Assessing in-person and online informal learning activities to promote understanding of evolution - a guide for practitioners
Creators: name: de Lima, Joelyn
name: Kenig, Bojan
name: Savković, Uroš
name: Tsopoglou-Gkina, Despina
name: Milosevic, Tamara
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2023
Subjects: informal education
assessment
evolution education
ethics
assessment design
guide
online workshops
exhibitions
in-person learning
online learning

description: Informal learning activities are a powerful medium to promote understanding of evolution, as they have a wide reach. Although the diversity of the types of informal learning activities is large, a common issue is that learning outcomes are seldom assessed, and rarely a part of the activity design. In this report, we present the ethical considerations and theoretical perspective that can help practitioners adopt assessment as an integral element of the activity design. We also describe an exploratory study designing assessments to assess knowledge, engagement, motivation, utility and attitudes for two contemporary examples of in-person and online learning activities. We conclude by reflecting on our process and providing recommendations to encourage practitioners to improve their practice by incorporating assessments in their activities.
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