ExpandED Beyond the Classroom: An Exploration of STEM Learning in Informal and Non-Formal Spaces

Beyond the Classroom: An Exploration of Rich and Relevant STEM Learning in Informal and Non-Formal Spaces

September 19, 2023, 12pm-1pm

Discussion of the U.S. STEM education system largely focuses on formal (classroom) education, although scholarship would suggest that additional and rich STEM learning is occurring in both informal and non-formal spaces. A panel of three scholar-experts who enact and research informal/non-formal STEM discuss the affordances of STEM learning in such spaces. With their unique insight, each contributor provides policy recommendations to enhance, strengthen, and/or reform in/non-formal STEM education in the United States, in their respective states, and spheres of influence. CIRCLE associate director Dr. Rebecca Hite moderates this discussion with Dr. Gail Jones (North Carolina State University), Dr. Megan Ennes (University of Florida), and Dr. Gina Childers (Texas Tech University).

ExpandED: Broadening the Understanding of Contemporary Issues in Education and Policy

The Texas Tech University Educational Leadership Policy faculty in collaboration with the Center for Innovative Research in Change, Leadership, and Education (CIRCLE) invite you to join us for our virtual brown bag series, “ExpandED: Broadening the Understanding of Contemporary Issues in Education and Policy.” Featuring researchers from the College of Education and various institutions across the country, the aim of this series is to bring together students, faculty, and researchers at Texas Tech and beyond to disseminate knowledge that is of immediate relevance to educational leadership and policy and facilitate the cross-pollination of ideas across multiple institutions.

This year, audiences from across the country will gather virtually to engage with speakers on topics related to policy evaluation and open-science research practices, evolutions and social constructions of education policy over time, and empirical research noting the barriers and challenges to providing equitable educational opportunities for historically marginalized students.