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Identifying Outcomes

of Interest

Module 5

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Introduction

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By the end of this module, you will be able to...

Describe what a learning outcome is,
Become familiar with two learning outcomes frameworks, �
Identify unanticipated outcomes.

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What is a Learning Outcome?

What people learn from the educational experience

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Learning Outcomes

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Learning Outcomes Frameworks

Impact categories as they relate to public audiences �(NSF, 2008)

Six Strands of Informal Science Learning �(NRC, 2009)

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Impact Categories and Public Audiences

Awareness, knowledge or understanding
Engagement or interest
Attitude
Behavior
Skills
Other, Project specific

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(NSF, 2008)

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Awareness, Knowledge, Understanding

Connecting people to science and nature, or understanding and gaining appreciation of southern Appalachian ecology.

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(NSF, 2008)

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Engagement or Interest

To engage all ages in the diversity of the ocean through scientific discovery, or to connect people to the world of plantas, gardening, and horticulture

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(NSF, 2008)

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Attitude

Sparks imagination and discovery through play, or instills the love of nature and its beauty

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(NSF, 2008)

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Behavior

To encourage personal discovery about life and natural world.

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(NSF, 2008)

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Skills

To embrace science as a way of knowing, or to serve as an international center for avicultural training and research

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(NSF, 2008)

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Other

Project specific

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(NSF, 2008)

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6 Strands of Informal Science Learning

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Strand 1: Developing interest in science

Strand 2: Understanding science knowledge

Strand 3: Engaging in scientific reasoning

Strand 4: Reflecting on science

Strand 5: Engaging in scientific practices

Strand 6: Identifying with the Scientific Enterprise

(NRC, 2009)

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6 Strands of Informal Science Learning

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Strand 1: Developing interest in science

Positive feelings, experience, interest, motivation�

Assessment:

Body language, emotions like curiosity, interest, excitement, self-report survey, language analysis

(NRC, 2009)

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6 Strands of Informal Science Learning

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Strand 2: Understanding science knowledge

Small changes in content knowledge

Assessment:

Interviews, questionnaires, conversations, talk aloud method, rubrics, card sorts drawing

(NRC, 2009)

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6 Strands of Informal Science Learning

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Strand 3: Engaging in scientific reasoning

Activities and skills of science, using reasoning to understand experiences

Assessment:

Examining the learning process through video and audio reporting, self-report. No pre-test.

(NRC, 2009)

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6 Strands of Informal Science Learning

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Strand 4: Reflecting on science

A way of knowing/thinking and advancing science understanding

Assessment:

Interviews, questionnaires, how people construct knowledge, looking for change

(NRC, 2009)

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6 Strands of Informal Science Learning

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Strand 5: Engaging in scientific practices

Acting/thinking like a scientist, making a scientific argument, using scientific language and tools

Assessment:

Participation as engagement, #s, demographics, recording of visitor movements, web visits, ethnography

(NRC, 2009)

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6 Strands of Informal Science Learning

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Strand 6: Identifying with the Scientific Enterprise

Sense of belonging, ways in which agentic to learn and do science

Assessment:

Questionnaires, interviews, ethnographic artifacts, journals

(NRC, 2009)

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Learning Outcomes Frameworks

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Strand
Strand 1: Developing Interest in Science
Strand 2: Understanding Science Knowledge
Strand 3: Engaging in Scientific Reasoning
Strand 4: Reflecting on Science
Strand 5: Engaging in Scientific Practices
Strand 6: Identifying with the Scientific Enterprise

Impact Category
Awareness, Knowledge, or Understanding
Engagement of Interest
Attitude
Behavior
Skills
Other

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Unanticipated Outcomes

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(NSF, 2008)

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Wrap up/Highlights

An outcome is what people learn from the educational experience.
Two main frameworks for outcomes;

Impacts related to public audiences,
Six Strands of Informal Science Learning.

Unanticipated outcomes are those that have not been thought about during evaluation planning.

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Conclusion

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Think of the brainstorm at the beginning of the presentation.

Can you now categorize the outcomes you named using the learning outcomes frameworks?

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For further information

The National Science Foundation. (2008). Framework for Evaluating Impacts of Informal Science Education Projects. https://www.informalscience.org/sites/default/files/Eval_Framework.pdf�

National Research Council. (2009). Learning Science in Informal Environments. People, Places, and Pursuits. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/12190.

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In the next module you will be able to…

Understand the purpose of a theory of change,
Analyze a theory of change for plausibility, feasibility, and testability, and
Create a theory of change for your own project.

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Stay connected

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Visit us: https://research.ced.ncsu.edu/impactnc/

Dr. K.C. Busch

Assistant Professor of STEM Education

North Carolina State University | College of Education

kbusch@ncsu.edu

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Credits

K.C. Busch

Lynn Chesnut

Regina Ayala Chávez

Aimee Fraulo

Kathryn T. Stevenson

Katy May

Lincoln Larson

Madeline Hinckle

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