The National Resource Center of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI), in collaboration with the Exploratorium and three regional OLLI sites at California State University-East Bay, University of South Florida, and University of Missouri-Columbia, will explore, via this planning grant, a variety of scenarios for educating target audiences of "third age" (50+) individuals about science. The goal of this project is to enhance the infrastructure for informal science education for this large, growing, and often underserved population.
The planning grant will support strategic development of a nationwide Science Education Center for the Third Age through research to assess interest in STEM topics, programming, and challenges among lifelong learning institutes and science centers, and identification of a core group of six OLLI/science center collaborations to create, test, and evaluate STEM programs and activities. It will explore several variables associated with third-age science learning, including research on knowledge-building techniques and strategies, assessment of motivations and inhibitions, subject matter interests of this audience, background education levels versus geographic regions and economic status, and potential national impact of these strategies.
The 122 OLLIs comprise the primary national network for the research, planning activity and pilot trials. Additional networks will be explored for their perspectives and potential for future collaboration, as well for their impact in broadening informal science education, including the Elderhostel Institute Network (450 institutes), science centers, museums, and community organizations.
