Visit the CAISE website and InformalScience.org, our partner site at UPCLOSE (University of Pittsburgh Center for Learning in Out-of-School Environments).
This site was originally developed with support from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, a U.S. federal agency. It runs on open-source courseware called Moodle.
Welcome to ASTC Connect
ASTC Connect is a learning and resource-sharing area for the informal science education community. Discussion forums are hosted in collaboration with partners from throughout the field.
Below is a list of discussion forums and workshops in which you have enrolled. Click here to view a list of all tutorials, workshops and discussion forums offered in ASTC Connect.
This self-paced tutorial introduces key aspects of science center philosophy and practice. Includes 10 activities and related readings. Write to connect@astc.org for enrollment key.
What factors have contributed to attendance patterns in recent years, and what might we expect in years to come? This forum will look atscience center attendance trends over the past 10 years, identify internal and external factors that impact attendance, and discuss "next steps" that can be taken by centers to grow attendance.
The Center for Advancement of Informal Science Education (CAISE), through its cooperative agreement with the National Science Foundation, is working to characterize the current state of the ISE field with regard to the dynamics between ISE practice and research. This forum is one activity in a set that CAISE is implementing to convene and connect practitioners and researchers in the field of ISE, as well as those professionals who strengthen the linkages between practice and research. The Forum took place between January 16 and 22, 2013 and is now archived on the CAISE Convening Wiki.
This is an online space for the Teacher Educator Network, an ASTC-supported Community of Practice for informal educators who work at the intersection of formal science education. Enrollment key to this area is "ASTC10CoP". It is currently in progress!
Join us September 28- October 4, 2011 for What Do We Know about Learning in Natural History Settings?.
This forum is a broad call to the field to share information, resources, evaluation and research results, and best practice to identify and consider what we know about learning in natural history settings. Write to Wendy Hancock for enrollment key.
Join us September 21–27, 2011 for Expanding Roles for Youth in Informal Learning Experiences. The discussion will focus on how youth are participating in informal learning experiences—as a target audience, as partners in design and development, and as content interpreters and creators. Write to Wendy Hancock for enrollment key.
This online workshop introduces users to Howtosmile.org, an online collection of fun, high quality, hands-on STEM activities. SMILE is the Science and Math Informal Learning Educators pathway of the National Science Digital Library.
September 21-28, 2010; Science festivals are more visible than ever, with over 100 celebrations planned worldwide in 2011. Professionals from nearly a dozen festivals participated in this one-week online forum discussing the rapidly growing field of science festivals. Find out more at the Science Festival Alliance website.
The Center for Advancement of Informal Science Education (CAISE) hosts periodic discussions in this space. Enter the word "informal" to join, or contact info@caise.insci.org.
Forum led by Christina Soontornvat, Austin Children's Museum, Karen Peterson, National Girls Collaborative, and Jennifer Stancil, Carnegie Science Center based on their ASTC 2009 Annual Conference session, "Beyond Painting Science Pink: Creating Programs that Engage Girls in STEM."
This online workshop introduced participants to MicroObservatory, a program that allows access to remote telescopes to request and process images of galaxies, nebulae, and constellations. Participants are using this knowledge to engage visitors in astronomy and to inspire visitor-created exhibits and displays.
Last discussion February 2009 on "Science Centers and Core Audiences." To access archived materials, set up an ASTC Connect account and contact mglass@astc.org.
This forum is about professional development and leadership in the science center field, a continuation of discussions from a session at the 2007 ASTC Annual Conference.
This workshop shared methods and insights from the EU-funded DeCiDe program(Deliberative Citizens' Debates in Science Centers and Museums), which uses a game format to promote citizen participation in policy discussions. See September/October 2005 ASTC Dimensions for background. For information, contact connect@astc.org.
