The evaluation research summarized here focuses on science reports developed by MacNeil/Lehrer Productions. The reports appear on The NewsHour television broadcasts and are archived as streaming video available on the program's Web site (www.pbs.org/newshour/science), which includes enhanced media resources such as audio Podcasts, RSS feeds, transcripts, teacher lesson plans, background reports, slideshows, and interactives. The project's general intention is to produce positive learning outcomes and attitudes towards STEM topics (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) and to foster
The ASTA Group, LLC (ASTA) received EAGER funding (National Science Foundation (NSF) Grant No. 094077) to conduct comprehensive planning for a National Initiative on Cyberlearning in K-12 Education. To ensure success, ASTA invited a diverse group of experts and stakeholders to participate in the planning process. Planning tasks included individual meetings and combined planning sessions. The planning process culminated with a 1-day workshop to synergize the preliminary information collected. ASTA produced a Summary Report synthesizing participants' ideas and recommendations to guide the
The Learning Places evaluation went beyond the traditional approach of determining how well the project met its goals. In addition to that approach, we identified grounded theory. Five areas of theory and related hypotheses emerged: STEM learning, agents of change, teens as designers, community partner engagement and national collaboration. Each is described in detail in the full report, along with findings related to each of the project goals.
The following comprise the CONCLUSIONS of SRA's evaluation: POLAR-PALOOZA toured the United States at a time when the topic of climate change and global warming appeared relatively low on a list of Americans' concerns (Pew Research Center for the People and the Press, 2006), with the economy, war, and health care taking precedence. Nevertheless, POLAR-PALOOZA was a powerful format for engaging the public and teachers with science, while also being a rewarding and worthwhile experience for the traveling scientists. PPZA was an ambitious and complex undertaking designed to bring what is
Veridian inSight performed an evaluation study in fall of 2009 to evaluate the effectiveness of an online training developed as an outreach component of the FETCH! with Ruff Ruffman series (http://pbskids.org/fetch/). The FETCH! Hands-On Science Training was designed for anyone who wants to lead science activities with elementary-age kids (including after-school providers, teachers, camp counselors, librarians, museum staff, parents, and others). The goals of the evaluation study were to assess the extent to which the FETCH! training was successful at:· Preparing afterschool educators
In 2005, the Vermont Center for the Book (VCB) received funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to develop and implement a program called What's the BIG Idea? to help librarians change their children's story hours to include more mathematics and science content and vocabulary. The project resulted in the creation of a professional development seminar; a Librarian Manual with guidelines, activities and other information; parent kits for families to take home and use to reinforce and extend learning in math and science; and a website filled with ideas, bibliographies, and other
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Dawn JaramilloJudy NorthupShelley H. BilligVermont Center for the Book
ConCiencia News was the first Spanish-language news service in the United States focused exclusively on health, science and environmental news, providing free of cost news stories to a diverse array of Hispanic media including 100+ newspapers and magazines, top Hispanic web portals, and almost 150 Spanish-language radio stations. Each news story features original content developed by SRF journalists, and Hispanic researchers are often features to serve as role models for the public. The summative evaluation focused on two primary audiences for the Spanish-language stories: 1) the professional
In 2006, the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research (IALR) received a three-year grant from the National Science Foundation's Information/Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST) division to create the Dan River Information Technology Academy (DRITA) for under-served high school students in rural Virginia. The only program of its kind in Southern Virginia, the program was designed to provide participating students with competencies in information technology (IT) and workforce skills. In addition, the program seeks to encourage students to graduate from high
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Irene GoodmanLorraine DeanMiriam KochmanHelena PylvainenColleen ManningKaren PetermanInstitute of Advanced Learning and Research
The CASE program served communities that are underrepresented in current museum audiences. CASE served both females and males from underrepresented minority groups, primarily African American, Latino, and Asian. The most frequent participants were younger than 20 years-old and African American. CASE succeeded in making informal science learning accessible in participating communities. CASE served a total of 10,971 individuals between September 2004 and December 2008. Across the five years, families in the eight participating sites had a grand total of 358 opportunities to attend science
Fort Worth Museum of Science and History (FWMSH) contracted with Randi Korn & Associates, Inc. (RK&A) to evaluate CSI: The Experience National Science Foundation- and Science Museum Exhibit Collaborative-funded project focused on forensic science. The project included a museum exhibition and an online gaming experience (Web Adventure) targeting children ages 9 to 17 and adults. A summative evaluation explored visitors' overall experiences, understanding of forensic sciences, and the research question: Does the Web Adventure extend exhibition visitors' learning of forensic science? A process
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Randi Korn & Associates, Inc.Fort Worth Museum of Science and History
resourceevaluationMuseum and Science Center Exhibits
A Participatory Model for Integrating Cognitive Research into Exhibits for Children was a model that the Museum of Science proposed to the National Science Foundation's Informal Science Education Program (NSF-ISE) in the Fall of 2006. The Model was to further develop, test, and refine an innovative program that engages adult visitors in a deeper understanding of how children learn and expand understanding of cognitive development. Researchers from cognitive and child development laboratories at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Harvard University, and Children's Hospital Boston
The purpose of this study was to assess visitors' use and perceptions of several dimensions of visitors' reactions to the Water' exhibition as an informal science experience. Visitors were asked about their overall opinions, the highlights, the messages learned and perceptions about recognizing presentations of scientific data, environmental issues and visually memorable exhibits. SMM staff conducted 399 interviews with visitors as they exited the Water exhibition. In addition, 50 visitors were intercepted at each of four specific exhibits (Rain Table, Science On a Sphere, Three tubes and Geo
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Jeff HaywardBrian WernerScience Museum of MinnesotaGary WoodardPaul Morin