Intersections in Assessment Conference: Exploring Informal Science Learning Assessment Methods to Improve Undergraduate STEM Education

This project aims to serve the national interest by identifying ways to improve assessment in STEM higher education. To do so, the project will convene a group of experts from the fields of higher education assessment and informal science learning assessment for an online conference. The conference attendees will explore how informal learning assessment approaches may inform assessment methods in undergraduate STEM education.

The effort expects to identify new methods, approaches, and assessment frameworks to contribute to effective assessment in higher education.

Experts from informal science education and from higher education assessment will engage in a series of online meetings over a six-week span. The conference aims to explore innovative strategies to integrate assessment approaches developed for informal learning into STEM higher education. The intended outcome is the identification and recommendation of specific, proven methods currently in use in informal science learning as innovative strategies to test in higher education settings.

The project builds from a framework established through Science Education for New Civic Engagements and Responsibilities (SENCER) that seeks to interest and engage students in science to help them connect science with civic responsibility. Dissemination of conference results will include awhite paper describing conference proceedings and conclusions, a peer-reviewed journal article, and a workshop for faculty at the 2021 SENCER summer symposium.

The NSF IUSE: EHR program supports research and development projects to improve the effectiveness of STEM education for all students.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.