Research Line

Research Line Science communication and extracurricular learning

Creating an educational ecosystem

In recent years, a growing range of extracurricular activities has developed - not least due to the shortage of STEM professionals. These are designed to get young people excited about STEM and to support them accordingly. However, many of these programs primarily reach those who are supported more effectively in school already. Therefore, in the research line Science Communication and Extracurricular Learning, the IPN is dedicated to systematically linking and researching extracurricular educational offerings with school-based learning for different groups of addressees with different educational prerequisites. This is intended to create an educational ecosystem in which the various programs are interlinked.

Groundbreaking Programs of the Research Line

Groundbreaking programs in the research line Science Communication and Extracurricular Learning include, for example.

  • the Science Olympiads as competitive promotion approaches for interested, in the higher rounds also for high-achieving young people,
  • Offers of the Kiel Science Outreach Lab (Kieler Forschungswerkstatt) as well as the Schleswig-Holstein Network of Student Research Centers (SFZ-SH) and the STEM Academy as interfaces between authentic research and student research
  • Projects that promote research-based science communication. These include the science outreach projects of the Kiel Science Outreach Campus (KiSOC) and the Kiel Science Communication Network (KielSCN).

In addition, the network of Leibniz Research Museums is conceptually connected.

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Central Goals of these Programs

One of the central goals of these programs is the ongoing development of co-design approaches. This means that the most authentic learning environments possible are created through the systematic collaboration of various experts from the disciplines, from educational and science communication research, and from the various fields of practice and people working there. To this end, the IPN cooperates, for example, with Kiel University (CAU), the Muthesius Academy of Fine Arts (MKH), and the Universities of Applied Sciences in Kiel and Lübeck.

However, the work of the research line is not only aimed at professionalizing development. Rather, the members want to advance the research itself and implement the findings in existing networks. After all, unlike in the school sector and in teacher training, practical experience in particular shapes the fields of science communication and extracurricular learning.

Research Topics and Key Questions

Three key questions serve as the basis for the research line. They are addressed by researchers in various projects across departments.

What factors influence participation in enrichment and outreach services, their use and impact?

How can current research content be transferred into effective outreach and enrichment activities with the involvement of different players?

How can sustainable impacts be achieved through systemic networking of outreach and enrichment activities?

Further Information

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Projects from the Research Line

Publications from the Research Line