| NSF Org: |
DRL Division of Research on Learning in Formal and Informal Settings (DRL) |
| Recipient: |
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| Initial Amendment Date: | September 9, 2015 |
| Latest Amendment Date: | July 29, 2019 |
| Award Number: | 1515315 |
| Award Instrument: | Standard Grant |
| Program Manager: |
Ellen McCallie
emccalli@nsf.gov (703)292-5115 DRL Division of Research on Learning in Formal and Informal Settings (DRL) EDU Directorate for STEM Education |
| Start Date: | September 15, 2015 |
| End Date: | August 31, 2020 (Estimated) |
| Total Intended Award Amount: | $272,644.00 |
| Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $272,644.00 |
| Funds Obligated to Date: |
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| History of Investigator: |
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| Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
1500 SW JEFFERSON AVE CORVALLIS OR US 97331-8655 (541)737-4933 |
| Sponsor Congressional District: |
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| Primary Place of Performance: |
301 Weniger Hall Corvallis OR US 97331-8507 |
| Primary Place of
Performance Congressional District: |
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| Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): |
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| Parent UEI: |
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| NSF Program(s): | AISL |
| Primary Program Source: |
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| Program Reference Code(s): |
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| Program Element Code(s): |
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| Award Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Fund Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Assistance Listing Number(s): | 47.076 |
ABSTRACT
There is a growing body of evidence that informal learning environments focused on science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) disciplines cultivates an interest among young people in STEM careers and promotes understanding of STEM content knowledge and the scientific process. This project centers on the creation and validation of a theoretically grounded and empirically derived framework for professional growth and learning within the informal STEM learning (ISL) field ("Framework"). The Framework will be useful to ISL practitioners at any stage of their education or career by laying out the necessary skills, knowledge, and dispositions to guide their professional growth. While the immediate beneficiaries of the project will be ISL professionals themselves, the ultimate beneficiaries of the work will be the children, youth, teachers, and general public that engage with STEM experiences designed and implemented by a skilled and knowledgeable ISL professional workforce.
The Association of Science-Technology Centers, Oregon State University's Center for Research on Lifelong STEM Learning, Pacific Science Center, University of Washington Museology Department and the Lifelong Learning Group of the Center of Science and Industry in Columbus, OH (COSI Columbus) will collaborate to develop the ISL professional framework. The Framework will be built from qualitative and quantitative empirical analyses of actual practices used by staff of science centers and ISL institutions, assessing perceived and actual needs at various career stages, as well as an analysis of the creation and use of similar learning frameworks in other professions. The project will be conducted in three phases: (1) Literature review, research synthesis, and "Developing a Curriculum" (DACUM) workshops to develop a preliminary framework; (2) Stakeholder review and feedback in order to improve the preliminary framework; and, (3) Creation of an online platform to share the final framework draft and conduct iterative testing for utility and ISL community acceptance. The project will address two current and pressing issues: (1) Ensuring that professionals working in science center-type settings have the necessary knowledge and skills to apply the substantial and growing evidence base in ISL, and (2) Understanding and supporting the needs of the full range of ISL professionals during their basic education and at particular points throughout their careers. Effective support for ISL professionals requires, at the most basic level, a fundamental understanding of the knowledge, skills, and dispositions needed by working professionals at critical points along their career pathway if they are to use evidence-based practice in their work.
This project is being funded by the Advancing Informal STEM Learning (AISL) program, which seeks to advance new approaches to, and evidence-based understanding of, the design and development of STEM learning in informal environments.
PUBLICATIONS PRODUCED AS A RESULT OF THIS RESEARCH
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PROJECT OUTCOMES REPORT
Disclaimer
This Project Outcomes Report for the General Public is displayed verbatim as submitted by the Principal Investigator (PI) for this award. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this Report are those of the PI and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation; NSF has not approved or endorsed its content.
The Informal STEM Learning (ISL) Professional Competency Framework (www.islframework.org/) identifies the skills, knowledge, and capabilities that are associated with successful ISL work across most types of jobs and museum-type ISL institutions. The ISL Framework was developed by a collaboration of researchers, academics, and professionals, motivated by the belief that a shared, coherent, and transparent understanding of ISL professional competencies will support diverse learning paths, ultimately advancing the capacity and the impact of the field. The competencies were identified through research with a range of professionals working at diverse STEM-based and museum-type institutions across the country. This year concludes several years of iterative research, testing, revision, and a validation study with 1000 professionals across the ISL museum field.
The ISL Framework is organized to be useful and usable with the competencies divided into four domains. Two of the domains focus on understanding the ways institutions work in the ISL field and two focus on the way?s individuals work within their institution or organization. Each domain includes four categories of competencies, described at three levels of achievement.
Institutional Operations - This domain focuses on the ways that institutions and organizations operate. Categories of competencies include: Mission, Vision, & Goals; Structure; Policies; and Finances.
Institutional Impact - This domain describes the competencies that relate to the impact of institutions. Categories include: Audiences; Role; Equity & Diversity; Evaluation & Research.
General Expertise - This domain describes the ways individuals interact with their work and work environment. Categories include: Intrapersonal Knowledge & Skills; Interpersonal Knowledge & Skills; Communication; Creative & Analytical Thinking. These competencies are sometimes referred to as "soft skills."
Job-Specific Expertise - This domain describes the competencies that are specific to a person?s area of work. Categories include: Effective Practice; Efficient Practice; Evidence-based Practice; Professional Learning. These competencies are sometimes referred to as "technical skills" or "hard skills."
A website, a user's guide, two video segments, and other resources were developed to engage the field with the ISL Framework and were shared through regional and national workshops, conference presentations, and two peer-reviewed publications.
Broader Impacts: The ISL Professional Competency Framework has the potential to advance the effectiveness, efficiency, stability, and professional agency of individuals who are pursuing or engaging in ISL work by focusing their learning on specific competencies. By providing transparency and guidance, the ISL Framework also has the potential to connect and catalyze the mutual efforts of universities, professional organizations, institutions, and field-wide projects and initiatives focused on professional practices, ultimately advancing the capacity of the field. Individuals can use the ISL Framework to understand their current status and their desired status, based on their circumstances, their aspirations, and the role they want to play within the field. Institutions and organizations can use the framework to define position descriptions, hire new staff, plan professional development for existing staff or to align organizational capabilities with strategic goals. Academic programs can use the framework to shape internships, consider curriculum, or to mentor alumni. Encouraging and supporting the development of a highly skilled, committed, and diverse workforce can propel innovation, community engagement, and STEM learning across the field.
Intellectual Merit: The ISL Framework was informed by emerging conceptions about professions and the process of becoming a professional in the context of the 21st century global, digital, and diverse workplace. The ISL Framework is the first attempt within the science museum field writ large to define basic, intermediary and advanced skills and competencies needed to succeed in the profession, irrespective of the position that an individual holds. The ISL Framework supports self-directed and personalized learning paths that respond to the needs of individuals, institutions, organizations, and academic programs, advancing the professionalization of the field without compromising the values and practices of informal learning. While each job and each institution is unique, the competencies in this framework cut across most functions. They are the competencies that define professionalism in the ISL field. Peer reviewed articles in museum-focused and adult learning journals contribute to wider conversations about professional learning.
Last Modified: 10/19/2020
Modified by: Martin Storksdieck
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