The Future of Informal STEM Education
We spend a lot of time thinking about the present aspects of Informal STEM Education (ISE). This month, I want to switch up our focus and do some imagining about the long-term future of ISE.
When I think about the future of ISE, it is personalized and decentralized, taking place in both the virtual world and the real world. In the past ISE (at least more formalized ISE) has taken place at institutions like zoos, museums, planetariums, nature centers, and afterschool programs. As the world is increasingly moving into a digital space, I project that ISE will follow. A huge part of this shift into a digital world will center around technology. Many of the benefits of technology that we are already seeing in formal education settings will also translate into informal settings.
With the rise of AI technology, I expect that ISE learning will become more personalized. What does “personalized” look like, though? Rather than an institution or organization producing one program for a group of students (or even the general public), I believe we will see AI being leveraged to create personalized programs that are directly aligned with the interests, experiences, abilities, and prior knowledge of learners. Let’s imagine this:
A zoo partners with AI technology companies to create a personalized guided tour of the zoo. Using augmented reality glasses, visitors can engage with animals at the zoo. Visitors might ask questions to the glasses and see “layers” of back-stage areas and the front-stage exhibit (with locations of feeding areas, sleeping areas, keeper interaction areas, etc. highlighted as the user goes through the program). Rather than having one script for the tour, visitors can choose their own adventure, selecting whichever animals they wish to see and asking questions according to their interests (e.g., animal care, camouflage, related plant species, etc.). Perhaps there is even the ability to donate enrichment live during the program, selected from a menu of options. Being able to learn more deeply about their areas of interest and engage directly with the animals, via enrichment donations, leads to greater connection to animals and more support for conservation work.
We also may see ISE becoming more decentralized, meaning learners will no longer need to be at the physical institution to learn about the collections it holds or the programs it has. Instead of going to a planetarium, future learners will be able to access expert, guided programs and education from anywhere. Let’s imagine this:
A planetarium produces mini-planetarium projectors that can be 3-D printed and set up anywhere. Rather than projecting images of the night sky onto a ceiling, these projectors can map the night sky of any location, identifying star systems, satellites, and planets. Learners can use a motion-tracking sensor on their fingers to point at different elements in the sky, after which, the planetarium projector will identify the element and provide more details on it. Perhaps instead of the planetarium’s main revenue and impact being visitorship, these projectors become a major product and spread the planetarium brand around the world. They offer the 3-D printing plans open-source online, and everyone has a 3-D printer at home to produce new items.
Finally, ISE may begin to take place more in the virtual world, as well as remaining in the physical world. Since approximately the 1990s, ISE has been widely available in some format virtually. One example is early learning-related video games (e.g., Math Blaster, Reader Rabbit). Today, we see movement into spaces like digital badging, citizen science (e.g., iNaturalist), online communities, and more. In the future, we may see metaverse spaces, where learners take a digital avatar and experience different things virtually, become more popular. We may also see increased data tracking (perhaps as health data is being tracked and reported online via Apple Watches, so too will different learning experiences be tracked, awarded digital badges, and linked to a personal digital profile). While this happens to an extent today, we may see it integrate more seamlessly in the future. Let’s imagine this:
It’s summer break and learners are enjoying time off from their formal education schedule. But the learning does not stop there. The local library is running a series of workshops on butterfly biology, and as an incentive for joining, learners can add a digital badge to their digital profile. The badge will go on their learning record, a blockchain-style ledger of every ISE program they’ve ever done, formal education classes they’ve ever taken, online training, etc. Rather than needing to sync badges from platform to platform, the Learning Record (LR) can be accessed by any organization that needs to add to it, and by the learners themselves. Once older, the learner will link the LR to their employer, rather than writing and submitting a resume. Badges and achievements on their LR also get awarded by the government. Earn enough credits and you receive perks like free tuition credits at college, produce “cash” at the grocery store, and specific perks aligned with the subject you learned about. For instance, if you did a workshop on native plant species with your local arboretum, you might unlock a free native tree from a nearby nursery.
There are so many exciting possibilities to imagine in the next 20+ years of ISE development. As technology continues to advance at an exponential rate, much of what will ultimately come to fruition has likely not even been conceived yet. The potential applications are truly boundless!
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