National Institute of Aerospace
Providing web-based resources to increase STEM literacy and inspire the next generation.
Team Mission
Our mission is to increase STEM literacy and inspire the next generation of engineers and scientists by providing effective web-based, standards-aligned in-school and out-of-school learning and teaching resources, through the lens of NASA.
The first rule for teaching is to know your audience. Assessment begins with knowing the audience's needs, and then continually checking to be sure those needs are being met. We must maintain our emphasis on continual reflection and seek feedback from the students and teachers we are serving. Our measuring stick should be “what is best for students and teachers?”
What does your team hope to achieve?
The NASA eClips team works to:
- Achieve STEM literacy and proficient use of STEM practices for all;
- Provide web-based resources informed by best-practice research for formal and non-formal educators to deliver instruction that increases science literacy through confronting identified science misconceptions;
- Collaborate with NASA and other like-minded organizations to bring high-quality STEM resources to teachers and students; and
- Develop resources for students to engineer solutions to problems and empower student-centered learning and content creation.
Student Created Content
NASA Spotlites is a new product under the NASA eClips program that provides a unique opportunity for students to engage in STEM learning by:
- Motivating educators to incorporate the engineering design approach to planning and teaching supported by professional development;
- Building an awareness of effective methods to confront student misconceptions; and
- Employing research-based peer-to-peer teaching and learning to address a targeted education gap on confronting science misconceptions.
Watch an example of a NASA Spotlite video produced by students for students! The video, “NASA Spotlite: Atmosphere,” was produced by students at Arlington Tech (Arlington Public Schools in Virginia). Arlington Tech uses an interdisciplinary approach strategies in production of the videos. Chemistry students perform the background research on the topic and then pass the research on to English students to draft scripts. Media students review the drafted scripts, select the one they wish to produce, and then film, edit, and complete production of the video.
