Arizona State U Launches Open, Adaptive Lessons on Space Exploration

Infiniscope's "Where Are the Small Worlds?" module

Arizona State University has created a free series of digital lessons, simulations and virtual field trips designed to teach science through space exploration. Infiniscope uses content from NASA and adaptive learning technology from Smart Sparrow to engage students with a hands-on, interactive experience. The series is supported by a $10.18 million grant from NASA's Science Mission Directorate Education Community.

"Infiniscope makes the vastness of space and space exploration inviting, accessible and interactive for educators and learners of all ages," said Ariel Anbar, deputy principal investigator and director of ASU's Center for Education Through eXploration (ETX), in a statement. "The aim is to help learners become problem-solvers capable of exploring the unknown, rather than just mastering what is already known. Learning science should be approached as a process and as a universe of questions rather than as a dusty collection of facts."

The "Where Are the Small Worlds?" module, for example, asks participants to search a simulated solar system for asteroids and other objects. Learners "collect data on small worlds, observe the motion of different worlds to determine their location, and launch probes to discover 'astrocaches' hidden throughout the solar system," according to a press release. Adaptive technology provides feedback as learners are guided along individual pathways.

Infiniscope is part of the Inspark Science Network, an initiative launched in 2015 by Smart Sparrow and ASU's ETX with support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which provides a community and platform for sharing digital courseware in science. 

The first module of the series is available free to educators, administrators and learners on the Infiniscope site. ASU and Smart Sparrow say they will "continue to develop personalized and adaptive learning experiences and virtual field trips centered on astrobiology and 'small bodies' such as asteroids and Saturn's moon Enceladus."

About the Author

Rhea Kelly is editor in chief for Campus Technology, THE Journal, and Spaces4Learning. She can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • student reading a book with a brain, a protective hand, a computer monitor showing education icons, gears, and leaves

    4 Steps to Responsible AI Implementation

    Researchers at the University of Kansas Center for Innovation, Design & Digital Learning (CIDDL) have published a new framework for the responsible implementation of artificial intelligence at all levels of education.

  • glowing digital brain interacts with an open book, with stacks of books beside it

    Federal Court Rules AI Training with Copyrighted Books Fair Use

    A federal judge ruled this week that artificial intelligence company Anthropic did not violate copyright law when it used copyrighted books to train its Claude chatbot without author consent, but ordered the company to face trial on allegations it used pirated versions of the books.

  • server racks, a human head with a microchip, data pipes, cloud storage, and analytical symbols

    OpenAI, Oracle Expand AI Infrastructure Partnership

    OpenAI and Oracle have announced they will develop an additional 4.5 gigawatts of data center capacity, expanding their artificial intelligence infrastructure partnership as part of the Stargate Project, a joint venture among OpenAI, Oracle, and Japan's SoftBank Group that aims to deploy 10 gigawatts of computing capacity over four years.

  • laptop displaying a phishing email icon inside a browser window on the screen

    Phishing Campaign Targets ED Grant Portal

    Threat researchers at cybersecurity company BforeAI have identified a phishing campaign spoofing the U.S. Department of Education's G5 grant management portal.