Topic: Informational Media

The use of various kinds of media to inform—as well as to teach—is the focus of a number of studies being conducted by Rockman.

Exploring Time Twin Cities Public Television, in association with Red Hill Studios, produced the Exploring Time television special and associated outreach material. The goal of the materials is to increase the public's understanding of our world by revealing the unseen world of natural change — the multitude of changes that are occurring in the present but at rates too slow or too fast to be seen. Rockman will evaluate the impact of the Exploring Time television programs and the value-add of the associated Web site. more» Client: Twin Cities Public Television (TCPT) Funding Agency: National Science Foundation (NSF): Informal Science Education Program (ISE) Topic: TV/Radio, Web Sites, Informational Media

Focus Group Study for Edutopia REA conducted a series of focus groups for the George Lucas Education Foundation (GLEF) to support and extend the work associated with its Mott Foundation grant that produced the New Day for Learning report. more» Client: George Lucas Education Foundation (GLEF) Funding Agency: Charles Stewart Mott Foundation Topic: Instructional Materials/Programs, Web Sites, Technology and Education, Informational Media

Institute on Science and Sustainability Rockman et al will be creating an evaluation plan as part of a planning grant for the California Academy of Sciences' Institute on Science and Sustainability. The Institute on Science and Sustainability will build upon the Academy's strengths to create a network of master science teachers in the San Francisco Bay Area to raise the level of science education. more» Client: California Academy of Sciences Funding Agency: Bechtel Jr. Foundation Topic: Museum, Professional Development, Community Outreach, Technology and Education, Informational Media

Jean-Michel Cousteau's Ocean Adventures REA served as the evaluator of educational outreach activities for a new six-part KQED series called Jean-Michel Cousteau’s Ocean Adventure. more» Client: KQED Public Television Funding Agency: The Dow Chemical Company. Additional Major Support from: the William K. Bowes Jr. Foundation, Ann Bowers and The Robert Noyce Trust, the William and Gretchen Kimball Fund, the Harold K.L. Castle Foundation, and the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation. Topic: Instructional Materials/Programs, Informal Learning, TV/Radio, Professional Development, Community Outreach, Technology and Education, Informational Media

Library's Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) Grant Evaluation The University Library at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona (CPP) was awarded a five-year Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) grant from the U.S. Department of Education. The goals of the evaluation are twofold: 1) to ensure that the development of the grant components (i.e., collection, research centers, literacy tutorials and endowment) reflects the needs, interests, and capabilities of the target audiences, and 2) to understand program implementation and effectiveness for program improvement. more» Client: California State Polytechnic University, Pomona (CPP) Funding Agency: U.S. Department of Education Topic: Community Outreach, Technology and Education, Informational Media

Pathways to Technology The Pathways to Technology project is a multimedia outreach effort created to raise awareness of the National Science Foundation’s Advanced Technology Education (ATE) programs, currently operating at community colleges around the country. Rockman et al maintained contact with 15 model community colleges with ATE programs and collected data to examine the use, utility, and adaptability of project resources. more» Client: WGBH Educational Foundation Funding Agency: National Science Foundation (NSF): Informal Science Education (ISE) Program Topic: Instructional Materials/Programs, TV/Radio, Community Outreach, Informational Media

Persistent Issues in History Laboratory for Virtual Field Experience (PIH-LVFE) The Persistent Issues in History Laboratory for Virtual Field Experience (PIH-LVFE) is a collaborative project that will combine an ever-increasing database of video cases of authentic classroom practices with multiple resources and tools to enable pre-service social studies teachers to become better teachers. more» Client: Indiana University Funding Agency: U.S. Department of Education (ED): Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE) Topic: Professional Development, Technology and Education, Informational Media

Science and Math in Spanish-language Media The Science and Math in Spanish-language Media Project designed by Lawrence Hall of Science will bring standards-based science and math activities into the homes of Latino communities traditionally underserved by science centers. REA is the project's external evaluator. more» Client: Lawrence Hall of Science (LHS) Funding Agency: National Science Foundation (NSF): Informal Science Education Program (ISE) Topic: Informal Learning, Community Outreach, Informational Media

Science in Action Rockman et al will be evaluating various design, technical, developmental, and educational elements of the California Academy of Science's Science in Action exhibit. Science in Action will be launched in conjunction with the opening of the Academy's new state-of-the art facility in September 2008. Science in Action will include a museum exhibit component, multimedia dissemination of content, and people-facilitated interactive experiences, and will include mission-related exhibit and programmatic changes to reflect new scientific discoveries by Academy and other scientists in the Bay Area and beyond. more» Client: California Academy of Sciences Funding Agency: Moore Foundation Topic: Museum, Community Outreach, Technology and Education, Informational Media

Science Literacy Project Workshops SoundVision Productions is offering three intensive, five-day science literacy training workshops for mid-career public radio reporters who are involved in reporting the sciences. more» Client: SoundVision Productions Funding Agency: U.S. Department of Energy Topic: TV/Radio, Professional Development, Informational Media

Seeing in the Dark Seeing in the Dark, a documentary film about stargazing directed by Timothy Ferris, is based on Ferris' book (of the same name) that was named by The New York Times as one of the 10 best non-fiction books of 2002. Rockman et al is conducting a formative and summative evaluation of the project's media components, including the appeal and educational value of the film itself, as well as its accompanying Web site. more» Client: Tim Ferris Funding Agency: National Science Foundation (NSF): Informal Science Education (ISE) Program Topic: Informal Learning, TV/Radio, Web Sites, Informational Media

Staff Development Study In 1999, APEX was considering entering the arena of online educational professional development, credentialing, and certification in collaboration with several institutional partners. APEX needed to define its market, identify the features and attributes of its offerings, position its courses and services against a growing set of competitors, and explore the pricing, marketing, and distribution of the products to teachers and school administrators. more» Client: Apex Learning Funding Agency: Apex Learning Topic: Professional Development, Distance Learning, Informational Media