Informal science learning at biological field stations

作为加强非正式环境中学习的总体战略的一部分，“推进非正式科学学习”计划资助创新研究、方法和资源，供各种环境使用。“探索之路”项目将科学家和科学课程专家与野外站负责人聚集在一起，研究生物野外站的非正式科学学习。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。有超过400个现场站，代表了大多数美国公民都可以使用的科学交流机制。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。虽然有很多通过外地站的外联活动进行非正式学习的例子，但人们对这些机构的总体情况知之甚少。本项目记录了实地研究站的外展工作，并探讨了外展活动如何吸引学习者、融入科学主题和解决科学学习问题之间的联系。通过创建外展本体（一个围绕外展活动的多维框架），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，这些研究人员试图了解在实地站开展了哪些非正式学习项目，以及这些活动如何融入非正式科学学习的更广泛背景。该项目将帮助外地站合作改善非正式的STEM学习活动，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。通过调查实地站来推进非正式STEM学习的一个特别好处是，参与实地站外展活动并受其影响的广泛人群和社区。

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.