EAGER: Student Mission Control for the International Space Station

EAGER奖测试了一个大胆的概念，让高中生直接访问国际空间站上的数据和实验，并在计算机科学课程中使用这些资产，帮助学生培养数据查询，分析和探索的技能。从这个试点项目的结果将导致随后的工作，开发和整合这些资源和活动到广泛使用的高中计算机科学课程。这一创新在计算教育中面临着一个真实的问题-如何使计算机科学课程的数据分析部分具有丰富性、深度和参与性，使学生能够发展和应用这些基本技能。利用太空探索的教育力量和吸引力，以及与计算机科学关键领域的许多联系，该项目将创建和测试一个开源的学生使命控制，为高中生提供集中访问来自在轨传感器，学生实验，科学研究和NASA自己的使命控制的丰富数据。他们还将创建和测试一套与计算机科学应用有关的学习活动，特别侧重于数据扫盲，因为这一点越来越重要，也是计算机科学课程中的一个长期挑战，EAGER项目将设计和实施一个试点课程，通过让学生接触来自国际空间站的真实的数据来提高数据扫盲水平。他们还将设计一个学生使命控制接口系统，模仿美国宇航局自己的使命控制。该团队将解决从国际空间站访问数据的技术挑战，在动态数据引擎中管理数据，并创建一个引人入胜的信息用户界面和API。他们还将开发相关的基于探究的调查和模拟，以激发学生的好奇心并促进数据素养技能。这个试点项目最初将与co-PI的非专业计算机科学课程合作，然后在高中部署和测试，有20名计算机科学教师和他们的学生。从这个试点项目中吸取的经验教训，如果有必要，将反过来导致一个大规模的发展，传播，培训，扩大功能，学习活动和教育活动的完整建议。这个奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并已被认为是值得通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估的支持。

This EAGER award tests a bold concept, to engage high school students with direct access to data and experiments on the International Space Station, and to use these assets in computer science courses to help students develop skills of data inquiry, analysis and exploration. Results from this pilot project will lead to subsequent work to develop and integrate these resources and activities into widely used high school computer science courses. This innovation confronts a real problem in computing education – how to have the data analysis components of computer science courses have richness, depth and engagement, so that students can develop and apply these essential skills. Taking advantage of the educational power and appeal of space exploration, and the many connections to key domains of computer science, the project will create and test an open-source Student Mission Control, providing high school students with centralized access to a wealth of data from on-orbit sensors, student experiments, science research and NASA’s own mission control. They will also create and test a set of related learning activities with computer science applications, focusing specifically on data literacy, since this is of growing importance and a perennial challenge in computer science courses.This EAGER project will design and implement a pilot curriculum to improve data literacy by engaging students with real data from the International Space Station. They will also design a Student Mission Control interface system that mimicks NASA’s own Mission Control. The team will address the technical challenges of accessing data from the ISS, manage it in a dynamic data engine and create an engaging and informative user interface and API. They will also develop the related inquiry-based investigations and simulations that engage students’ curiosity and promote data literacy skills. This pilot will work initially with the co-PI’s computer science course for non-majors, and then deploy and test in high schools, with 20 teachers of computer science and their students. Lessons learned from this pilot project, if warranted, will in turn lead to a full proposal for large scale development, dissemination, training, and expansion of functions, learning activities and educational activities.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.