NOVA Building Stuff Evaluation: Final Report

As livestreaming trends continue, opportunities for STEM media producers to engage with audiences in new and meaningful ways are emerging. Streamer/viewer interactions offer users the opportunity to engage synchronously and collaborate on games, puzzles, or other real-time problem solving. Yet what are learners experiencing in these online environments, how can they be designed to be inclusive, what learning outcomes do they achieve, and how do they compare to other formats, like static posted video content?

This study explores the impact of the NOVA Building Stuff Twitch channel stream on users (aired June-Oct 2024). The livestream included a diverse range of content formats— interviews, gaming sessions, field trips, pre-recorded segments, model building, and interactively designing an escape room. This study also assesses the impact of video content posted asynchronously on the NOVA YouTube channel, including the longform Building Stuff documentary.

RQ 1: To what extent can community-centered streaming be leveraged as a viable environment for producers to reach a wider audience?

RQ 2: What are best practices for connecting with people through community-centered streaming? What does this engagement do well?

RQ 3: What aspects of streaming are most conducive to learning, and what are the associated learning outcomes?

Knowing how audiences engage with livestreaming and posted content can help producers create the most effective informal learning materials for each platform.