Partnership Development and Planning: Assessment of Maker Practices in Museums

这个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（有时被称为修补）空间和相关项目的评估需求。（这些学习空间使用实践和兴趣驱动的体验，通常使用传统和当前技术来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的学习经验。该项目的一个重要目标是解决这些创客空间的评估需求，因为这些创客空间缺乏来自少数民族/种族社区和其他群体的青年和家庭的参与。该项目将建立一个协作网络，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，以解决这个群体和更广泛的博物馆社区的创客相关评估需求。该项目对制作的定义是广泛的，包括今天在博物馆中发现的各种各样的创客编程，如FabLab现场制作、修补活动、与制作相关的展览、有针对性的工作坊、夏令营、课外活动、俱乐部、挑战和移动制作计划。该项目将通过项目规划和探索会议，与美国各地的博物馆进行调查，以及项目合作伙伴的反馈循环，来深入了解博物馆的经验、目标和需求。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情况（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，以评估个人的学习经历，但也将关注学习环境、便利、文化/语言，并直接听取服务不足社区的意见。该项目将重视学习者的观点、文化资产和语言，并与可能无法通过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：博物馆创客社区评估需求报告；确定有希望的制造商评估方法和相关研究（重点是公平）；以及一个由从业者、研究人员和社区组成的协作网络，他们将继续这项工作。该项目将通过各种创客社区和出版物与项目资源合作和共享。该项目由推进非正式STEM学习（AISL）计划资助，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公平和归属方面的作用；(b)促进个人和教育在STEM方面的成功；(c)促进公众参与科学发现；(d)培养对STEM职业的兴趣；(e)为有效的非正式STEM学习创造和加强理论和经验基础；(f)改善社区活力；及/或(g)加强科学传播和公众对STEM和STEM过程的参与和理解。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，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.