Collaborative Research: Effective environmental workshop facilitation and local community action

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STEM学习(AISL)计划寻求促进非正式环境中STEM学习的设计和发展的新方法和基于证据的理解。这包括为扩大获得和参与STEM学习经验提供多种途径，推进对非正式环境中STEM学习的创新研究和评估，以及加深参与者对更深层次学习的理解。这个服务于实践的研究项目考察了非正式的基于地点的协作学习如何支持与当前环境变化相关的当地社区的规划过程。作为这项研究的一部分，研讨会将在8个社区举行，这些社区根据最近的极端环境变化，如干旱/野火、洪水、入侵物种或本地野生动物的丧失，制定了一系列规划任务。以地方为基础的适应讲习班将被设计成与当地相关，并使人们能够学习并根据他们新获得的理解采取行动。当地社区的集体行动可包括一系列决定(例如，改变基础设施，如在沿海社区修建防御海平面上升的设施，或改善道路质量以抵御更高的温度)。集体行动还可能导致整个社区的行为变化，例如个人用水减少或农民种植不同的作物。这项研究将侧重于在全国各地社区的8个讲习班中使用的方法的有效性。研究目标包括：1)确定专家对成功研讨会的最关键组成部分的信念；2)了解以前的研讨会结果；3)测试假设的有效做法，并了解学习如何发生以及集体行动是否发生。该项目涉及AISL招标的主要优先事项，包括对STEM非正式学习领域的战略影响、促进合作和建设专业能力。正如征集中所描述的那样，它同时吸引了公众和专业观众。公众受众包括8个社区中每一个社区的利益相关者，如社区环境组织、非政府组织、企业、土地所有者和当地政府规划者。专业受众包括将接受实验讲习班方法培训的讲习班科学家和主持人。该项目建立并扩展了AISL现有的科学传播项目组合，如科学咖啡馆、科学节、科学媒体和基于图书馆的项目。这是EcoAdapt和弗吉尼亚理工大学的合作项目，参与者来自国家公园保护协会、沙漠研究所和野生动物保护协会等。研究将分两个阶段进行。第一阶段旨在确定以协商一致为基础的有效做法，以促进适应讲习班的学习和行动。它包括一项德尔福研究，旨在综合全美各地经验丰富的研讨会主持人对有效实践的看法。第二阶段包括在不同社区反复设计和研究八个适应讲习班，这些讲习班具有一系列规划任务和最近的极端天气经验。通过反复修改研讨会的设计，该研究将阐明不同的研讨会组件如何影响参与者的学习、个人行为意图以及随后的集体行动努力。整个研究设计将考察教学和协作技术与学习者成果和集体行动的关系。其中许多经验教训可能与其他协作的非正式科学学习环境相关。这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

As part of its overall strategy to enhance learning in informal environments, the Advancing Informal STEM Learning (AISL) program seeks to advance new approaches to, and evidence-based understanding of, the design and development of STEM learning in informal environments. This includes providing multiple pathways for broadening access to and engagement in STEM learning experiences, advancing innovative research on and assessment of STEM learning in informal environments, and developing understandings of deeper learning by participants. This Research in Service to Practice project examines how informal place-based collaborative learning can support local communities' planning processes related to current environmental changes. As a part of this study workshops will be conducted in 8 communities that have a range of planning mandates based on recent extreme environmental changes such as drought/wildfires, flooding, invasive species, or loss of native wildlife. Place-based adaptation workshops will be designed to be locally relevant and empower people to learn and act on their newly acquired understandings. Local community collective actions may include a range of decisions (e.g., infrastructure changes such as building defenses against sea level rise in coastal communities or improving the quality of roads to withstand higher temperatures.) Collective action may also lead to community wide behavioral changes such as individuals using less water or farmers planting different crops. The study will focus on the efficacy of the methods used in 8 workshops in communities throughout the country. Research objectives include: 1) identifying experts' belief about the most critical components of successful workshops; 2) Understanding of prior workshop outcomes and 3) test hypothesized effective practices and understand how learning takes place and collective action does or does not take place. The project addresses key AISL solicitation priorities including strategic impact on the field of informal STEM learning, advancing collaboration, and building professional capacity. It engages both public and professional audiences as described in the solicitation. Public audiences include stakeholders in each of the 8 communities such as community environmental groups, NGOs, businesses, landowners, and local government planners. Professional audiences include the workshop scientists and facilitators who will be trained in the experimental workshop approach. The project builds upon and expands the existing AISL portfolio of science communication projects such as science cafes, science festivals, science media, and library based projects. This is a collaborative project of EcoAdapt and Virginia Tech with participants from the National Parks Conservation Association, the Desert Research Institute, and the Wildlife Conservation Society and others.The research will progress through two phases. Phase 1 is designed to identify consensus-based effective practices for promoting learning and action in adaptation workshops. It includes a Delphi study to synthesize beliefs about effective practices held by experienced workshop facilitators across the United States. Phase 2 includes iterative design and research of eight adaptation workshops in various communities with a range of planning mandates and recent extreme weather experience. By iteratively revising the workshop design, the study will elucidate how different workshop components influence participant learning, individual behavioral intentions, and subsequent efforts toward collective action. The overall research design will examine the relationships of pedagogical and collaborative techniques to learner outcomes and collective action. Many of these lessons are likely relevant to other collaborative informal science learning contexts.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.