The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine will conduct a consensus study designed to take stock of the evidence base on STEM learning in informal environments and identify trends in research and practice across the range of informal STEM learning experiences and environments that compose the field of lifelong STEM learning. Based on peer-reviewed and grey literature, commissioned papers, input from public sessions, and committee deliberations, an ad hoc expert committee appointed by the National Academies will write a consensus report that will identify high priority next steps for research and practice. Specifically, the committee will:

• Characterize the state of informal STEM learning, including who participates and who supports learning in informal environments, as well as the nature of programming and learning opportunities for people across the lifespan (with a focus on the United States);
• Describe where the field has seen the most growth over the past decade in research and practice, and identify the infrastructures and organizational/institutional practices (including venues, practices and tools) that have emerged in that time;
• Discuss how understandings of learning have evolved over time and describe the range of learning goals relevant to STEM learning in informal environments;
• Identify evidence-based strategies that can be used to expand the reach and effectiveness of informal STEM learning, and point to relevant challenges and opportunities; and
• Develop recommendations for policy, practice, and research for enhancing the reach and contributions of informal STEM learning experiences.