Maximizing Collective Impact Through Cross-Sector Partnerships: Planning a SENCER and NISE Net Collaboration

国家科学和公民参与中心(NCSCE)将开展一个合作规划项目，以最大限度地发挥两个成熟的国家STEM学习网络的集体影响，这两个网络是国家非正式STEM教育网络(NISE NET)和新公民参与和责任科学教育(SENCER)。通过战略协作，利用各自的成就、资源和专业知识，合并后的网络可以推动非正式科学教育，使公民及其社区在应对复杂的公民挑战时参与并增强他们的能力。该项目将进行一项战略规划进程，以设想如何统一两个网络，以增加一个持久和可识别的基础设施，以促进跨部门合作，重点是将科学与公民参与联系起来。它得到了推进非正式STEM学习(AISL)计划的支持，该计划为各种环境下使用的研究和创新资源提供资金，作为其加强非正式环境中学习的整体战略的一部分。规划过程的项目目标是建立一个新的和扩大的国家基础设施，以提高科学中心和其他非正式学习组织的能力，通过关注公民问题来加强公众对科学的参与，并从高等教育机构获得新的合作伙伴、参与者和资源。该项目的核心活动将是一个分三个阶段的规划过程：第一阶段，对网络的资产、资源和地区互补性进行评估，并制定和调查关键的研究问题；第二阶段，举办规划讲习班，有来自正式和非正式科学领域的29名项目负责人和利益攸关方参加，以确定和制定具体的合作战略；第三阶段，对规划结果进行评估，并向网络传播规划结果，以及制定一个新的多年期项目，以加强国家正规和非正式STEM教育的基础设施。

The National Center for Science and Civic Engagement (NCSCE) will conduct a Collaborative Planning project to maximize the collective impact of two well-established national STEM learning networks, National Informal STEM Education Network (NISE Net) and Science Education for New Civic Engagements and Responsibilities (SENCER). Through a strategic collaboration that leverages their respective achievements, resources, and expertise, the combined networks can advance informal science education that engages and empowers citizens and their communities as they address the complex civic challenges. The project will conduct a strategic planning process to envision how to unify two networks to increase a durable and identifiable infrastructure for cross-sector collaboration focused on linking science and civic engagement. It is supported by the Advancing Informal STEM Learning (AISL) program funds research and innovative resources for use in a variety of settings, as a part of its overall strategy to enhance learning in informal environments. The project objective of the planning process is to create a new and expanded national infrastructure that will increase the capacity of science centers and other informal learning organizations to enhance the public's engagement with science through attention to civic issues, and access new partners, participants, and resources from higher education institutions. The project's core activity will be a three-stage planning process: Phase 1, an assessment of assets, resources, and regional complementarity of the networks, and the development and investigation of key research questions; Phase 2, a planning workshop involving 29 project leaders from both organizations and stakeholders from formal and informal science to identify and develop specific collaborative strategies; and Phase 3, an evaluation and dissemination of the planning results to the networks and the development of a new multi-year project to strengthen the national infrastructure for formal and informal STEM education.