SSERVI Annual Report: Year 4

The SSERVI Central Office forms the organizational, administrative and collaborative hub for the domestic and international teams, and is responsible for advocacy and ensuring the long-term health and relevance of the Institute. SSERVI has increased the cross-talk between NASAs space and human exploration programs, which is one of our primary goals. We bring multidisciplinary teams together to address fundamental and strategic questions pertinent to future human space exploration, and the results from that research are the primary products of the institute. The team and international partnership reports contain summaries of 2017 research accomplishments. Here we present the 2017 accomplishments by the SSERVI Central Office that focus on: 1) Supporting Our Teams, 2) Community Building, 3) Managing the Solar System Treks Portal (SSTP), and 4) Public Engagement

Effectiveness of virtual laboratories in terms of achievement, attitudes, and learning environment among high school science students

This study investigated the effectiveness of virtual laboratories that can be used to simulate real laboratories in science classrooms. Classes of students who utilized virtual laboratories were compared with classes of students who did not. Data were obtained by administering a questionnaire measuring students’ perceptions of the learning environment, attitudes, and achievement; this was complemented by data from interviews with students. No significant differences were found between instructional groups

A Quantitative Assessment and Comparison of Conceptual Learning in Online and Classroom-Instructed Anatomy and Physiology

Online and virtual technologies have allowed higher education institutions to expand educational opportunities to a broader range of students. The number of students enrolling in online courses is rapidly accelerating, and therefore performance-based evidence of the effectiveness and equivalence of such courses to enhance student learning is necessary, especially in lab-based science courses – where research is currently lacking. This study compared conceptual learning of online and on-campus students in a two-semester anatomy and physiology course sequence. Two terms of students (N=397) completed standardized pre-test and post-test assessments designed to assess content knowledge and conceptual learning based on change scores before and after the intervention. Descriptive statistics were calculated to provide information on the background and equivalency of the groups with respect to certain learner variables, and a multiple regression model was used to assess the influence of learner variables on the knowledge-based assessment outcomes. The analysis showed that GPA significantly predicted performance on the learning assessment for the online treatment group, and GPA and the number of employment hours significantly predicted performance on the learning assessment for the on-campus control group. An Analysis of Covariance was used to examine the effect of course modality on learning. Both online and on-campus participants significantly improved their performance on the post-test, and there were no significant differences in learning gains between the groups. The results of this study suggest, and support previous research regarding online learning, that both online and on-campus instructional modalities can achieve the same conceptual learning goals in anatomy and physiology. The results of this study can be used to inform the ways in which learning in online anatomy and physiology courses parallels that of its physical on-campus counterpart, and prompt further research in this area. One of the most salient consequences of the present findings is the potential implications for higher education institutions regarding research, support, and transfer of online courses in the natural sciences, and further exploration of the potentials of such courses to attract and retain students

Improving Laboratory Learning Outcomes: An Investigation Into the Effect of Contextualising Laboratories Using Virtual Worlds and Remote Laboratories.

This thesis presents research into improving learning outcomes in laboratories. It was hypothesised that domain specific context can aid students in understanding the relationship between a laboratory (as a proxy for reality), the theoretical model being investigated within the laboratory activity and the real world. Specifically, the research addressed whether adding domain context to a laboratory activity could improve students' ability to identify the strengths and limitations of models as predictors of real-world behaviour. The domain context was included in a laboratory activity with the use of a remote radiation lab set within a context-rich virtual world. The empirical investigation used a pretest-posttest control group design to assess whether there was a statistically significant difference in the learning outcome between a treatment group who completed the lab in a contextualised virtual world, and the control group who conducted the activity in an empty virtual world. The results showed that there were no statistically significant differences between the groups and therefore there are cases where contextualising a laboratory activity will not have an effect on students' ability to identify the strengths and limitations of models as predictors of real-world behaviour. This research postulates that previous exposure to the model, the level of awareness students had of the context and the lack time available for reflection may have masked or attenuated the effect of the context. This research has contributed a framework for the analysis and design of domain context in laboratory activities, and an interface for integrating iLabs laboratories into the Open Wonderland virtual world. It has explicitly clarified the relationship between context, labs, models and the real world. Most significantly, this research has contributed knowledge to the field of laboratory learning outcomes and the understanding of how domain context affects laboratory activities

Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute: Year Three Annual Report 2016

NASA's Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute (SSERVI) is pleased to present the 2016 Annual Report. Each year brings new scientific discoveries, technological breakthroughs, and collaborations. The integration of basic research and development, industry and academic partnerships, plus the leveraging of existing technologies, has further opened a scientific window into human exploration. SSERVI sponsorship by the NASA Science Mission Directorate (SMD) and Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate (HEOMD) continues to enable the exchange of insights between the human exploration and space science communities, paving a clearer path for future space exploration. SSERVI provides a unique environment for scientists and engineers to interact within multidisciplinary research teams. As a virtual institute, the best teaming arrangements can be made irrespective of the geographical location of individuals or laboratory facilities. The interdisciplinary science that ensues from virtual and in-person interactions, both within the teams and across team lines, provides answers to questions that many times cannot be foreseen. Much of this research would not be accomplished except for the catalyzing, collaborative environment enabled by SSERVI. The SSERVI Central Office, located at NASA Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley, California, provides the leadership, guidance and technical support that steers the virtual institute. At the start of 2016, our institute had nine U.S. teams, each mid-way through their five-year funding cycle, plus nine international partnerships. However, by the end of the year we were well into the selection of four new domestic teams, selected through NASA's Cooperative Agreement Notice (CAN) process, and a new international partnership. Understanding that human and robotic exploration is most successful as an international endeavor, international partnerships collaborate with SSERVI domestic teams on a no-exchange of funds basis, but they bring a richness to the institute that is priceless. The international partner teams interact with the domestic teams in a number of ways, including sharing students, scientific insights, and access to facilities. We are proud to introduce our newest partnership with the Astrophysics and Planetology Research Institute (IRAP) in Toulouse, France. In 2016, Principal Investigator Dr. Patrick Pinet assembled a group of French researchers who will contribute scientific and technological expertise related to SSERVI research. SSERVI's domestic teams compete for five-year funding opportunities through proposals to a NASA CAN every few years. Having overlapping proposal selection cycles allows SSERVI to be more responsive to any change in direction NASA might experience, while providing operational continuity for the institute. Allowing new teams to blend with the more seasoned teams preserves corporate memory and expands the realm of collaborative possibilities. A key component of SSERVI's mission is to grow and maintain an integrated research community focused on questions related to the Moon, Near-Earth asteroids, and the moons of Mars. The strong community response to CAN-2 demonstrated the health of that effort. NASA Headquarters conducted the peer-review of 22 proposals early in 2017 and, based on recommendations from the SSERVI Central Office and NASA SSERVI program officers, the NASA selecting officials determined the new teams in the spring of 2017. We are pleased to welcome the CAN-2 teams into the institute, and look forward to the collaborations that will develop with the current teams. The new teams are: The Network for Exploration and Space Science (NESS) team (Principal Investigator (PI) Prof. Jack Burns/U. Colorado); the Exploration Science Pathfinder Research for Enhancing Solar System Observations (ESPRESSO) team (PI Dr. Alex Parker/Southwest Research Institute); the Toolbox for Research and Exploration (TREX) team (PI Dr. Amanda Hendrix/ Planetary Science Institute); and the Radiation Effects on Volatiles and Exploration of Asteroids & Lunar Surfaces (REVEALS) team (PI Prof. Thomas Orlando/ Georgia Institute of Technology). In this report, you will find an overview of the 2016 leadership activities of the SSERVI Central Office, reports prepared by the U.S. teams from CAN-1, and achievements from several of the SSERVI international partners. Reflecting on the past year's discoveries and advancements serves as a potent reminder that there is still a great deal to learn about NASA's target destinations. Innovation in the way we access, sample, measure, visualize, and assess our target destinations is needed for further discovery. At the same time, let us celebrate how far we have come, and strongly encourage a new generation that will make the most of future opportunities