Informal science learning at biological field stations

作为在非正式环境中加强学习的总体战略的一部分，推进非正式科学学习计划为各种环境中使用的创新研究、方法和资源提供资金。这一探索路径项目将科学家和科学课程专家与实地考察站负责人聚集在一起，研究生物野外考察站的非正式科学学习。其目的是了解和评价作为非科学界非正式和持久科学学习中心的实地站的独特品质。有400多个野外监测站，代表着一种科学交流机制，如果对大多数美国公民有效的话。该项目是德克萨斯农工大学和科罗拉多州立大学的合作项目。野外考察站通常从事非正式的科学学习。虽然通过外地办事处的外联活动进行非正式学习的例子很多，但对这些机构总体上正在发生的情况知之甚少。该项目记录了外地办事处的外展工作，并探讨了外展活动如何吸引学习者、纳入科学专题和解决科学学习之间的联系。通过建立一个外展本体论，这是一个围绕外展活动的多层面框架，这项工作为非正式科学研究人员提供了宝贵的资源和参考，他们试图了解总部外办事处开展了哪些非正式学习项目，以及这些活动如何适应更广泛的非正式科学学习。该项目将帮助总部外办事处合作改进非正式的STEM学习活动，方法是将他们聚集在一起讨论他们的努力，并开发一个公开的、可搜索的数据库，详细介绍他们的活动。通过调查外地站来推进非正式的STEM学习的一个特别好处是，参与外地站外联活动并受其影响的人和社区范围很广。

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.