Resources

CAPA Project 1 resource

In May, we started on an exciting three-year project to demonstrate the feasibility and cost-effectiveness of computer-assisted performance assessment for evaluating students’ knowledge and abilities in advanced technological education. With the support of the Advanced Technological Education Program of the National Science Foundation, we are developing the first of a series of performance assessments of students’ understanding of key topics in introductory electronics.

ITSI Project

This comprehensive information technologies (IT) project for middle and high school teachers prepares diverse students for careers in IT by engaging them in exciting, inquiry-based science projects that use computational models and real-time data acquisition. The project provides over 126 hours of lab-based, credit-bearing activities for 90 teachers and full support for classroom implementation.

Participants will learn basic electronics and design skills that will enable their students to install, configure, and use a wide range of sensors. They will also learn to teach students to use, modify, and create computational models. The skills students will learn will greatly enhance their ability to undertake investigations while giving a solid foundation for IT-based careers in programming, computer hardware, and software engineering.

LOOPS Project

LOOPS will collect data on student progress — what activity each student is working on or has completed, plus student responses to questions and scores on various explicit assessments. The major innovation of LOOPS will be data on student inquiry skills obtained by monitoring how students learn from their explorations of models and probes. LOOPS will extract in real time a few key indicators of inquiry skills and present them in a format that teachers can use.

Molecular Rover Project 2 resources

We are developing and applying new educational technology tools for student exploration of complex molecular structures. The software will recognize forces and allow students to navigate around and through molecules. With virtual probes, students will be able to assess the forces among molecules that shape structures such as DNA, proteins, ionic lattices, or cell membranes, thus providing a profound introduction to nano- and bio-technology. This approach could drive substantial improvements in science courses at both high school and college levels.

Rhode Island ITEST Project

The goal of RI-ITEST is to prepare diverse students for careers in information technologies by engaging them in exciting, inquiry-based learning activities that use sophisticated computational models in support of a revolutionary science curriculum.

Teachers will incorporate interactive computer models developed under the Science of Atoms and Molecules (SAM) project at the Concord Consortium. These materials were specifically designed to support a deeper understanding of science made possible through interactive computer simulations and the new physics-chemistry-biology sequence. Connections will be made between the models students use to learn science and possible careers in research and industry where computer modeling is used.

Science of Atoms and Molecules Project

Because the atoms and molecules are central to much of physics, chemistry, and biology, they provide unifying, but currently missing, content for these subjects. The new “Science of Atoms and Molecules: Enabling the New Secondary Science Curriculum” project, funded by NSF, will develop four strands of materials that unify the secondary curriculum by focusing on atoms, molecules, and their interactions.

The project will provide materials and professional development resources that allow high schools to implement a successful sequence of physics, chemistry, and biology as a unified and consistent progression. Curriculum materials will provide a progressive understanding of the importance of atomic scale phenomena from fundamental atoms to complex biology. This approach is designed to guarantee better pedagogy, deeper learning, and longer retention.

Software 11 resources

We produce a large amount of high-quality educational software that is offered free of charge. Almost all of our software is open-sourced so you can adapt it to your own needs or use it as the basis for your own software development efforts.

UDL Science Project

The goal of this project is to use UDL principles to create practical science materials for students and teachers in inclusive classrooms. The project will create inquiry modules around the theme of energy. They will address questions such as “Why are there clouds?” and “What do plants eat?” Probes will support lab investigations and computational models will allow students to explore virtual environments.

Helix Molecule Screenshot
This helix molecule was generated by the Molecular Workbench software. When you view it in the software, you can manipulate it by rotating and zooming.

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