What is informal science education?
Informal science education supports people of all ages and walks of life in exploring science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
The CAISE website offers inquiry group reports, articles, reports from National Science Foundation (NSF) funded conferences and workshops, and information about working with NSF support. Recently updated resources include: Legacy of YouthAlive! Transformative Youth Programs Continue to Thrive in Science Centers, NSF Influence on the Field of Informal Science Education, and the 2010 User-Friendly Handbook For Project Evaluation.
- The Legacy of YouthAlive! Transformative Youth Programs Continue to Thrive in Science Centers, Cary Sneider, Portland State University, Portland, Oregon, and Meg Burke, California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, California
Youth Achievement through Learning, Involvement, Volunteering, and Employment (YouthALIVE!) programs are characterized by intensive, multi-year engagement in the life of informal science institutions, including a wide variety of opportunities for science teaching, learning, and mentoring, and conducting scientific research. Evaluation studies show that youth involved in these programs have high rates of high school graduation, college enrollment, and pursuit of STEM careers...Read more
- NSF Influence on the Field of Informal Science Education, David A. Ucko, President, Museums + more
Education has been part of the mission of the NSF for the past 60 years. As part of that effort, the Public Understanding of Science (PUOS) and Informal Science Education (ISE) programs have had significant impact on the field of informal science education through investments in projects involving media, exhibitions, educational technology, community and youth programming, “citizen science,” evaluation, research, collaboration, and communities of practice... Read more
- The 2010 User-Friendly Handbook for Project Evaluation
This handbook is a revision of the National Science Foundation's 2002 User-Friendly Handbook for Project Evaluation (NSF 02-057). It provides project directors and principal investigators working with NSF with a basic guide for evaluating NSF's educational projects.... Read more