The University of Pittsburgh Center for Learning in Out-of-School Environments (UPCLOSE) is an academic home for informal learning. UPCLOSE explores what it means to learn science, technology, and art in informal settings and tinkers with innovative designs to support informal learning.

UPCLOSE documents how museums and community organizations learn and change and brings research and practice together through collaboration and field-building initiatives. UPCLOSE is a project of the Learning Research and Development Center and School of Education.

Through the Learning Sciences and Policy, Ph.D program, UPCLOSE trains the next generation of informal learning researchers. Focusing on both formal and informal environments, the Ph.D. training is based on the belief that the understanding of learning, teaching, and organizations is best undertaken as an interactive system. An integrated and coordinated interdisciplinary approach is the best way to understand, design, and implement educational change. UPCLOSE also trains undergraduates through internships and research experiences.