Kevin Crowley

Kevin Crowley is a professor of Education and a Senior Scientist at the Learning Research and Development Center where he co-directs the University of Pittsburgh Center for Learning in Out-of-School Environments (UPCLOSE). Crowley studies informal learning and its connection to learning ecosystems. His work connects research, practice, and community, and recognizes that informal learning invites people to co-construct experiences that reflect their values, needs, strengths, and hopes. Crowley’s work has often focused on children’s science learning and explored the role of educators and caregivers who know how to facilitate children’s learning and development through collaboration, conversation, and brokering new learning opportunities. Working in research/practice partnerships, Crowley employs a range of research and evaluation methodologies to directly impact practice while simultaneously building generalizable knowledge about informal learning. Recent projects focus on community-based networks to support climate change education in rural areas, the role of interest and identity in shaping life-long learning pathways, and designing partnerships and networks that can bring museums and community-based organizations together in support of family learning and literacy. Committed to building the field of informal learning, he is co-editor of Visitor Studies and served 15-years as co-lead of the Center for Advancing Informal Science Education.