Improved Insights Newsletter - February 2022
Welcome to the February edition of the Improved Insights Newsletter: a newsletter for folks in informal STEM learning spaces who want to learn more about how to measure and communicate the impacts of their work.
I’m Sarah M. Dunifon - a long-time STEM educator, evaluator, and equity advocate. After spending time working in museums, nonprofits, and higher education, I now work on cutting-edge informal STEM learning research and evaluation with my team at Improved Insights. We specialize in informal STEM learning and youth programs.
This monthly newsletter includes tips, resources, and news on informal STEM learning evaluation. We hope you find it valuable! Now, let’s get started —
What are outcomes and why are they relevant?
This month, we’re chatting about all things outcomes. Learn about what outcomes are, how they are used, and how to tie them to evaluation. To read the full article, check it out in our Insights. Here are some highlights:
What are Outcomes?
Outcomes are the intended changes that a program or intervention seeks to bring about. Similar to outputs and impacts, outcomes are measurable and specific. They typically speak to change that is reasonable to expect within the program or intervention’s scope. Depending on the program, you might see both long-term and short-term outcomes defined. We typically see outcomes expressed in the future tense. For example, “students will experience an increased interest in pursuing STEM careers.” If everything goes according to plan, this is the change that the program expects.
You might start thinking about outcomes in the program design stage. Perhaps you’re interested in seeing more students in your programs pursue STEM careers (as similar to the example above). To make this happen, you’ve done some research on how informal STEM learning programs can help students pursue STEM careers. You’ve found that there are specific areas, which have been shown to increase student matriculation in STEM degrees and careers, that you’ll want to focus on. For the sake of this example, you’ve chosen to focus on (1) student self-efficacy (or the belief in one’s own abilities), (2) student sense of belonging, and (3) student exposure to STEM careers. These are all actual factors that contribute to students pursuing STEM degrees and careers. The first two are particularly important for students who have been historically underrepresented in STEM. These are all potential outcomes.
Since you know that increasing students’ exposure to STEM careers and building their sense of belonging and self-efficacy in STEM will contribute to them choosing to pursue STEM degrees and jobs, you’ll be designing your program around these elements to ensure you’re doing all you can to affect change.
60-Second Suggestions
Here are a few of our favorite things this month, usually pertaining to informal STEM education and evaluation, but occasionally some fun personal stuff, too.
InformalScience.Org, a site from the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Center for the Advancement of Informal Science Education (CAISE) is a collection of project, research, and evaluation resources designed to support the informal STEM education community in a variety of learning environments. You’ll find examples of exciting projects, research, and news all pertaining to informal STEM education.
The @DiversityInAcademia Instagram account, a platform for supporting and promoting equity in higher education, provides critical perspectives on higher education. I appreciate the learning I experience reading the posts as well as the humor. A recent post highlighted a quote from Angela Y. Davis that I’m still thinking about: “As teachers, we must be aware of the extent that what often pretends to be education can serve as a barrier to the development of critical thinking.”
Poketo’s Color Your Goals posters are a fun way to visually track your progress towards personal or professional goals. I currently have one up for the different courses and milestones in my doctoral program. As a stationery nerd, I love the different products that Poketo has for keeping me inspired and organized.
If you enjoyed this edition of the newsletter, please let us know! We’d love to hear from you and learn about what you’re hoping to see more of.
Until next time - thanks!