Decoding Evaluation in Formal, Informal, and Nonformal Learning Contexts
When I describe my work to folks in the formal education world, I often find that they are surprised by the significant differences in formal and informal evaluative work. “Evaluation” can mean drastically different things in formal and informal education. In formal education, the focus is often on the performance evaluation of students or teachers, which correlates with school or program funding and promotions. As a result, formal education institutions may have a reluctance to engage an evaluator or could have a fundamental misunderstanding of what I do. Add in my title, “Principal Evaluator,” (no, I don’t evaluate school principals!) and differences in semantics may widen the gap of understanding even further.
This month, I’d like to shed some light on the differing purposes of evaluation within formal and informal evaluative work. First, I’ll briefly explore evaluation through a formal education lens. I’ll then provide a more thorough review of informal education and the evaluation priorities within the informal education world.
Formal Education
First, let’s define what we mean by “formal education.” When I reference formal education, I am talking about learning that takes place specifically in a classroom setting (K-12, higher education, etc.). Of course, the pandemic has shifted the definition of what a classroom constitutes, so a classroom setting would also include virtual schools and online learning within a formalized school context (e.g., online colleges, K-12 virtual academies, etc.).
Traditionally, formal education assessment focuses on learning gains within a learner or group of learners, primarily in the areas of content knowledge and skill development. Skill development can be in specific subject areas (like STEM skills), cross-curricular skills (like conducting research or evaluating sources), or in other areas like social-emotional learning (SEL) and 21st-century skills. Formal educators are interested in answering questions like: “Are students learning what they need to be learning?” and “Are students where they should be at this point in their education?” Another priority is verifying that the skills students are developing as a result of their classes align with the scope and sequence, and curriculum.
Informal Education
Now that we’ve more clearly defined formal education, let’s dig deeper into the concept of informal education. You may have heard of informal learning, out-of-school learning, summer learning, afterschool learning, or other forms of non-formal learning. These concepts are very similar - and sometimes the terms are used interchangeably - but they do refer to different things. Let’s consider them one at a time.
Per informalscience.org, “Informal STEM education refers to lifelong learning in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) that takes place across a multitude of designed settings and experiences outside of the formal classroom.” See the below video from CAISE to learn more.
Out-of-School Learning
Typically, out-of-school learning refers to non-formal learning that is somewhat related to informal learning. My classmates and I at the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Education Doctor of Education program (all in the out-of-school learning program) tried to identify the differences between out-of-school learning and informal learning and came up with a few differences and some similarities. Some of the key points are detailed below. Remember that not all programs fall into this structure. These are just some patterns we’ve noticed from our time working in the field.
Out-of-school time learning may…
Occur at schools or community centers
Focus on learners in grades K-12
Center learning objectives aligned with academic achievement, college and career readiness, SAT prep courses, career exploration programs, and more
Informal learning may…
Occur at museums, zoos, aquariums, nature centers, parks, libraries, digital spaces, etc.
Focus on learners of all ages
Include one-off or short-term programs (e.g., field trips, day camps, etc.)
Both out-of-school time and informal learning may…
Center non-academic achievement-related outcomes (e.g., 21st-century skills, SEL, science identity, sense of belonging, etc.)
Be scaffolded and developmentally appropriate for different learners
Use assessments or evaluations to understand the effects of the programs
Afterschool Learning
Associated with schools or nonprofits providing afterschool support for students, often focused on academic achievement and support (e.g., tutoring programs, reading programs), but not always. Afterschool learning can vary widely based on the needs and intentions of learners and educators. This learning often takes place after school between the hours of 3-6 p.m. or before school.
Summer Learning
Associated with schools or nonprofits providing support for students in the summer (e.g., camps put on by a school, programs run by a park district or community center, etc.). Summer learning often seeks to mimic the structure of formal learning - just in the summer. Camp programs are a perfect example of summer learning. While some may be more focused on learning outcomes than others, most summer learning programs have some educational components, along with recreation and just plain fun.
In contrast to formal education, informal education evaluation tends to focus on understanding the unique effects of a program on its audience. Like formal education, these priorities can include knowledge gains and skill building, but often also include attitudinal and behavioral outcomes, like self-confidence, self-efficacy, self-advocacy, behavior change, intention to change behavior, sense of belonging, and other related effects. To learn more about some of these key outcomes in informal learning, check out this series of interviews, conducted by the CAISE Evaluation and Measurement task force related to STEM Identity, Interest, and Engagement.
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