Institute for Learning Innovation

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐭𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐈𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐖𝐞𝐥𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐃𝐫. 𝐊𝐢𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐲 𝐇𝐨𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐑𝐨𝐛𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐬 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐞𝐟 𝐄𝐱𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐎𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐫

The staff and board of the Institute for Learning Innovation (ILI) are pleased to welcome Kimberly H. Robinson as our new Chief Executive Officer, effective September 29, 2025. Her appointment follows a national search led by the Institute’s Board of Directors, with significant input from staff, and signals an exciting new chapter in our mission to support lifelong free-choice learning as a mechanism for helping solve the major challenges facing humanity.

“𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘫𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘐𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘵𝘶𝘵𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘓𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘐𝘯𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘴 𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘵 𝘊𝘌𝘖,” 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘙𝘰𝘣𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘰𝘯. “𝘐𝘓𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨-𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘭𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘤𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺-𝘣𝘢𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘵𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘨𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘻𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘭𝘭, 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘩𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦, 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴.”

https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7371962215588876289

How Everyday Learning Can Build Stronger Communities: What Port Townsend Taught Us About Resilience

When we think about what makes a community strong, we often think about jobs, housing, schools, or healthcare. But there’s another ingredient that plays a big role in helping communities thrive—especially in the face of change—and that’s learning.

Not just school learning. Everyday learning. The kind that happens when families visit museums, when neighbors team up to solve local issues, or when kids explore the beach and start asking big questions. This kind of learning—often called free-choice learning—happens in parks, libraries, aquariums, community centers, and conversations. And it can make a community more connected, creative, and resilient.

Here’s a great example.

In a recent collaboration, ILI worked alongside the Port Townsend Marine Science Center (PTMSC) to launch a project to bring the community together around place-based learning—programs that connect students and teachers to the land, water, and history of their region. Local nonprofits, teachers, and science organizations worked side-by-side to create programs that were both educational and deeply rooted in the local environment. Students learned about their local shoreline, studied crab populations, and explored how their community fits into the larger ecosystem. These weren’t one-time events. They became a regular part of how the school district worked, and they made a lasting difference.

It means that everyday learning—when it reflects local culture, environment, and people—can do more than teach facts. It builds relationships. It builds pride. It helps young people see themselves as part of something bigger. And it gives all of us more tools to adapt, solve problems, and support each other.

Here are a few ways you can help build resilience through everyday learning:

1. Visit and support local museums, libraries, and science centers. These places are more than attractions—they’re community hubs for lifelong learning.
2. Look for programs that connect learning to your town’s history, culture, or environment. These are the programs that help people feel rooted and inspired.
3. Ask your school or community center about partnerships with local organizations. Are there ways to bring more hands-on, locally relevant learning into schools or youth programs?
4. Share your knowledge. Whether you're a gardener, artist, historian, or hobbyist, your experience can help others learn and connect.

Communities are strongest when everyone has a chance to explore, ask questions, and feel a sense of belonging. Let’s make learning a shared part of that journey.

Museums Make Us Feel Better—And Now We Can Prove It

Ever walk out of a museum feeling inspired, energized, or just a little more hopeful than when you walked in?

You’re not alone.

For years, people have said that museums make a difference in their lives. Now, thanks to new research from the Insitute for Learning Innovation, led by Dr. John Falk, we have the data to back it up—and it’s more powerful than you might think.

Museums Are About More Than Just Stuff. When people think of museums, they often picture exhibits, collections, and maybe a gift shop or two. But as Dr. Falk points out, the real magic of museums isn’t what’s on the walls—it’s how those experiences make people feel.

Museums Help Us Feel Good—in Lots of Ways
The research found that a typical museum visit supports four main areas of well-being:

🧠 Intellectual: You learn something new or see the world in a new way.
💬 Social: You connect with others—family, friends, even strangers.
💖 Personal: You feel inspired, reflective, or moved.
🌿 Physical: You relax, feel calm, or take a break from everyday stress.

People didn’t just enjoy their time in the museum—they felt better after they left. Some benefits even lasted for days or weeks.

What’s It All Worth?
Here’s the surprising part: when visitors were asked to put a dollar value on how much the experience meant to them, many said it was worth way more than the price of a typical museum ticket—and it shows just how much people value meaningful, enriching experiences. And when you multiply that by the thousands or even millions of visitors museums welcome each year? The impact is massive.

Why This Matters
At a time when communities are looking for ways to support mental health, learning, and connection, museums have a bigger role to play than ever. They’re not just places to visit on a rainy day. They’re places where people:

Discover who they are
Feel safe and welcome
Spend quality time with others
Learn something new
Take a break from the stress of daily life
In short, they’re places that help us feel better.

So Next Time You Visit a Museum...
Think about how it makes you feel—not just what you see. Whether it sparks a new idea, brings you closer to someone you love, or just gives you a moment of peace, that experience has real value. And thanks to research like this, we can say that with confidence.

Because when we understand what truly matters, we can support the places that matter most - our local museums.

The Institute for Learning Innovation helps people and cultural organizations better understand how we learn and grow through experiences. Learn more at www.instituteforlearninginnovation.org.

The Connected Audience Conference 2025, held from May 21-23 in Berlin, focuses on how cultural organizations can better engage and involve young audiences. Professionals, researchers, and policymakers will explore the role of cultural participation in youth development, as well as innovative ways to facilitate meaningful experiences for adolescents and young adults. With a workshop-style format, the event promises interactive discussions and valuable networking opportunities. Be sure to save the date, plan to attend or, submit a proposal!

"Culture & Young People – What Could Possibly Go Wrong?" — IKTf Save the date: 21.-23.05.2025

Save the Date: Connected Audience 2025
Theater Strahl, Berlin/Germany
May 21-23, 2025

The next Connected Audience Conference will address the topic of cultural participation and engagement for young people. Active encounters with cultural activities, artistic and creative content are important components of healthy adolescent development, supporting young people's personalities and opportunities for a self-determined lifestyle. But what do we know about how to facilitate these encounters? What are the challenges and opportunities? Finding answers requires an understanding of young people's cultural practices and orientations, building on these and shaping processes together.

To explore and discuss this topic the Institut für Kulturelle Teilhabeforschung | Institute for Research on Cultural Participation (Berlin/Germany) in collaboration with the Institute for Learning Innovation (USA) will bring together young people, experts, researchers, and practitioners from the global cultural sector for debate and exchange.

Conference Design
The international biennial conference will provide inspiring discussions and productive interactions between its various participants and facilitators. There will be a minimum of “talking heads” and a maximum of interaction and participation. We seek to create a facilitating and stimulating atmosphere with a strong dialogical approach. We invite you to gain relevant experiences and insights both for your research and professional practice. Taking on more of a workshop feeling you will learn from experts and your colleagues from around the world.

More information and a call for proposals coming soon!

Join our Sr. Researcher, Debbie Siegel, and the team from the NSF funded project "Culturally Sustaining STEM" as they share their successful approach to creating engaging family workshops that connect STEM to local environments, cultures and communities.

This virtual session, hosted by the Visitor Studies Association (VSA) will:

Address how to design workshops that resonate with families' backgrounds, interests, and values.

Discover strategies for making science, technology, engineering, and math relevant to families' communities and natural surroundings.

Explore ways to strengthen bonds between families, the environment, and important conservation issues.

This is a great opportunity for those interested in making STEM education more engaging and culturally relevant for families and it's free for VSA members.

Learn more at: https://visitorstudies.org/component/civicrm/?task=civicrm/event/register&id=65&reset=1&is_past_events=0

National Science Foundation Awards $2.2 Million to SARRC and Collaborators to Expand Training of Informal Learning Educators - Southwest Autism Research & Resource Center (SARRC) In 2020, SARRC’s research team embarked on a collaborative project with the Institute for Learning Innovation and the SciTech Institute to improve inclusivity of informal STEM learning settings like museums […]

ILI researcher Nicole Claudio teamed up with colleague Dorothy Svgdik to present at the 2024 Tennessee Association of Museums Conference this week!

Their "With Whom? Evaluation as Community Partnership" session addressed a critical question for museums: How can they strengthen ties with their communities through visitor studies, especially with limited resources?

Drawing on their combined expertise in museum evaluation, Nicole and Dorothy offered practical solutions to overcome common challenges like tight budgets and staffing limitations. Their presentation emphasized the importance of visitor studies as a tool for building stronger museum communities and charting a successful future.

The attached photo shows Nicole and Dorothy smiling at the conference.

Want to learn more about the research happening at ILI? Check out our project pages here:
https://www.instituteforlearninginnovation.org/our-work/

🎉Exciting news!

Our project, "Building Capacity for Inclusive Informal STEM Learning Opportunities for People with ASD," has received Phase II funding!

Read more here:

Newly Funded: Taking Inclusive STEM Learning to the Next Level with Building Capacity for Autism Phase 2 Project! : Institute for Learning Innovation   ILI is thrilled to share our latest venture: “Broadening and Sustaining Capacity for Inclusive Informal STEM Learning Opportunities for People with Autism Spectrum Disorder”, funded by the AISL program at NSF. After a successful first round where we teamed up with four museums and informal le...

Led by the High Desert Museum, museum practitioners from the Oregon Coast Aquarium, the Wild Center, the Caddo Mounds State Historic Site and their partners met with project team members from ILI, Reimagine Research Group, and the Rural Leadership Network for a 2-day PD workshop in Bend, Oregon as a community of learners.

As part of our project, we are collaboratively refining best practices for creating culturally sustaining STEAM programming for in communities. Because we know that the best opportunities are fun, we made sure to include that too!

(Evidence in comments)

Two members of our valued research team visited the STEAM Equity Conference in Denver this week. This event was hosted in partnership by The Space Science Institute and University of Denver. Conference participants spent 2 days showcasing real-world challenges and lessons learned from rural library staff across the U.S.

Debbie Siegel and Nicole Claudio joined forces (virtually and in person) and talked about their project “STAR Net STEAM Equity Project: Enhancing Learning Opportunities in Libraries of Rural Communities.

Their dedication to both libraries and lifelong learning shone through, emphasizing the important role and powerful impacts that libraries have in rural communities.

To learn more about the project visit: https://www.instituteforlearninginnovation.org/project/star-library-network-star-net-phase-3-enhancing-steam-equity-and-learning-opportunities-in-libraries-and-their-rural-communities/





Photo Description: Two researchers collaborate to present at a conference. One in person, with the other appearing virtually on screen. It is clear by their large and genuine smiles that they are happy to be working and learning together.

🔹 Honoring a Remarkable Achievement: Dr. John H. Falk Recognized as a "Blooloop 50 Museum Influencer."

We are thrilled to announce that our Founder and esteemed colleague, Dr. John H. Falk, has been recognized as one of "Blooloop 50 Museum Influencers."

This acknowledgment celebrates both his innovative approach and his remarkable contributions to the field.

Here at ILI, we consider ourselves fortunate to work alongside Dr. Falk each day. His vision, insights, and unwavering commitment to the advancement of free-choice learning continually inspire and guide our work in this field. His dedication to the protection and promotion of museums and cultural institutions and his creative and collaborative approach to preserving and improving these important learning spaces is second to none.

Dr. Falk's well-deserved recognition in the "Blooloop 50 Museum Influencer" list underscores the profound influence he has had on our organization and the wider museum community for over 30 years.

Please join us today in congratulating Dr. Falk on this outstanding recognition.

https://blooloop.com/museum/influencer/john-h-falk/

John H Falk John H Falk, blooloop 50 museum influencer 2023, Founder / Principal Researcher at the Institute for Learning Innovation.