NewsHour Science Unit Final Report

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 audience engagement in STEM related activities. It is also a project goal to increase and broaden our audience(s).The general purposes for the evaluation research that has been conducted over the course of the past two years are to inform decision making about the efficacy of the science reports and associated online resources for diverse informal learning environments. Ongoing efforts have also been made to identify mid-course adjustments and corrections that would help insure the project's success in achieving its intended learning outcomes. In addition, attention was given to exploring the mutual benefits of building partnerships between The NewsHour and science centers/museums. Towards these ends, we have attempted to discern the extent to which the project's enhanced media resources broaden and deepen our audience's understanding of STEM topics. In addition, we have informed our understanding about the ability of these resources to motivate viewers to spend more time and effort learning and thinking about STEM topics. Evaluation research conducted over the course of this project is described below.The final report presents a summary of project participants, activities, and evaluation findings/lessons learned.