or school district transitioning to implementation of more inquiry-based and phenomena-based STEM instruction? The Wade Institute for Science Education’s interactive science professional learning programs provide resources for educators to engage the curiosity and wonder of students by bringing inquiry and phenomena based teaching strategies into their current teaching practices! The Wade Institute ... Read more

The Wade Institute for Science Education is offering approved courses for the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s Accelerating Science: Open Access Professional Learning program. These professional learning workshops are free for eligible Massachusetts educators. Register for any of the events below at  https://www.wadeinstitutema.org/oapl.  Learn more about the MA DESE OAPL program: https://www.doe.mass.edu/instruction/ela/oapl Building a ... Read more

Get ready to Rise to the Challenge in this Focus Workshop series based on our Massachusetts STEM Week Challenges. From extreme weather to deserted islands and zoo makeovers, there’s a challenge for everyone! Experience a variety of hands-on, inquiry-based STEM activities designed to support your students in using the Science and Engineering Practices. Explore how ... Read more

This professional learning opportunity is an Approved Course for the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s Accelerating Science: Open Access Professional Learning. It is free for eligible Massachusetts educators! Check your eligibility to attend for free and learn more about the MA DESE OAPL program: https://www.doe.mass.edu/instruction/ela/oapl   Whales’ Tales, Turtle Hurdles, and Migration Phenomena ... Read more

STEAM and Earth Science A hybrid professional workshop for grades 4-6 educators An Approved Course for MA DESE’s Accelerating Science: Open Access Professional Learning Explore space science, Earth’s system, and Earth’s place in the universe with the Wade Institute for Science Education and our collaborating partners the Springfield Science Museum and the Bassett Planetarium at ... Read more

Connecting Science and Literacy in the Elementary Classroom A 3-day professional learning opportunity for grades 3-5 educators Join the Wade Institute and Hitchcock Center for the Environment for an exciting 3-day professional learning institute! Engage in minds-on, hands-on learning which will provide you with science knowledge, classroom investigations aligned to the standards, books for your ... Read more

Watershed Science and Engineering in the Berkshires A Summer Professional Development Institute for Grades 6-12 Educators Enjoy a week in the Berkshires in collaboration with local scientists and engineers, conservation organizations and higher education faculty to explore how engineering supports natural systems and habitats in Berkshire County. Join the Wade Institute for Science Education and ... Read more

Considering whether to volunteer to be an NSF Advancing Informal STEM Learning (AISL) reviewer?  Here’s some information to help you decide if you are a good fit. Each year, the NSF AISL program looks for peer reviewers.  New reviewers often have questions about the commitment to review. This slide deck is to help you understand what ... Read more

NIMBioS/NISER Webinar series presents: NSF INCLUDES Evaluation-Focused Webinars   Effective program evaluation is an essential component of STEM education and workforce development. These no-cost evaluation-focused webinars will help you develop evaluation plans that meet the needs of INCLUDES (Inclusion across the Nation of Communities of Learners of Underrepresented Discoverers in Engineering and Science) Pilot and ... Read more

Resources » Project Planner Overview Get Oriented Understand the Field Learn from Practice and Research Review the Literature Build Partnerships Develop Equitable Partnerships Collaborate with Community Partner with STEM Practitioners and Researchers Find Project Partners See Examples Read Project Stories Watch Project Videos When you’re working on developing a new project or program, project videos ... Read more

On remote Pacific islands, water insecurity is growing. More frequent and severe floods and droughts, rising sea levels, and development threaten already limited potable water supplies. In response, Water for Life (WfL; NSF AISL award 1224185) is building communities’ water literacy while improving their access to high quality drinking water. Organized and run through Pacific ... Read more

As part of our ongoing efforts to gather important insights from the ISE community, we are offering this listening session as an alternative mode to our  ISE Equity Matters Survey.

The Center for Advancement of Informal Science Education (CAISE) is looking for a Communications Coordinator to join our Washington, DC-based team.  Note that we are also hiring a Senior Manager of Community and Project Manager. Learn more about our recent team transitions. CAISE is based at the Association of Science-Technology Centers (ASTC) in Washington, DC. The position is full-time, 40 hours per week and is ... Read more