Welcome to the CPAS 2023 Seminar Series!

About the talk --  Measuring STEM learning ecosystems across Australia – dimensions, data and discovery

For over 40 years Questacon, Australia’s National Science and Technology Centre, has been inspiring young people, educators and families from all walks of life and almost every corner of the continent. 

In 2019, Questacon embarked on a new National Presence Strategy to guide our work over the coming years. 

The Strategy represents an evolution in our approach, from delivering primarily one-off experiences to a model equally focused on building a sustained, collaborative, place-based approach. Under the Strategy, Questacon is not only measuring success by the uptake or outcomes of individual programs, but also measuring the ways we support and connect to other providers, experiences and resources in the STEM learning ecosystem.

In this session we will share our model for understanding and measuring STEM learning ecosystems and share a snapshot from three regions (the Northern Territory, Central Queensland and Tasmania). 

About the Speakers: 

Jenny Booth is Questacon’s Evaluation Manager. Over 25 years, she has worked on the design, management and evaluation of programs in education, community development and health sectors in Australia, Asia and the Pacific. Jenny is passionate about the power of evaluation to build common understanding of what programs and policies are trying to achieve and whether they are making a difference. Jenny has a Masters of International and Community Development and Graduate Diploma of International Health.

Dr Jake Clark is a Fulbright scholar and planetary astrophysicist who is now working as a Senior Evaluation Officer within Questacon’s Monitoring and Evaluation team. From studying data amongst the stars, to now studying how Questacon can harness the potential of Australia’s future STEM stars, Jake uses data from various outreach programs to better understand Questacon’s holistic impact. Jake is currently a finalist for the Australian Public Service’s Early Career Data Award and holds a PhD from the University of Southern Queensland and a Masters in Science Communication Outreach from the Australian National University. Website: https://jake-clark.github.io