ITEM OF THE WEEK

NASA E-CLIPS EDUCATION PROJECT

About NASA eClips

NASA began the eClips project in 2008. One of its primary goals is to serve “the national K-12 educational community by introducing students to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) concepts and providing teachers with engaging resources and tools to support teaching and learning.” While students are the primary focus, “NASA eClips also provides resources to increase understanding of NASA science to lifelong learners, non-formal audience, and the general public.”

NASA eClips education materials are tightly aligned with the appropriate national education curriculum standards for students from K-12, with those aimed at older students suitable for older learners. Particular attention is made in providing guidance to avoid common misperceptions about aviation and Space-related science and history. The eClips Project is NASA’s baby, but it is a mature program managed by its partner, National Institute of Aerospace's Center for Integrative STEM Education (NIA-CISE).

NASA eClips materials include video clips, learning guides, Varied & Accessible Learning Resources for Universal Engagement (V.A.L.U.E.) Bundles, and their Spotlite Design Challenge.

eClips Videos

Videos produced for the eClips Project fall into the following categories:

Our World videos supplement existing elementary learning objectives not only in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, but also in reading, writing, and visual and performing arts.

Real World videos connect classroom mathematics to 21st century careers and innovations and are designed for students to develop an appreciation for mathematics through real-world problem-solving.

Launchpad videos support project-based and problem-based learning experiences in science, mathematics, and career and technical education classrooms.

Spotlite videos address common science misconceptions and are paired with interactive lessons and subject matter expert interviews to offer real-world connections.

Ask SME (Subject Matter Expert) videos spark interest and broaden learners' perspectives about STEM careers.

NASA Spotlite videos are those that were produced by students for the Spotlite Design Challenge.

Best Practices videos are for educators. These highlight the nexus points between NASA eClips materials and several current best-practice approaches and pedagogical strategies.

Find out more about eClips videos here: https://science.nasa.gov/eclips/videos.

eClips Guides

NASA eClips Guides are resources that can be used in formal and nonformal educational settings.

Educator Guides provide examples of ways teachers may effectively use video segments as an instructional tool. All lessons are presented in the 5E delivery model and are aligned to national standards for science, math, and technology. The are designed for students at different levels:

K-5 students can work together from the “Our World” series of activity guides, which feature engaging topics such as: Crater Maps and Earth Landforms, Designing a Cloud Cover Estimator, Designing a Shower Clock, Dirt (always popular), Insulators, Keeping the Beat, More Than Just Dirty Snowballs (about comets), Recycled Crew Exploration Vehicles, and Rose-Colored Glasses (and the Hubble Space Telescope). The titles may seem advanced, but the learning principles involved are both engaging and age-appropriate.

Grades 6-8 students use the “Real World” set of activity guides, with topics such as: Abiotic Connections, Balloon Aerodynamics Challenge (two part), Measuring Atmospheric Heating, Measuring Raindrops, Polyimide Foam, Preparing for a Soft Landing, Self-healing Materials, The Light Plants Need, and What Causes Global Climate Change.

High School students can work on the “NASA Launchpad” series of activity guides, with topics such as: Analyzing Spectra, Biomes, Cooling Off, In Case of Emergency, Home on the Moon, Making Waves, Satellite Orbits, The Colors of Ice, and The Great Boomerang Challenge.

Guide Lites are individual activities from approved NASA eClips Educator Guides that are well-suited for informal settings. NASA eClips video segments that support each activity are identified in the lesson. The materials are designed for learning by doing, so they work well over a wide age of ages and background knowledge. Topics include: Comparing Science and Engineering Practices Using Black Box Models, Crater Maps, Distance to the Moon, Exploring Craters, Mapping Earth’s Surface with ICESat-2, Revealing Magnetic Fields, Rose-colored Glasses, Solar Images, Testing 1, 2, 3, and the Colors of Ice.

Engineering Design Packets (EDC) introduce students to a formal design process. A rubric is included to assist with evaluation. These open-ended packets can be applied to any design project and can be used to enhance existing curriculum. They come in two levels: primary school and middle/high school. There is an Engineering Design Educator Implementation Guide to assist appropriate-level teachers with the material; Elementary, Primary, and Secondary Engineering Design Packets; and an Elementary and Secondary Biomechanical Engineering Design Packets.

Other Engineering Design Packets are posed as Challenges, for both in-school and out-of-school situations. The Challenge topics range across a variety of topics, including: EDC Biomechanical Jumping Machine, EDC Plant Growth Habitat, Gingerneering Structure (I spelled that correctly!), Exploring the Solar System: Design, Build, and Test; Exploring the Solar System: Asteroid Mining; Building with Biology: Super Organisms; and Space Explorations: Phases of the Moon. Out-of-School-Time Guide topics are: Remote Sensing, Space Hazards, and Building a Better Mosquito Trap.

Spotlite Interactive Lessons use a variety of digital technologies and hands-on activities to bring about conceptual change and deepen scientific knowledge. Some are designed for self-exploration, others have both a student and teacher component. The self-exploration topics are: Bacteria: Friend or Foe, Clouds, Does Land Cover Matter, Heat and Temperature, Mass and Weight, Ozone, Physical Change, Seasons, Stars, and Sun’s Position. Topics for Interactive Lessons for students and teacher include: Composition of Earth’s Atmosphere, Density, Evidence of Chemical Change, Gases and Mass, Interactions of Light, Magnets and Metals, Moon Phases and Shadows, Movement of Molecules, Objects at Rest, and Sound Waves and Medium.

Wow! I wish I had access to materials like these when I was in my formative years.

But Wait, There’s More!

Varied & Accessible Learning Resources for Universal Engagement (V.A.L.U.E.) Bundles

NASA eClips Varied & Accessible Learning Resources for Universal Engagement (V.A.L.U.E.) Bundles are a thematic and curated set of NASA eClips and partner resources. V.A.L.U.E. Bundles, organized into a user-friendly dashboard, provide a thematic, cohesive, and engaging set of materials to meet learners’ varied needs for their: Engagement (The WHY of Learning), Representation (The WHAT of Learning) and Action & Expression (The HOW of Learning).

V.A.L.U.E. Bundle topics include: Astrobiology and Extremophiles; Climates, Seasons, and Weather; Earth’s Energy Balance; Earth’s Moon; Explore Planets; Forces of Flight; Magnets; Planets; Plants; Sound; Stars; Sun’s Position; and Volcanoes.

Other eClips Resources

The 5-E Instructional Model

The launch of Sputnik 1 in October, 1957, shocked our Nation’s leadership. America’s educational system was clearly not producing enough quality STEM students, and our leadership took immediate action to upgrade education across the board. School districts were consolidated, funding was increased, and several Curriculum Study Groups were set up, where experts in various fields derived standardized learning topics and methods to be implemented nationwide. Study Groups developed textbooks and supporting materials in Physics, Earth Science, Mathematics, Chemistry, Earth Science, and Biology. The Groups worked wonders, and education and learning improved dramatically. The only Study Group still around today is the Biology one, now called BSCS Science Learning, headquartered here in Colorado Springs.

BSCS’ former director, Rodger Bybee, developed the 5E model of learning. The E’s are Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, and Evaluate. If one is to help a student learn, they must first Engage the student’s attentions, stimulating their interest. The 5E method is inherently constructivist, where the teacher guides the student on their voyage of constructing knowledge, learning by Exploring (doing/experiencing). The Explain part comes in when the learner synthesizes what they have explored. This will stimulate the learner to examine other aspects of what they have developed (Elaboration). The supervisor of this process Evaluates the progress of the learner at all stages of the other four E’s.

My final billet at NASM was managing their 400+ Docents. They all had considerable experience from their careers, mostly in aviation and/or Space-related occupations. My role was not to teach them things, since their personal knowledge was greater than mine. But I could give them constructivist pointers on how to get their knowledge across to Museum guests with a broad range of backgrounds effectively. My best tip for them was to arrange their tour patter in such a way so that almost all those in attendance would be one-step ahead of them mentally. When the guest makes a connection, then has it reenforced by the “subject matter expert” they are on tour with, that guest feels a sense of ownership, which makes retention of the message much more likely.

One More Thing

The final topics in the “Bundles” section of the NASA eClips website is “Engineering.” It contains a few additional learning activities you might find engaging. But I wanted to be sure to mention the My NASA Data’s STEM Career Connections for STEM. The Link is a bit inaccurate, because it says “My NASA Data’s STEM Career Connections for the Earth Sciences.” The link takes you material broader than just the Earth Sciences, more in line with the longer description, which is quite accurate. The material the link takes you to is organized by “sphere” (atmosphere, biosphere, cryosphere, geosphere, hydrosphere, and Earth as a System) as well as by STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math).

Personal Note: I was fortunate enough to secure a two-year detail assignment at NASA Headquarters in the early 2010s. My supervisor there was Kristen Erickson, and she was amazing. She knew everyone, and had the good sense to manage by “running interference” rather than “causing interference.” I know that she had a significant role in setting up the eClips Project, and I really wish now I knew the details. My time at NASA was the high point of my career. She was the manager most responsible for the creation of Air and Space this Week and its supporting website. Find out more about this at: https://www.airandspacethisweek.com/astwhistory.html. 

Man, those were the days!