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Indirect Activities Reporting

What to report

An Indirect Activity includes instances when educational information is disseminated, but when you do not know whether or not the target audience received the message. Examples of indirect activities include blogs, articles,  fact sheets, videos, TV or radio spots, podcasts, newsletters, and social media posts. 

How to report

  • Reported under PEARS/Track/Indirect Activities
  • Always create a separate intervention channel entry for each output, e.g. each article, blog post, podcast, video, social media. The intervention channel entry is the main level of detail we are aggregating to count output.
  • Use the intervention channel description field to provide title/topic and date of release. Do not leave this field blank.
  • Entering series with multiple outputs (e.g. blogs, newsletters, podcasts):
    • For all: for each output (e.g. post, issue, episode), enter an intervention channel listing descriptive information including date and title.
    • When the the same group of Extension collaborators worked on each output, enter as single indirect activity with an intervention channel for each separate output. Use the reporting year start and end dates as the indirect activity dates.
    • When a different group of Extension collaborators worked on an output (e.g. contributions by different authors, podcast guests), enter as separate indirect activity with intervention channel. Use a standard series name at start of indirect activity name to connect different entries.
  • "Site" information on indirect activities is not used on a statewide basis for AAB/NREE program areas.  However, it's a required field in PEARS. An Extension office or other location may be used.
  • “Reach” numbers are optional for statewide reporting as they understood to be estimates and are not used. Don’t spend a lot of time searching for these numbers.. Enter if unavailable. 

Indirect activity examples

 

Type of indirect activity/examples
Activity nameChannelDescription
SERIES of regular dispatches, e.g. blog, regular TV or radio appearance, newspaper articlesSERIES name or descriptionSelect channel from listdetail on date and topic. For date, list year/month/day
BlogBlog nameblog2018/4/2--Early Spring Garden Questions
 (same indirect activity entry)blog2018/5/15--Three grassy weeds in the lawn
Series of educational tweetsEducation tweetSocial media2018/5/18--Anaerobic digestion
First light radio appearancesFirst Light radio segmentRadio interview2018/5/23--Growing interest in community gardens
Newsletter (e.g. Illinois Fruit and Vegetable News)Newsletter nameArticles2018/4/18--Backyard grapes
MidAmerica Farmer Grower articlesMidAmerica Farmer GrowerArticlesApril 2018-Watch those first-calf heifers
TV segmentssegment name (e.g. "WIFR Green Thumb segments")TV interview2018/7/11--Sunscald on fruits and vegetables
ARTICLE or output that appears several placesArticle topicArticlesSeparate channel for each outlet
 Thinking about cover cropsArticles2018/8/1--Article in Chrisman Leader
 (same indirect activity entryArticles2018/8/2--Article in Arthur Daily Leader
ONE TIME activity such as a fact sheet, curriculum development, or special videoItem nameSelect channel from listDate and additional description

FAQ

How should I report video/blog/podcast reach?  Reporting reach is optional because it isn't used at state level. Some general guidelines: Some indirect activities, such as videos, podcasts, and blogs, produce resources that reach audiences over an extended period. Recommended practice is to report the maximum number available for the current reporting year, i.e. record reach data  in September at the end of the reporting year.

I can't find reach data for my indirect activity. What should I enter as reach?  Enter "0" which indicates to us that the reach data was not available.

Should I enter my activities as separate indirect activities or as separate intervention channels under a single indirect activity?  One time, stand alone indirect activities should be entered as separate indirect activities with a single intervention channel. For series of activities in a single outlet, such as a blog, podcast, newsletter, or video series, each item can be listed as separate intervention channels under a single indirect activity IF the same collaborators contributed to each. However, organizers with different guest speakers or presenters should list items as separate indirect activities so that they can link specific collaborators to each output.

I was a guest on an Extension podcast or other indirect channel. Do I make a separate entry? Typically the organizer would make the entry and list you as a collaborator. To avoid duplicate entries, check with the activity coordinator to see if they are making an entry, and ask to be added as collaborator where applicable.

Should I group my indirect activities by month?  No. When PEARS was first launched, guidance suggested reporting indirect activities by month. We've since learned that this approach does not work as well as listing specific indirect activities.