Insights
Key Takeaways from the Federal Strategic Plan for Advancing STEM Education and Cultivating STEM Talent Report for the Informal STEM Learning World
Dr. Sarah Dunifon discusses key takeaways from the recently-released Federal Strategic Plan for Advancing STEM Education and Cultivating STEM Talent Report for the informal STEM learning community.
Cheers to Informal STEM Education: Highlights from 2024 and Anticipations for 2025
The Improved Insights team recaps highlights of 2024, looks ahead to 2025, and provides some STEM activity recommendations for the holiday season.
How Slow Productivity Can Help You Incorporate Program Evaluation
Dr. Sarah Dunifon reviews “Slow Productivity” by Cal Newport and discusses how the methods in the book apply to incorporating evaluation work into projects.
Evaluation Policy Frameworks
Dr. Sarah Dunifon discusses who is currently guiding evaluation policy frameworks in the United States.
Who is Funding Informal STEM Education?
Dr. Sarah Dunifon outlines funders who support informal STEM education efforts in the United States.
Informal STEM Learning: Definitions, Contexts, and Impacts
Dr. Sarah Dunifon reviews the definitions and contexts of informal STEM education -based on her dissertation, An Examination of Evaluation Policies and Funding Priorities in Informal STEM Education.
A Review of Funding for Informal STEM Education
Dr. Sarah Dunifon reviews funders of informal STEM education -based on her dissertation, An Examination of Evaluation Policies and Funding Priorities in Informal STEM Education.
Evaluation Policies and Their Influence on Informal STEM Education
Dr. Sarah Dunifon discusses evaluation policies -based on her dissertation, An Examination of Evaluation Policies and Funding Priorities in Informal STEM Education.
Summer Sabbatical Adventures: National Parks, Museums, and Backyard Campfires
Dr. Sarah Dunifon shares reflections and experiences from her recent sabbatical.
Resources for Evaluation Project Management
Emily Neill, Evaluation Assistant at Improved Insights, shares resources for evaluation project management.
Sweating the Small Stuff: Evaluation Project Planning
Emily Neill, Evaluation Assistant at Improved Insights, shares the value of a detail-oriented mindset in evaluation practices.
Introduction to “An Examination of Evaluation Policies and Funding Priorities in Informal STEM Education”
Improved Insights introduces Dr. Sarah Dunifon’s dissertation, An Examination of Evaluation Policies and Funding Priorities in Informal STEM Education
Helpful Tools: Practical Applications of A.I. Tools for Informal STEM Education Evaluation
This week we highlight two A.I. tools for informal STEM education evaluation.
Does Science Still Have a Seat at the Table?
This feature, we pass the mic to Holly Miller, PhD who discusses how out-of-school time as a remedy to dropping scores in math and science.
A Brief Review of Informal STEM Education Evaluator Competency Frameworks
For this feature, we examine a few evaluator competency frameworks and discuss their importance to the evaluation field.
Informal STEM Education Fellowship Directory
Check out our new tool for those in the Informal STEM Education community - our Informal STEM Education Fellowship Directory!
Why the Citizen Science Association Changed its Name and Embraced Participatory Science
This edition, we talk about the Citizen Science Association’s (CSA) name change to the Association for Advancing Participatory Sciences (AAPS), the reason for the change, and what it means for informal science educators.
Helpful Tools: Informalscience.org
This edition, we explore the rich resources for informal STEM educators found on informalscience.org
A.I. Tools for Informal STEM Education
As a part of our ongoing commitment to enhancing the informal STEM learning community, we’ve begun a database of AI tools that may be helpful for informal STEM learning professionals.