Coming soon!

This spring, we will be launching an online course, Evaluation in Informal Science Settings, to help build practitioner’s evaluation knowledge, attitudes, and skills. Participants in the course will:

  • Understand the purpose, types, and importance of evaluation in informal learning environments.

  • Articulate program goals, write measurable outcomes, and develop logic models.

  • Design ethical evaluation plans and select appropriate data collection methods.

  • Collect, analyze, and interpret both qualitative and quantitative data.

  • Communicate evaluation findings effectively to diverse audiences using reports, visualizations, and alternative formats.

  • Foster an organizational culture that values evaluation and supports continuous learning.

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What’s Included

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    Self-paced lessons you can watch anytime

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    Hands-on practice you can immediately apply to your job

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    Live sessions with the Inform Evaluation & Research team

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    Reference sheets, templates, and links to additional resources

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    Opportunities to post on discussion boards and ask questions

Course Structure

The course is organized into a series of self-paced lessons that combine video instruction, activities, and handouts. Throughout the course, you'll encounter scenarios and examples drawn from authentic real-world contexts, allowing you to connect what you are learning to your own projects. As you progress through the content, you'll build your knowledge step by step while completing practical exercises that reinforce key concepts and help you develop confidence in using new skills.

  • Get acquainted with the course structure, expectations, and community. 


    Module content includes: 

    • Course Overview

    • What to Expect

    • Course Cohort

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Meet Your Instructors

Joy Kubarek, PhD

Joy (she/her) also brings more than 20 years of experience in science and environmental education. She holds a B.S. in Biology (University of Minnesota Twin Cities), an M.Ed. in Environmental Education (University of Minnesota Duluth), and a Ph.D. in Science Education (Illinois Institute of Technology). She established a department dedicated to the evaluation and research of learning programs at the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, Illinois, and has facilitated evaluation capacity building with science and environmental learning organizations across the U.S. Joy has also taught undergraduate and graduate courses at Tufts University and Antioch University New England. She has served on the boards of several professional organizations, including the National Association for Research in Science Teaching and the Association for Zoos and Aquariums. She has presented nationally and internationally about research in informal science education.

Brian Johnson, PhD

Brian (he/him) has spent the past three decades helping people connect with nature in ways that matter—and measuring what actually makes a difference. His work sits at the intersection of conservation, education, and evaluation, with a focus on turning good intentions into meaningful, lasting action. As former Director of Educational Research and Evaluation at the Wildlife Conservation Society, he led the evaluation unit across WCS’s New York City zoos and aquarium, guiding studies on informal STEM learning, exhibit experiences, and long-term youth outcomes. He has also led community-based environmental education at an urban nature center and managed national conservation education initiatives with Botanic Gardens Conservation International. Brian brings both curiosity and rigor to his work, and is especially energized by helping organizations use evaluation to design learning experiences that are equitable, evidence-based, and genuinely inspiring. Brian holds degrees from Northwestern University (B.S., Journalism), Lesley University (M.S., Environmental Education), and Antioch University New England (Ph.D., Environmental Studies).

Your Questions, Answered

  • You get access to this tremendous amount of resources for $688 USD.

  • This course is entirely self-paced and also offers three live sessions with Inform team members.

  • The course features over 9 hours of video instruction and a wide range of practical application activities. To get the most from the experience and fully engage with the materials, we recommend allowing 6 to 8 weeks for completion.

  • No! There are no prerequisites to this course. Regardless of whether you’ve never evaluated anything in the past or integrated evaluation into your work, you’ll benefit from this course!

  • Registering with a group? If two or more participants enroll in the course together, you’ll receive a 20% discount on your registration fee. Please contact us at info@informeval.com for more information. 

  • Absolutely! We’ve done evaluation capacity building with teams throughout the United States and would love to work with yours! Please contact us at info@informeval.com for more information. 

  • We are proud of the quality and value of this course and the learning experience it provides. Because all course materials become immediately accessible upon purchase, all sales are final, and we do not offer refunds. We encourage you to review all course information before enrolling and reach out with any questions beforehand.

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