LEARNERS

Quarterly Review

Quarter 2\
FY03

Goddard Space Flight Center

Dr. Robert Gabrys

Dr. Susan Hoban

Dr. Daniel Laughlin

NASA's Mission:

+-------------------+--------------------------------------------------+
| ![](media/image2. | To understand and protect our home planet.       |
| jpeg){width="1.66 |                                                  |
| 66666666666667in" | To explore the Universe and search for life.     |
| height="1.25in"}  |                                                  |
|                   | To inspire the next generation of explorers      |
|                   |                                                  |
|                   | **\...as only NASA can.**                        |
+-------------------+--------------------------------------------------+

Our renewed focus to education means not only inspiring our youth but
also providing educators with the tools they need to teach math and
science and to improve the country\'s scientific literacy. These tools
are available today. We just need to be more creative in how to make
them available to inspire our youngest generation to pursue these
inquiries.

In short, we want to make scientific discovery, research, and
exploration, cool and exciting so that kids want to learn more drawn by
natural human inquisitiveness. If we don\'t motivate our younger
generation, in kindergarten and on through high school, there is little
prospect this generation will choose to pursue scientific disciplines
later.

\- NASA Administrator Sean O\'Keefe, April 12, 2002

LTPO Milestones

Level I

+-------------------+------------+-----+--------------+--------------+
| Performance Goal  | Milestone  | Due | Output       | Outcome      |
|                   |            | D   | Metrics      | Metric       |
|                   |            | ate |              |              |
+-------------------+------------+-----+--------------+--------------+
| Capture at least  | ET-2.L     | 9   | Prototype    | Validate new |
| 20 science,       | Develop    | /03 | technology   | educational  |
| engineering, and  | prototype  |     | for          | technology   |
| technology        | of         |     | education    | approaches   |
| ***best           | rev        |     | with visual, | to help      |
| practices***      | olutionary |     | auditory,    | improve      |
| educational       | mul        |     | and haptic   | student math |
| products.         | tisensory, |     | interfaces   | and science  |
|                   | multimedia |     | utilizing    | performance  |
| Implement this    | technology |     | digital      | in the       |
| product suite in  | for        |     | libraries.   | classroom.   |
| a manner that     | education. |     |              |              |
| allows continuous |            |     |              |              |
| improvement to    |            |     |              |              |
| education         |            |     |              |              |
| outreach.         |            |     |              |              |
+-------------------+------------+-----+--------------+--------------+

Level I I

  -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
             Milestones                   Due    Output Metrics Project Applied
                                          Date                  
  ---------- ---------------------------- ------ -------------- ---------------
  ET-2.L.1   Solicit and implement        1/03   Initiate new   GSFC, LTPO
             LEARNERS II agreements with         cooperative    
             industry & academia. (4.4.1)        agreements or  
                                                 grants under   
                                                 the LEARNERS   
                                                 II.            

  ET-2.L.2   Develop video-game           5/03   Initiate three DEP, MAR, TUN,
             ***quality*** applications          3D tools.      QST, REA, TIE,
             (including stereographic 3D)                       LAB
             implementing open source                           
             wherever viable.**\***                             
             (4.4.7)                                            

  ET-2.L.3   Develop inexpensive haptic   6/03   Initiate two   HAP
             glove interface. (4.4.8)            haptic tools.  

  ET-2.L.4   Develop text and spatial     7/03   Initiate one   IAL
             sound interpretation of             voice          
             computer-generated graphs.          interface      
             (4.4.9)                             tool.          

  ET-2.L.5   Develop interface for        8/03   Initiate five  JDL
             accessing (digital library)         digital        
             learning objects. (4.4.10)          library tools. 
  -----------------------------------------------------------------------------

**\*** President's Information Technology Advisory Committee reports
that the federal government should use open-source software development
as a viable strategy for producing high-quality software.

LEARNERS

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<thead>
<tr class="header">
<th><strong>LTPO Level I I</strong></th>
<th><strong>Level I I I Milestone</strong></th>
<th><strong>Output Target</strong></th>
<th><strong>Actual Output</strong></th>
<th><strong>Outcome Target</strong></th>
<th><strong>Actual Outcome</strong></th>
<th><blockquote>
<p><strong>Cost</strong></p>
</blockquote></th>
<th><blockquote>
<p><strong>Sched</strong></p>
</blockquote></th>
<th><blockquote>
<p><strong>Tech</strong></p>
</blockquote></th>
<th><blockquote>
<p><strong>Mgmt</strong></p>
</blockquote></th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr class="odd">
<td>ET-2.L.1</td>
<td><p>LEARNERS I</p>
<p>Authenticate sustained use by the education communities.</p></td>
<td><p>Demonstrate tool to authenticate sustained use.</p>
<p>Present results of authentication review.</p></td>
<td><p>Establish percent or number of one or more of the following:</p>
<p>Number of teachers still using product.</p>
<p>Number of students being impacted by product.</p>
<p>Number of schools still implementing product.</p></td>
<td>Knowledge and understanding of long-term use and sustainability of
educational technology products.</td>
<td>09/03</td>
<td></td>
<td></td>
<td></td>
<td></td>
</tr>
<tr class="even">
<td>ET-2.L.1</td>
<td>Solicit and implement LEARNERS II agreements with industry and
academia.</td>
<td><p>Release</p>
<p>Proposal Review</p>
<p>Selection of awards</p></td>
<td><p>Schedule met</p>
<p>(Release, selection, and awards on schedule)</p></td>
<td>A suite of approximately 5 new Learning Technology Teams.</td>
<td>FY 02/03</td>
<td></td>
<td></td>
<td></td>
<td></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>

Level I I I Milestone Progress

*All dates are drawn from the latest management plan available at the
LPT website.*

LEARNERS

Budget

![](media/image3.wmf)

Learning Technologies Project Office

Issues and Accomplishments

Action Plan for yellow and red assessments:

-   The LEARNERS II CAN has been released for public comment. NASA Peer
    Review Service is prepared for final release.

    Accomplishments:

-   Laughlin participated in the What Works Clearinghouse online
    national review of an evaluation instrument to assess the scientific
    quality of research on education.

-   Completed development of a Web-based page to update the LEARNERS Web
    site and act as a portal the existing LEARNERS projects.

-   Student programmer Poorva Arankalla hired to develop a program to
    remotely operate the dome at Chilean telescope.

-   Hoban and Laughlin ran the PREP for Mars exercise for a middle
    school teacher workshop and for a class of special needs students.

-   Hoban reviewed proposals for the REASoN CAN from NASA's Code Y.

-   Investigated avenues to infuse learning technologies projects into
    Code N.

-   Laughlin participated in training and usage of the new NASA portal
    emphasizing NASA education efforts.

-   The LEARNERS II CAN has been released for public comment.

NASA-wide Stoplight Criteria\
Enter a color bar showing the status of each goal

-   Red represents a Significant Problem \*

    -   Deviating from plans or commitments, with insufficient approved
        contingency/reserves to recover and successfully complete the
        program/project as approved.

    -   Needs action. Help required beyond the reporting organization to
        address the problem.

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-   Yellow represents Area of Concern \*

    -   Deviating from plans or commitments, but approved
        contingency/reserves exist to recover and successfully complete
        the program /project as approved.

    -   Needs attention. Problem can be resolved within the reporting
        organization.

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-   Green represents Progress according to Plan

    -   Meeting management plans or commitments

    -   No action required

**\*** Any "Yellow" or "Red" assessment requires a brief explanation of
the problem and an action plan