ASTC is committed to a Communities of Practice approach to growing the field of informal science education, with the goal of supporting sustained and impactful professional development that has field-wide impact. Participation in CoPs is open to all ASTC members and other Informal Science Education (ISE) partners.
What are Communities of Practice?
ASTC Communities of Practice (CoPs) are groups of ISE professionals who share a concern or a passion for something they do and learn how to do it better as they interact regularly.
All CoPs are organized around:
- a shared domain of interest and/ or practice
- opportunities for interaction and communication
- shared goals for improving practice to advance the science center/ISE field
Explore these CoPs and sign up:
- Adult Engagement
- Advocacy and Public Policy
- Advocates for Diversity
- Camp Programs for Youth
- Citizen Science
- Curriculum Developers
- Development Professionals
- Early Childhood
- Information Technology
- Making & Tinkering Spaces in Museums
- Marketing Professionals
- Membership Managers
- Museum-Hospital Partnerships
- Museum Screens
- NASA’s Universe of Learning
- National Education Outreach Network (NEON)
- Network for Leaders of Interpreters, Facilitators and Explainers (NetLIFE)
- Public Engagement with Science
- Research & Evaluation
- Science Centers and the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)
- Small Museums
- STEAM
- STEM Afterschool
- Visitor Services
- Volunteer Managers
- Youmedia Learning Labs
- Youth Programs
ASTC has many resources available to support these communities, including:
- Dedicated ASTC staff liaison support
- Listing of CoP on ASTC website
- Sharing of CoP activity in appropriate ASTC member communications
- Directed sharing to appropriate ASTC member segments and partner organizations
- Implementation support for teleconferences, webinars, and in-person meetings at the ASTC Annual Conference
ASTC Communities of Practice are located on our Community site, community.astc.org. This platform allows CoPs to host discussions, share resources, and connect with other members of the field. Instructions for joining the ASTC Community are below.
How to Join the Online ASTC Community (1 MB)| Need help?