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Session Title: Measuring Outcomes and Building Capacity Within the Informal Science Education Program at National Science Foundation: What Every Evaluator Should Know
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Panel Session 469 to be held in Sebastian Section L3 on Friday, Nov 13, 9:15 AM to 10:45 AM
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Sponsored by the Organizational Learning and Evaluation Capacity Building TIG
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| Chair(s): |
| Leslie Goodyear, National Science Foundation, lgoodyea@nsf.gov
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| Abstract:
This session will provide participants with an overview of the Informal Science Education (ISE) Program at the National Science Foundation (NSF) and describe ongoing efforts to promote evaluation within the ISE program. NSF Program Directors will present findings from two recent portfolio review efforts: (a) a trend analysis of the ISE portfolio conducted by the Portfolio Inquiry Group [Center for Advancement of Informal Science Education (CAISE) and NSF] and (b) a portfolio review of ISE media projects. Two other major ISE evaluation activities will be presented: 1) A primary author of the Framework for Evaluating Impacts of Informal Science Education Projects-the guide that shapes project evaluation within the ISE program-will discuss what evaluators need to know about using this guide to frame evaluations; and 2) The Senior Study Director leading the development and implementation of the ISE project management system will present the Online Program Monitoring System, used to document the collective impact of the ISE portfolio of funded projects, monitor participants' activities and accomplishments, and obtain information that can inform design and implementation of future ISE projects. The implications of these ISE evaluative efforts on the field and potential ISE project evaluators will be discussed.
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Trend Analyses: Understanding the Informal Science Education (ISE) Project Portfolio and Evaluations
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| Monya Ruffin, National Science Foundation, mruffin@nsf.gov
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This session will highlight the results of a recent trend analysis of the ISE project portfolio conducted by the Porfolio Inquiry Group; consisting of representatives from the Center for Advancement of Informal Science Education (CAISE), Inverness Research, and NSF. In addition, this session will present the results of an internal evaluation of ISE media project summative evaluations submitted in the past five years for television, radio, film, and cyberlearning projects.
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Using the Framework for Evaluating Impacts of Informal Science Education Projects
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| Sue Allen, National Science Foundation, sallen@nsf.gov
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The Framework for Evaluating Impacts of Informal Science Education Projects was developed to introduce the Informal Science Education audience to spark a field-wide discussion about evaluation. As one of the authors of the Framework, the presenter will share how it supports ISE projects in conducting evaluations, its relationship to other ISE evaluation efforts and how it has been influential in shaping evaluation in the ISE field.
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The Informal Science Education (ISE) Project Management System: An Examination of the ISE Portfolio and the Implications of the findings to the Field and Potential ISE Evaluators
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| Gary Silverstein, Westat, silverg1@westat.com
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This session will provide participants with an overview of the OPMS, an online project management system collaboratively designed and implemented by NSF and Westat. The Senior Study Director will present the project management system, which is used to document the collective impact of the ISE portfolio of funded projects and monitor participants' activities and accomplishments. Discussion will include connections to the other ISE evaluation activities and the relevance of the monitoring system to evaluators of ISE projects.
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