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Highlighting the value of impact evaluation : enhancing informal science learning and public engagement theory and practice

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Jensen, Eric (2015) Highlighting the value of impact evaluation : enhancing informal science learning and public engagement theory and practice. Journal of Science Communication, 14 (3).

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Official URL: https://jcom.sissa.it/archive/14/03/JCOM_1403_2015...

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Abstract

King et al. [2015] argue that ‘emphasis on impact is obfuscating the valuable role of evaluation’ in informal science learning and public engagement (p. 1). The article touches on a number of important issues pertaining to the role of evaluation, informal learning, science communication and public engagement practice. In this critical response essay, I highlight the article’s tendency to construct a straw man version of ‘impact evaluation’ that is impossible to achieve, while exaggerating the value of simple forms of feedback-based evaluation exemplified in the article. I also identify a problematic tendency, evident in the article, to view the role of ‘impact evaluation’ in advocacy terms rather than as a means of improving practice. I go through the evaluation example presented in the article to highlight alternative, impact-oriented evaluation strategies, which would have addressed the targeted outcomes more appropriately than the methods used by King et al. [2015]. I conclude that impact evaluation can be much more widely deployed to deliver essential practical insights for informal learning and public engagement practitioners.

Item Type: Journal Item
Subjects: Q Science > Q Science (General)
Divisions: Faculty of Social Sciences > Sociology
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH): Communication in science -- Evaluation, Non-formal education, Community education
Journal or Publication Title: Journal of Science Communication
Publisher: Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati (SISSA)
ISSN: 1824-2049
Official Date: 29 September 2015
Dates:
DateEvent
29 September 2015Published
7 September 2015Accepted
Date of first compliant deposit: 5 October 2017
Volume: 14
Number: 3
Status: Peer Reviewed
Publication Status: Published
Access rights to Published version: Open Access
Open Access Version:
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