Informal science learning at biological field stations

作为其整体战略的一部分，以加强在非正式环境中的学习，推进非正式科学学习计划的资金创新的研究，方法和资源，用于在各种设置。这一探索途径项目将科学家和科学课程专家与实地站领导人聚集在一起，研究生物实地站的非正式科学学习。其目的是了解和评估外地站的非正式和持久的科学学习为非科学界的中心的独特品质。有400多个野外站，代表了一个科学交流机制，如果大多数美国公民都可以使用的话。这个项目是德克萨斯A M大学和科罗拉多州立大学的合作项目。野外工作站通常从事非正式的科学学习。虽然有通过外地工作站的外联活动进行非正式学习的很好的例子，但人们对这些机构总体上发生的情况知之甚少。该项目记录了实地站的外联工作，并探讨了外联活动如何吸引学习者、纳入科学主题和解决科学学习问题之间的联系。通过创建一个外展本体论，围绕外展活动的多维框架，这项工作提供了一个宝贵的资源和参考，非正式的科学研究人员寻求了解什么非正式学习项目在外地站进行，以及这些活动如何融入更广泛的背景下，非正式的科学学习。该项目将帮助外地工作站开展合作，改进非正式的STEM学习活动，方法是将它们聚集在一起讨论它们的努力，并开发一个公开的、可搜索的数据库，详细介绍它们的活动。通过调查现场工作站促进非正式STEM学习的一个特别好处是，参与现场工作站外联活动并受其影响的人员和社区范围广泛。

As part of its overall strategy to enhance learning in informal environments, the Advancing Informal Science Learning program funds innovative research, approaches and resources for use in a variety of settings. This Exploratory Pathways project brings together scientists and science curriculum experts with field station leaders to study informal science learning at biological field stations. The objective is to understand and evaluate the unique qualities of field stations as centers of informal and enduring science learning for the non-science community. There are over 400 field stations and represent a science communication mechanism that if available to most US citizens. This project is a collaboration between Texas A&M University and Colorado State University.Field stations typically engage in informal science learning. While there are great examples of informal learning through outreach activities at field stations, little is known about what is happening in the aggregate at these establishments. This project documents the outreach work of field stations and explores the connections between how the outreach activities engage learners, incorporate science topics, and address science learning. By creating an Outreach Ontology, a multidimensional framework around the outreach activities, this work provides a valuable resource and reference to informal science researchers who seek to understand what informal learning projects are undertaken at field stations, and how these activities fit into the broader context of informal science learning. This project will help field stations collaborate on improving informal STEM learning activities by bringing them together to discuss their efforts and by developing a publicly available, searchable database detailing their activities. A particular benefit to advancing informal STEM learning by investigating field stations is the broad range of people and communities that are involved with and affected by field station outreach activities.