What is informal science education?
Informal science education supports people of all ages and walks of life in exploring science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
News & Comments
In March 2007, NSF held a two-day workshop on evaluating the impact of projects supported by its Informal Science Education (ISE) program. The workshop attendees included highly experienced evaluators from all of the areas of ISE support, including museum exhibitions, community group projects, films and television, but it also attracted ...[More]
2 comments | Posted February 20, 2008 at 12:50 am in About NSF
As CAISE gets up and running, we’re working with what we call Inquiry Groups to harvest insights about the impact of informal science education (ISE) and lessons we’re learning together about good practice.
CAISE Inquiry Groups are composed of people working in and studying the ISE field. They are organizing around ...[More]
5 comments | Posted May 2, 2008 at 3:50 am in Inquiry Groups
As Wendy Pollock mentioned in her last post, one of the first CAISE Inquiry Groups is examining the topic of "Public Participation in Research." Specifically this group is examining the many informal science education programs, projects, and activities that have been developed over the past two decades to involve the ...[More]
1 comment | Posted May 27, 2008 at 2:50 am in Inquiry Groups
In a November 2008 report examining the first five years of the Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences, the National Board for Education Sciences highlights the need for continued federal support for educational research. The report references a National Research Council committee's conclusion in 1999 that "One striking fact ...[More]
0 comments | Posted January 5, 2009 at 12:29 pm in General
NAEd Releases Education Policy White Papers
The National Academy of Education has developed six white papers designed to connect policymakers in the new administration and Congress with research evidence on education policy issues. On November 18, 2008, drafts of these white papers were presented at the Education Policy in Transition ...[More]
0 comments | Posted January 12, 2009 at 1:38 pm in General
Today, the (U.S.) National Research Council (NRC) released its highly-anticipated report Learning Science in Informal Environments: Places, People, and Pursuits. According to the NRC, "tens of millions of Americans, young and old, choose to learn about science in informal ways - by visiting museums and aquariums, attending after-school programs, ...[More]
5 comments | Posted January 14, 2009 at 9:55 am in General
What can informal science education contribute to efforts to engage publics with science-related issues? That's the main focus of a report now available on the CAISE website, Many Experts, Many Audiences: Public Engagement with Science and Informal Science Education (PDF, 3MB). The report sums up ...[More]
1 comment | Posted March 14, 2009 at 10:25 am in Inquiry Groups
Alan Friedman sends word of an opportunity to represent informal science education in discussions of new science education standards. Alan is a member of the governing board for the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), the U.S. Department of Education's "National Report Card," which measures what U.S. ...[More]
0 comments | Posted March 25, 2009 at 4:14 pm in About informal science education
Over the coming year, in response to what we've heard from you, CAISE Inquiry Groups will be working to synthesize evidence and foster conversation across the field about the contributions of informal science education (ISE) in its many and varied forms. Here’s the concept: Much if not most of STEM ...[More]
11 comments | Posted March 30, 2009 at 5:00 pm in Inquiry Groups
Looking for assessment tools to help evaluate quality and outcomes of informal science programs? ATIS (Assessment Tools in Informal Science), a searchable database of tools for evaluating science learning and child outcomes in out-of-school programs, is now available.
ATIS was developed by PEAR, the Harvard ...[More]
1 comment | Posted April 17, 2009 at 9:29 am in About informal science education