!nformalScience.org: Building a Web Community for Informal Science

匹兹堡大学校外学习中心建议重新开发其网站http://www.informalscience.org，，该网站已成为致力于传播和发展非正规科学和学习知识的研究人员和从业人员的主要在线资源。重新设计的网站将包括更多多媒体元素、扩大的研究数据库和改进的搜索功能。该网站将扩大，增加季度非正式学习研究通讯(与美国教育研究协会合作)、会议报道、访谈文章、每月评估工具和技巧文章、新闻剪辑服务中的非正式科学、研究工具包和列表服务器。它还将包括访问者研究协会的数字化资源。该网站将支持继续建立一个累积的经验性研究机构，并改善研究与实践之间的联系。通过这样做，它将促进非正式STEM教育实践社区的持续发展。该项目将大大加强该领域基础设施的一个主要组成部分。

The University of Pittsburgh Center for Learning in Out-of-School Environments (UPCLOSE) proposes to redevelop its web-site, http://www.informalscience.org, which has become the primary online resource for researchers and practitioners dedicated to dissemination and development of knowledge about informal science and learning. The redesigned site will include more multimedia elements, an expanded research database and an improved search function. The site will be expanded by adding a quarterly Informal Learning Research newsletter (with the American Educational Research Association), conference reporting, interview articles, monthly evaluation tools and tips articles, Informal Science in the News clipping service, Research Toolkit and a listserv. It also will include digitized resources of the Visitor Studies Association.This web-site will support the continued creation of a cumulative body of empirical research and improve connections between research and practice. In so doing, it will foster the continued development of a community of practice in informal STEM education. This project will significantly enhance a major element of the infrastructure for this field.