A dynamic framework for making sense of partnerships between universities and informal education providers

Abstract

We present a conceptual framework rooted in the practices and experiences of nine collaborative partnerships between universities and informal science education organizations. Our analysis and resulting framework aim to support those brokering, designing, and evaluating partnerships in making sense of the dynamism of interorganizational efforts to collaborate in achieving broader impacts of research. We highlight the critical role of brokers in modulating attentions between interorganizational, intraorganizational, and networked dimensions of their collaborations to maintain partnership health and continue progress toward shared goals.