Bodies in Space - Online Education for Secondary School Students

This SBIR application proposes to develop, evaluate, and implement an Internet-based educational outreach site focusing on the varied biological effects of microgravity. We will develop a website, BodiesInSpace.com, to host the curriculum and courses on the Internet. The curriculum development process will be based on reviews of existing secondary school biology curricula and current NASA publications regarding microgravity and its effects on physiology. The curriculum will be further revised by microgravity researchers, educational design specialists, and teaching physicians. Learning theories that encourage skills and knowledge transfer, such as cognitive flexibility theory, will provide the foundation of the curriculum. Modules will be learner-oriented and support the development of decision-making skills through interactive scenarios. Conveying the excitement of space research, BodiesInSpace.com will focus on relaying information in a manner that will enhance the meaningfulness of the investigations. The website shall provide enhanced remote access allowing secondary school students the ability to access, learn, and participate in science activities. Such interaction will enhance the next generation of explorers' knowledge about and interest in the progress of NASA missions and discoveries.