# Presentation: 302512

##  Telescopes in Education

**Kick-off Meeting**
**26 September 2001**
- Nora Farrell		Marcella Hopkins

- Virtual

## Overview

- Student Ap J Review Process
- Proposal Review Process
- Lesson Plans
- Education Portals - The VTIE Library
- Web Interface
- Search engine
- Astronomy Simulation Software

## VTIE Project

- Student Ap J
- Proposal Review
- Lesson Plans

**M. Hopkins**

## Student Ap J Review Process:

- Submit paper for review
- Paper reviewed by N reviewers
- Comments returned to author
- Revisions made
- Paper published

**M. Hopkins**

## Proposal Review Process:

- Submit proposal
- Proposal reviewed by reviewers
- Comments returned to proposer
- Time scheduled (hooks into scheduler)

**M. Hopkins**

## Lesson Plans:

- Teachers can submit lesson plans
- Reviewed by teachers
- Students not able to access

**M. Hopkins**

## Three Approaches:

- Manuscript Tracking Software
- Peer Review Software
- Create own forms

**M. Hopkins**

## Manuscript Tracking Software

- Used mainly for writers, scientists, researchers or anyone who uses writing in their field.
- Tracks submission to journals, deadlines, payment, etc.
- Can be configured to do peer review tracking

**M. Hopkins**

## Peer Review Software

- Does this task only
- Can be web-based or windows-based

**M. Hopkins**

## Create own form

- Best used for simple peer reviews
- Can be done easily using Java applet, JavaScript, Perl, etc.
- Other software more complex, not geared towards children
- Cheap and simple to create

**M. Hopkins**

## Your name

- Name of reviewed:

- excellent

- good

- fair

- poor

- Comments:

- submit

- Peer Review Sample:

**M. Hopkins**

## Other considerations:

- Compatibility - various browsers, connection speeds, platforms, operating systems, etc.
- Privacy issues - online security, cookies, authentication, and user passwords (COPPA)

**M. Hopkins**

## VTIE LibraryEducation Portals and digital archives

- Universal access by anyone, anywhere, anytime on any device (in a perfect world)
- Simplified interface for *all* members of the (education) community
- Personalized content *
- Customizable services
- Ease of use and constant availability
- Scalable infrastructure

**N. Farrell**

## VTIE LibraryEducation Portals and digital archives cont.

- Include role-based differentiation in services, e.g., teachers would have different services (or different access points) than students.
- Security: User authentication, access controlled
- Review existing models, research

**N. Farrell**

## VTIE LibraryIt’s place within the National SMETE Digital Library

- Web face to students and teachers (others)
- Tools
- Online scheduler
- ApJ and Proposal review automation
- Data acquisition and archiving
- Collection, record groups

**N. Farrell**

## Web interface

- More than table of links
- Interactive, Intuitive
- Enticing to kids, understandable to adults
- Different: Starship Enterprise Control panel; Extraction from “The Matrix”
- Allow user some control of environment
- Use existing examples and research to inform development
- University, government, and corporate

**N. Farrell**

## Search Engine

- What it needs to do/search:
- Archived material: Data, proposals, ApJ proposals and journal
- Proposals for telescope time and ApJ
- Submitted, Under Review, Pending, Completed
- Incorporate or adapt existing engine.
- NASA education sites engine?
- Google for VTIE (astronomy centric)

**N. Farrell**

## Astronomy Simulation Software

**Open Universe**	_http://openuniverse.sourceforge.net/_
**SkyGlobe**		_http://astro4.ast.vill.edu/skyglobe.htm_
**Dance of the Planets** _http://astro4.ast.vill.edu/dance.htm_
**Starry Night** 	 	_http://www.starrynight.com/_
**TheSky **_http://www.bisque.com/Products/TheSky/TheSky.asp_
- “The Daily Comet” All the news space will allow. Collaborative online news paper run by students, teachers, scientists. Lead story “The Comet Hunter.”
**Distant Suns**	_http://astro4.ast.vill.edu/dst_suns.htm_
**Many more**. Open source, shareware, commercial.

**N. Farrell**