Partnership Development and Planning: Assessment of Maker Practices in Museums

该合作项目旨在解决近年来在全国许多科学和儿童博物馆开设的创客（有时称为修修补补）空间和相关项目的评估需求。 （这些学习空间使用动手和兴趣驱动的体验，通常使用传统和当前技术来支持，以培养用户的创造力和STEM技能。相对较新的创客运动缺乏评估技术来理解和改善这些空间中的学习体验。该项目的一个重要目标是解决这些创客空间在缺乏少数民族/种族社区和其他群体的青年和家庭参与的情况下的评估需求。该项目将建立一个合作网络，包括从事创客编程的博物馆工作人员、教育研究人员和社区顾问，以满足这一群体和更广泛的博物馆社区的创客相关评估需求。该项目将制作定义为广泛涵盖当今博物馆中各种各样的制作者编程，例如FabLab插入式制作，修补活动，制作相关展览，有针对性的研讨会，夏令营，课后计划，俱乐部，挑战和移动的制作计划。该项目将利用项目规划和探索会议、与美国各地博物馆的调查以及项目合作伙伴的反馈周期，深入了解博物馆的经验、目标和要求。该项目的调查，合作和网络将有助于确定关键评估结构的初步清单，以及各自制造商计划中数据收集和评估的现实（例如，评估工具的可用性、公平性和有用性）。该项目将考虑广泛的评估方法，这些方法将评估个人的学习经验，但也将研究学习环境、便利、文化/语言，并直接听取服务不足社区的意见，了解他们的价值。该项目将重视学习者的观点、文化资产和语言，并与可能无法得到博物馆创客空间有效服务的边缘化社区成员合作。该项目将产生：关于博物馆制作者社区评估需求的报告;确定制作者评估和相关研究的可行方法（强调公平）;以及一个由从业者，研究人员，该项目将通过各种创客社区和出版物与社区合作并共享项目资源。该项目由推进非正式STEM学习（AISL）资助。该计划支持以下项目：（a）促进研究和实践，考虑非正式STEM学习在STEM中的公平和归属感方面的作用;（B）促进STEM中的个人和教育成功;（c）推动公众参与科学发现;（d）培养对STEM职业的兴趣;（e）为有效的非正式STEM学习创建和加强理论和经验基础;该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This partnership project seeks to address the assessment needs of maker (sometimes called tinkering) spaces and relating programs that have opened in recent years in many science and children's museums across the country. (These learning spaces use hands-on and interest-driven experiences, often supported using traditional and current technologies to foster creativity and STEM skills among users.) The relatively new maker movement lacks assessment techniques to understand and improve learning experiences in these spaces. An important goal of the project is to address the assessment needs of these makerspaces in relation to the lack of participation of youth and families from ethnic/racial minority communities and other groups. The project will establish a collaborative network including museum staff engaged in maker programming, educational researchers, and community advisors from to address maker-related assessment needs of this group and the broader museum community. The project defines making is broadly to encompass the diverse range of maker programming found in museums today, such as FabLab drop-in making, tinkering activities, making-related exhibits, targeted workshops, summer camps, afterschool programs, clubs, challenges, and mobile making initiatives. The project will use project planning and exploration meetings, surveys with museums across the United States, and feedback cycles from project partners to gain insights into the experiences, goals, and requirements of museums. The project's survey, collaborations, and network will help identify a preliminary list of key assessment constructs, as well as the realities of data collection and assessment in their respective maker programs (e.g., the usability, equity, and usefulness of assessment tools). The project will consider a wide range of approaches to assessment that will individual learning experiences, but will also look at learning environments, facilitation, culture/language, and hearing directly from underserved communities on what they value. The project will value learners' perspectives, cultural assets, and language and collaborate with members of marginalized communities who may not be effectively served by museum makerspaces. The project will result in: a report on the assessment needs in the museum maker community; identification of promising approaches to maker assessment and related research (with an emphasis on equity); and a collaborative network of practitioners, researchers, and community who will continue the work.The project will work with and share project resources through a variety of maker communities and publications.This project is funded by the Advancing Informal STEM Learning (AISL) program, which supports projects that: (a) contribute to research and practice that considers informal STEM learning's role in equity and belonging in STEM; (b) promote personal and educational success in STEM; (c) advance public engagement in scientific discovery; (d) foster interest in STEM careers; (e) create and enhance the theoretical and empirical foundations for effective informal STEM learning; (f) improve community vibrancy; and/or (g) enhance science communication and the public's engagement in and understanding of STEM and STEM processes.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.