Informal Science Education (ISE) programs have been increasing in popularity in recent years. The National Research Council has laid out six strands that ISE programs should try to address, including increasing interest, knowledge, and allowing participants to engage in scientific activities. Past research suggests that informal settings can…

"portal: Libraries and the Academy" has as its mission to address library and information services in a campus-wide context, focusing on librarians' engagement with learning services, joint technology initiatives, cross-disciplinary and cross-functional research, faculty partnerships, and scholarly publishing and public policy, but…

In its broadest and historical sense, place-based education refers to education that occurs outside of the physical boundaries of a school building (Dewey 1910; Sobel 1996; Theobald 1997; Woodhouse and Knapp 2000). Place-based education, colloquially referred to as the "field trip", is predominantly considered a pedagogic tool of the…

This article focuses on the implementation and evaluation of "Art in the Moment," a collaborative program between the Art Institute of Chicago and CJE SeniorLife, a non-profit eldercare organization and service provider for the Chicago area. We joined together to develop and offer "Art in the Moment" as an arts-based…

This paper reports on the findings from the STEM Educators Academy, an ExpandED Schools initiative where classroom teachers and after-school educators engage in joint professional development at premiere science institutions, then work together back at their schools to teach maker-design projects that spark student interest and cultivate curiosity…

While multiple valid measures exist for assessing outcomes of environmental education (EE) programs, the field lacks a comprehensive and logistically feasible common instrument that can apply across diverse programs. We describe a participatory effort for identifying and developing crosscutting outcomes for Environmental Education in the…

This article describes Children's Museum of Pittsburgh's multi-phase approach to developing professional development (PD) for its maker educators. Researchers engaged maker educator staff in research-practice partnerships at each stage of the process, with the intention of supporting maker educators in developing their practice. Grounded in…

The aim of this study was to investigate how the contextual vocabulary exploration processes of English as a Foreign Language learners can be facilitated in a mobile-supported situated learning environment. A Science and Technology Museum populated with interactive science experiments was chosen as the situated learning context. A mobile…

Anthropologist James Clifford published his influential essay "Museums as Contact Zones" in 1997. He explored the aspects and limits of museums as contact zones in the globalized world, and focused on the museum's role in cross-cultural dialogue in the twentieth century. In "A New Tradition: A Reflection on Collaboration and Contact…

Visual art teachers have often been the producers and directors of their own curricula, turning to various resources and objectives (local, state, and national) to form their own sets of standards. Common Core State Standards (CCSS) have provided new opportunities to integrate the arts into content-based curricula. The author, a classroom art…

In 2012, the Smithsonian Center for Learning and Digital Access (SCLDA) launched Smithsonian Quests, an online program for student self-directed learning that is recognized and rewarded with digital badges. This article examines the rationale, development, implementation, and outcomes of the Smithsonian Quests program, lessons learned along the…

Many schools in industrialized and developing countries are now using mobiles devices. This has the potential to connect learning that occurs in classrooms and museums. This article focuses on the use of iPads by a year 6 class (12 years old) in Sydney Australia, which were used both in the classroom and on a museum excursion. The study uses a…

Reminiscence programs that stimulate participants' memories through discussion are popular as both enrichment activity and clinical treatment for older adults. Museums in multiple countries are starting to offer reminiscence opportunities on-site and through outreach. This study is an investigation of the qualities of the participant experience in…

This year's annual report features experts from across the Smithsonian whose work represents the best of innovation for the public good. They provide an excellent bird's-eye view of the many new approaches Smithsonian is taking, each with the goal of opening new opportunities for learning and discovery.

We present, in this article, an investigation about the potential of the relationship between formal and non-formal educational environments. Therefore it is not an empirical research, but an essay on the topic. This paper demonstrates the concept that science education and science outreach can be privileged by actions that are developed by closer…