Informal Science Education (ISE)

The ISE program supports innovation in anywhere, anytime, lifelong learning, through investments in research, development, infrastructure, and capacity-building for STEM learning outside formal school settings.

Estimated Number of Awards: 46 Approximately 8 Research, 8 Pathways, 17 Full-Scale Development, 3 Broad Implementation, and 10 Communicating Research to Public Audiences awards will be made per year.

Anticipated Funding Amount: $25,000,000 in FY 2011 for new awards, pending availability of funds.

Research and evaluation: The ISE program seeks to build the theoretical and empirical foundations for effective informal STEM learning; to advance the assessment of such learning; and to support the application of innovative methods to address questions of importance to those who live or work in informal science education settings. Investigators proposing to conduct research about informal STEM learning should clearly articulate the importance of such research to the informal science education field, the specific approaches that will be used, and how the research process and findings would be evaluated and disseminated. Researchers are encouraged to involve informal learning practitioners as partners in their projects. Evaluation is another means by which the field advances, assessing the effectiveness of various models and approaches, and is a required component of all projects.

Design and development: Investment in models, resources, and programs for STEM learning throughout the lifespan is a core element of the ISE program. Proposals can utilize a broad range of communication formats and experiences, such as mobile and broadcast media, virtual learning environments, exhibitions, films, citizen science, and after-school and/or out-of-school programs. Particularly encouraged are cross-format proposals that help learners identify and navigate among multiple resources, both new and existing, to develop their own STEM-related identities over time. Investigators proposing to develop models, products or tools should make a case for the innovative contributions of such deliverables. They should provide a plan for the systematic evaluation of their effectiveness and a plan for substantial dissemination of promising practices for engaging the public in STEM learning.

Infrastructure: The ISE program also encourages individual proposals to take a systemic perspective in reaching public or professional audiences. This could involve building innovative platforms with multiple uses, creating virtual organizations, utilizing scientific networks, building cross-sector partnerships, or developing connections among the wealth of existing informal science education resources in the physical and online worlds. Such approaches advance the field toward a more seamless informal learning infrastructure in which participants can learn anywhere and anytime, and are deliberately supported to deepen their STEM expertise over their lifetimes.

Capacity-building: The ISE program seeks proposals to build the STEM and education expertise of informal science education’s broad community of professionals, volunteers, parents and caregivers, and all those with potential to facilitate the learning of others. Proposals with a capacity-building aspect should make a case for the innovation in the approach and the strategic importance of involving the particular community targeted by the proposal. Proposers should also provide a plan for the systematic evaluation of the capacity-building outcomes and the dissemination of contributions to knowledge building in informal STEM learning and education. The program particularly encourages proposals that have the potential to transform informal STEM learning, to diversify the field, or support broader use of existing research, evaluation, and best practices. Partnerships among creators of informal science education experiences, STEM experts, and learning researchers are highly desirable.