Informal Educational Activities Research Articles

AIIRA: AI Institute for Resilient Agriculture

AbstractAIIRA seeks to transform agriculture by creating a new AI‐driven framework for modeling plants at various agronomically relevant scales. We accomplish this by designing and deploying AI‐driven predictive models that fuse diverse data with siloed domain knowledge.AIIRA's vision, illustrated in Figure 1, consists of four technical thrusts with cross‐cutting education, training, and outreach activities. Our activities are focused on theory, algorithms, and tools for the principled creation of goal‐oriented AI tools deployed at plant and field scales. Our use‐inspired AI developments are tightly integrated with USDA‐relevant challenges in crop improvement and sustainable crop production. Our strong social science focus ensures sustained AI adoption across the ag value chain. Our cyberinfrastructure (CI) efforts ensure cohesive, sustainable, and extensible CI to reproducibly share and manage data assets and analysis workflows to a diverse spectrum of the Ag community. Taken together, this will ensure long‐term payoffs in AI and agriculture.AIIRA has established a new field ofCyber Agricultural Systems at the intersection of plant science, agronomics, and AI. Our signature activities build the workforce for this new field through formal and informal educational activities. Through these activities,AIIRA creates accessible pathways for underrepresented groups, especially Native Americans and women.

Empowering the Independent Learning-Independent Campus (MBKM) through Campus Museums

As a documentary institution, museums within tertiary institutions have the potential to support and be supported by various scientific fields. This study aims to map the potential of museums in line with the Independent Learning Independent Campus (MBKM) and find out scientific collaborations that can strengthen the existence of museums in tertiary institutions in the context of MBKM. This study used a qualitative approach, using data collection techniques in the form of observation, literature review, and in-depth interviews with three supporting informants and one key informant. The study found that the higher education museum has great potential and fulfills all the requirements as an MBKM partner. Museums can be partners for internships, entrepreneurial projects, technology projects, social engineering applications, and even humanitarian projects. Museums can collaborate in informal educational activities, exchange of experts, teaching practitioners, research, and community service, all of which can involve lecturers and students from various fields of science.

Association Between Sexual Harassment Intervention Strategies and the Sexual Harassment Perception and Attitude of University Students in Beijing, China.

Sexual harassment in universities harms the physical and psychological health and development of students. Although Chinese universities are required to implement sexual harassment interventions, few studies have estimated how well interventions are perceived by students and the association with their perceptions and attitudes toward sexual harassment. This study aims to examine the perceptions and attitudes toward sexual harassment and perceived sexual harassment interventions among university students. Further, it evaluated the association between sexual harassment interventions and sexual harassment perceptions and attitudes among university students and explored potential gender differences in the observed associations. We categorized sexual harassment interventions into three types of strategies (informal education activities, prevention mechanisms, and multiformat publicity) and designed an 8-item scale for sexual harassment perception and a 10-item scale for sexual harassment attitude. A total of 872 students were recruited from six universities in Beijing, China. Association between intervention strategies and sexual harassment perceptions and attitudes was analyzed using multiple linear regression. The results showed that 78.56% of the university students recognized all sexual harassment behaviors, and 11.58% felt angry about all sexual harassment behaviors. Male students felt angrier at same-sex harassment than female students (p < .001). Overall, the students were aware of approximately 3 of the 13 sexual harassment interventions. None of the three intervention strategies was significantly associated with perceptions of sexual harassment (p > .050). The attitude toward sexual harassment was positively associated with informal education activities (coeff = 0.055, p = .015) and multiformat publicity (coeff = 0.077, p = .030) among female students, and negatively associated with prevention mechanisms (coeff = -0.123, p = .033) among male students. Our findings imply that sexual harassment interventions are not well known among university students. Universities should develop and propagate more sexual harassment informal education activities and multiformat publicity intervention strategies and pay more attention to gender differences in intervention strategies.

ALTIN ORDA DEVLETİ’NİN İSLAMLAŞMASINDA YESEVİYYE VE KÜBREVİYYE TARİKATLARININ ROLÜ

The Golden Horde was founded in 1241 by Batu Khān, the grandson of Chingghis Khān. People of all religions lived in the vast geography of this state, whose borders stretched from the Dniester River in the west to the Irtysh River in the east. From the middle of the 13th century, ṣūfī orders began preaching in the Golden Horde, and in the middle of the 14th century, most people, including the ruling class, converted to Islam. Islam begun to dominate the life of the people and the functioning of the state. Islam was easily accepted by society through the channel of ṣūfism, and this was facilitated by the similarity of ṣūfī spiritual practices with the forms of faith of nomadic peoples. In this process, in particular, the Yasawiyya ṣūfī order, formed by the teachings of Aḥmad al-Yasawī, and the Kubrāwiyya order, founded by Najm al-Dīn al-Kubrā, played a significant role. The dervishes of these two orders spread Islamic culture in the region from Khwārazm to Crimea. Yasawī and Kubrawī ṣūfīs conducted communication work between various religious and ethnic communities of the Golden Horde, as well as carried out informal educational activities in institutions such as khānqāh (ṣūfī convent), zāwiyah (ṣūfī lodge) and madrasahs, using the support of the authorities, and some even participated in wars for the support of Islam. Zāwiyas became a refuge for the population of the Golden Horde in times of crisis and played an important role in ensuring social peace and restoring the country’s sovereignty. Thus, this article will discuss topics such as which orders were active in the Golden Horde, which periods were active, the contribution of ṣūfī sheikhs to the process of Islamization, their place in the administrative system of the state and their spiritual heritage. Keywords: Golden Horde, Islamization, Ṣūfism, Orders, Yasawiyya, Kubrāwiyya.

Towards mapping the landscape of informal physics educational activities

Towards mapping the landscape of informal physics educational activities

Long-Term Effects of an Informal Education Program on Tourist Environmental Perception

Tourism is one of the most important economic sectors worldwide, with significant overarching impact on the environment, including negative effects caused by tourist inappropriate behavior while on vacation. By providing informal educational activities, tourism also has an educative role that leads to positive learning outcomes and beneficial environmental effects. Here we present the short- and long-term outcomes of a project for environmental education (Glocal Education) carried out in three travel destinations, aimed at promoting sustainability variables (knowledge, attitude, and awareness) in participating tourists. Since psychological components can affect learning outcomes, we also considered tourist satisfaction in participating in the project and identification with its values, as well as the intention to travel with the hosting tour operator again in the future. Tourists were asked to complete evaluation questionnaires three times: before Glocal Education activities, right after activities (i.e., while still on vacation), and after at least one year from initial project participation. Short- and long-term learning outcomes were tested, and possible relations between these variables and psychological components (satisfaction, identification, and intention) of the learning experience were verified. Overall, knowledge, attitude and awareness increased in the short term, while in the long term, knowledge and attitude decreased, and awareness remained constant. In most cases, psychological components showed positive relation with sustainability variables, which suggested their important role in structuring and carrying out environmental education activities. This study suggests that informal environmental education activities can be advantageous for tourism stakeholders in terms of customer loyalty. Such activities can contribute to enhance environment literacy, by allowing tourists to observe the environmental impact caused by human activity, and understand how their day-to-day actions, even if small, might help address some of the current concerns for environmental conservation.

How Do Cultural Houses and Cultural Hearths Matter? Towards a New Imagination of These Institutions

"Whether resembling vacated shells or remaining fully functional, either commercially repurposed or relatively busy with paid or unpaid ‘leisure activities’, cultural houses and cultural hearths are still present throughout Romania, usually in the centre of towns and communes. Designed to centralise cultural and informal educational activities within a socio-geographic area, they enabled regional authorities to both survey the leisure time of the population along with providing a foundation for the production of the ‘new’ multidimensional socialist subject within a collective context. But immediately after 1990 they were seen as either a nuisance or a historic reminder that needed to be turned into an absence, a void: the epic but invisible institution. The article makes a case for why they deserve another chance in a punctual and specific re-evaluation that ultimately desires to insert a number of critical points for a possible re-imagination of these models of organization in which both stable and transitory communities collectively produce what we may call culture. It provides an extended timeline/lineage that opposes one-dimensional readings of the institutions as objects of communist propaganda. It argues that the ways in which they were planned during 1955-1989 counteracts contemporary monetarist visions towards the role of such cultural institutions. Ultimately, cultural houses were part of a national plan that considered culture as central to the ‘common good’ rather than a laissez-faire approach that places economic efficiency above all else. Paradoxically, more contemporary versions of cultural houses and hearths are often far more restrictive than their early predecessors and this situation can and should change. Keywords: cultural houses, architecture, social imagination, monetization of culture, entanglement "

THE EFFECT OF SUFĠSM ON THE SPREAD OF ISLAM ĠN TURKĠSTAN

There are various approaches to when and how the Turks converted to Islam, such as "by force of arms" or "voluntarily". However, these approaches are insufficient to clarify the matter. Because the spread of Islam among the Turks is a complicated process which takes place over a long period of time and under the influence of different factors. In this process, it shouldn‘t be ignored that the work of Sufis who explained Islam in a polite way had important contributions as well as political, military, social and economic factors. In this study, the effects of the early Sufis, who guided the Islamization of the Turks on the Turks inhabited in the West and Central Asia are discussed. This study aims to reveal the role of Sufis apart from the general opinions about the Islamization of the Turks. As a result of this study, it is found that the Sufis played an important and permanent role on Turks' conversion to Islam by participating in wars in order to spread Islam, making direct communication during the travels of Turkish societies, getting benefit from commercial activities and carrying out formal and informal religious education activities in various institutions such as ribat, hankah, tekke and madrasah.

From experience to theory: Science recreation workshops as a practice-led approach in informal environments for science learning

Science recreation workshops (SRWs) create dynamic experiences in which participants discover, explore and understand natural phenomena. This serves as a unique and valuable means of the public communication of science and technology and informal science education activities, with the public at the centre of the process. To achieve this, SRWs integrate action and reflection not as a dichotomy, but as a complementary relation in which sensorial interaction is not a thoughtless process and mental activity is not disembodied. In this way, SRWs create virtuous cycles of meaningful learning. However, SRW practitioners thus far have not paid enough attention to the development of a theoretical foundation to support their strategies; they remain highly dependent on empirical experience and tacit knowledge. The little attention paid to the creation of a conceptual framework represents a critical barrier for reflection, discussion and, with them, the maturation of the SRW community. This work links a characterization of the SRW, built upon empirical experiences, to a variety of learning theories to identify an essential basis for discussion on the subject. Our objective is to complement the rich empirical tradition of the SRW with analytic elements intended to encourage discussion and promote—as tends to happen in activities with the public—virtuous cycles of theory and practice.

Forest Education with the Use of Educational Infrastructure in the Opinion of the Public-Experience from Poland

In Poland, informal forest education is carried out mostly on forest educational paths, equipped with educational boards. Due to the diverse audience, an attempt was made to assess the elements supporting forest education from the perspective of forest users. The aim of the study is to determine the basic criteria that, in the opinion of path users, determine the use, attractiveness, and importance of educational boards in education. In an anonymous questionnaire, 504 people participated during meetings with an educator on paths in forests of the Regional Directorate of the State Forests in Lublin. In the opinion of trail users, boards are not an important element that should be present on educational trails; in their opinion, they moderately support informal forest education activities. Users generally paid attention to between one to two or three to four boards. The attractiveness of the boards is determined by the graphics of the whole board. Respondents would also prefer boards on which information is presented in graphical rather than text form. Our study indicates a somewhat negative perception of educational boards in forest education, which has prompted the authors to conduct further research in order to clarify forest users’ perceptions of the issues analyzed.

The Experience of Organizing the First Italian Youth Debating Championship

We present here a report about the first Italian Youth Debating Championship (IYDC, Campionato Italiano Giovanile di Debate 2021) from an organizational and management perspective. We show the complexity of the event's implementation and the importance of managing information and communication technologies. We underscore that not only have the participants recognized that the IYDC is a powerful method to improve participants' soft skills and active citizenship, but the European Commission and the European Parliament have officially as well. While the IYDC would not have been conceivable and viable before the COVID-19 pandemic, as organizers of informal education activities, we are convinced that this innovative educational model presented will continue to spread even after the pandemic ends.

Nilai-Nilai Pendidikan Karakter yang Terkandung Dalam Khazanah Leksikon Istana Raja Sumbawa (Dalam Loka) di Kabupaten Sumbawa: Menemukan Model Baru Penguatan Karakter Berbasis Kearifan Lokal

This research tried to find the values of local wisdom in the lexicon treasures of Raja Sumbawa Palace (Dalam Loka) which was further directed to be a model in strengthening character education. Character education is expected to be contained in formal, non-formal and informal educational activities in Sumbawa Regency. Of course by considering the mechanisms and procedures that apply, for example by reviewing the local curriculum content in elementary and secondary schools. There are two main theories used by researchers in developing research directions, namely anthropolinguistic theory and social semiotics. This research is qualitative descriptive, which seeks to describe systematically, factually and accurately about the facts about various lexicon in the Palace of King Sumbawa (In Loka). Data is obtained from observations, interview results, shooting results, document analysis and field records. Data in the analysis with three stages, namely; Presentation of data, stage of data comparation, and stage of presentation of research results. The results of this study found, 20 forms of lexicon contained in the Palace of King Sumbawa (In Loka). Of the 20 Lexicon can represent seven (7) forms of character education from eighteen values developed in character education.

Nilai-Nilai Pendidikan Karakter yang Terkandung Dalam Khazanah Leksikon Istana Raja Sumbawa (Dalam Loka) di Kabupaten Sumbawa: Menemukan Model Baru Penguatan Karakter Berbasis Kearifan Lokal

This research tried to find the values of local wisdom in the lexicon treasures of Raja Sumbawa Palace (Dalam Loka) which was further directed to be a model in strengthening character education. Character education is expected to be contained in formal, non-formal and informal educational activities in Sumbawa Regency. Of course by considering the mechanisms and procedures that apply, for example by reviewing the local curriculum content in elementary and secondary schools. There are two main theories used by researchers in developing research directions, namely anthropolinguistic theory and social semiotics. This research is qualitative descriptive, which seeks to describe systematically, factually and accurately about the facts about various lexicon in the Palace of King Sumbawa (In Loka). Data is obtained from observations, interview results, shooting results, document analysis and field records. Data in the analysis with three stages, namely; Presentation of data, stage of data comparation, and stage of presentation of research results. The results of this study found, 20 forms of lexicon contained in the Palace of King Sumbawa (In Loka). Of the 20 Lexicon can represent seven (7) forms of character education from eighteen values developed in character education.

Immigrants' demand for informal and formal education: evidence from US time use data

AbstractThis paper contributes to the migration literature studying the time devoted to educational activities. It uses US time-diary surveys to study the allocation of time to informal as well as formal learning and educational activities by immigrants and natives. We develop a simple theoretical framework, which highlights the different constraints/opportunity costs faced by immigrants as compared with natives. Consistently with our theoretical model, the estimates show that immigrants are more likely to engage in informal and formal education and conditional on participation, they allocate more time to these activities. We find that the main drivers are economic incentives, mostly in the early phase of working life, and that the differences between natives and immigrants persist across generations. We also find that differences between immigrants and natives are generally larger in informal education than in formal education. The investment in informal and formal learning and educational activities is likely to boost immigrants' human and social capital and contribute to their socio-economic integration.

Educational briefings in touristic facilities promote tourist sustainable behavior and customer loyalty

Ecotourism gives tourists the opportunity to improve knowledge and awareness of environmental issues while on vacation. Recreational environmental education has been proven an effective method to raise perception of human impact on ecosystems. “Glocal Education” is an education project aimed at developing environmental interest in tourists on vacation. The present study assessed the effectiveness of Glocal Education in improving tourist environmental interest. Using specific questionnaires, we evaluated project impact on tourists, tourist satisfaction regarding the project and customer loyalty towards the tour operator hosting the project. The study took place at three mass touristic facilities, where tourists were asked to fill a questionnaire before and after participating in educational activities (e.g., biology lessons, excursions). The average score of both questionnaires was then compared to evaluate possible improvement of tourist knowledge, attitude and awareness. Results showed that such activities had a significantly positive impact on tourist knowledge, attitude and awareness at all localities. High levels of satisfaction and loyalty towards the host tour operator were observed at all sites, which indicate that once a person is briefed about the correct approach to natural systems, they can become increasingly interested in taking action, developing an “advocate” role. This study shows how informal education activities can act as trigger for environmental awareness and behavior among tourists, providing them with the tools, knowledge, and motivation to critically discern what is and isn't environmentally friendly, not only in terms of products and services in their everyday life, but also when choosing their vacation spots. • Recreational briefings increased tourists' knowledge about the environment. • Recreational briefings educated tourists for an environmentally friendly attitude. • Recreational briefings enhanced tourists' environmental awareness. • Tour operators benefit from offering environmental educational projects. • Most tourists have enjoyed learning about nature during their holiday.

Demonstrating Concepts in Catalysis, Renewable Energy, and Chemical Safety with the Catalytic Oxidation of Hydrogen

A versatile and portable apparatus was developed to demonstrate exciting visual displays of catalytic phenomena that introduce basic concepts in catalysis, renewable energy, and chemical safety, in order to pique scientific curiosity in a variety of audiences including middle and high school students, undergraduate and graduate students, and the general public. The demonstration uses the platinum-catalyzed oxidation of hydrogen by oxygen as a model reaction to illustrate concepts in thermodynamics, reaction kinetics, and electrochemistry. The apparatus was designed to contain inherent safety features and the versatility to adopt several configurations to perform a wide range of experiments in classroom settings, informal science education activities, and public outreach events. Soap bubbles are used to confine small, controlled volumes (<35 cm3) of hydrogen/oxygen gas mixtures and probe the reactivity of bulk and nanoparticle forms of platinum to illustrate how high metal surface areas increase catalytic reaction rates. In parallel, a hydrogen/oxygen proton-exchange fuel cell is used to demonstrate how chemical energy released from the exergonic hydrogen oxidation reaction can be converted into electricity by using a platinum-containing electrocatalyst. With adjustments of the operating configuration and the experimental conditions of the apparatus, the demonstrations can be tailored toward target demographics of varying scientific proficiency to emphasize specific learning objectives for topics in reaction chemistry and engineering. Potential hazards and important safety precautions are addressed.

A nest for new Lithuanians: Hostels, discipline and nation-building in Ober Ost and Russia, 1914–1919

World War I represented a turning point not only for the emergence of the Lithuanian nation-state but also for the implementation of nation-building practices. Throughout wartime, the Lithuanian War Relief Committee profited from its position as a tool to develop a network of facilities devoted to children assistance. While having unprecedented rights to autonomously administer relief facilities, the Committee, as far as financial conditions allowed it, supported isolation in hostels as the favourite child relief format. Through formal and informal educational activities as well as the adoption of particular hygiene norms and, later, children relocation, the Lithuanian élite tried and transformed hostels and relief in veritable tools of nation-building aimed at transforming children in would-be conscious nationals. The goal to create prototypical Lithuanians, however, at least partially failed due by children’s alternative (if not opposite) agency.

Students' Approach to Participating in Informal Education

The way of learning and performing practice, the tools and methods that are being used for it and the spaces that these processes take place are shifting with the change of information and technology. Under these circumstances architectural education has faced difficulties in being up to date in particular about curriculum, program and physical requirements. While instant solutions give instant results, it is inevitable that rooted solutions will be encountered to keep up with this rapid change. For this reason, countless “informal education” activities are being implemented, such as competitions, workshops, assemblies, forums, publications, etc. This paper focuses on BASS (Betonart Architectural Summer School) as a case to understand the motives of participating in such activities from the perspective of architectural students. It tries to demonstrate that students are aware of the importance of informal educational activities, furthermore they are increasingly demanding.

Educating Our Patrons: Teaching with Primary Sources in Educational Outreach in Medical Archives

For the past two decades, the wider archives community has embraced the growing trend of using primary sources in both informal and formal educational outreach activities to both engage audiences and teach students critical thinking skills. The author conducted a study using a survey consisting of 36 questions and follow-up interviews to investigate how medical archivists and special collections librarians in medical archives are embracing this trend of using primary sources in educational outreach. The results indicate that medical archivists/librarians are using primary sources in a variety of traditional educational outreach activities such as exhibits, archives tours, and archival orientation sessions to educate and engage audiences on a variety of subjects, including the history of medicine and health sciences, science, art, and literature. However, only a few medical archivists/librarians reported that they are engaged as co-teachers or solo teachers of credited courses. There are many challenges to providing opportunities for medical archivists/librarians to participate in formal educational outreach, including integrating the archives in the parent organization’s educational curriculum, lack of human resources, and lack of visibility of the archives. Despite these hurdles, medical archivists and special collections librarians need to think more creatively about how their collections can be used to educate audiences and other ways they can participate more fully in this important educational opportunity.

Enjoyment and meaning in daily activities among caregivers of orphaned and separated children in four countries

IntroductionThere are many orphaned and separated children (OSC) in the world and caregivers play a crucial role in raising them. Frameworks on employee mental health incorporate elements of both enjoyment/difficulties and values (i.e., hedonic and eudaimonic elements), yet existing studies focus on caregivers’ mental illness and overlook their specific work activities. MethodsWe collected diary activity log, survey, and interview data from caregivers from five geographic locations: Hyderabad, India; Nagaland, India; Ethiopia; Kenya; and Cambodia. We coded and calculated the amount of time spent on five frequent activities: cleaning, cooking, caring for children, supervising children, and informal educational activities. We calculated the mean scores of perceived importance, meaningfulness, enjoyment, and unpleasantness for each of the five activities by geographic location. ResultsA total of 82 participants completed surveys and activity logs, and 69 of them participated in interviews. Mean time spent per day for the five activities combined ranged from 4.4 h (Nagaland) to 9.0 h (Ethiopia). Cooking and cleaning constituted a large portion of caregivers’ days, ranging from 0.8 h per caregiver per day in Nagaland to 4.7 h in Cambodia, and informal educational activities (such as advising, teaching children their letters, and teaching from religious texts) constituted the least time, ranging from 0.1 h per caregiver per day in Hyderabad to 1.1 h in Nagaland. Participants rated all activities high in importance, with cleaning being relatively lower. Overall, enjoyment scores were lower than importance and meaningfulness scores. Informal educational activities had the highest enjoyment scores in three locations, whereas supervising children did in two locations. Participants rated cleaning as the most unpleasant activity in each geographic region except Cambodia, where it was rated on par with educational activities. DiscussionOSC caregivers consider several regular activities to be very important and meaningful. Enjoyment may be improved through additional support in child behavior management or spending more time providing informal educational activities; at minimum, caregiver mental health should be considered before turning informal educational activities over to volunteers.