SCHOOL OF INFORMATION UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN bugscope.beckman.uiuc.edu

SCHOOL OF INFORMATION UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN Bugscope basics Collaboratory type: shared instrument Secondary types: virtual learning community, product development, expert consultation

SCHOOL OF INFORMATION UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN Bugscope basics Makes electron microscope at Beckman Institute (U. Illinois) available to classes over the Web Student groups send in samples, then access the instrument remotely at scheduled session times

SCHOOL OF INFORMATION UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN Chickscope: a success disaster Chickscope was developed as an educational/ outreach enhancement for Beckman- part of a world-wide lab MRI access to developing chick embryos Estimated cost: $5,000/ class! to run live, including instrument time +4-5 people for 21 days (Still) very popular with classrooms Bugscope was developed as a cost-effective successor to Chickscope

SCHOOL OF INFORMATION UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN Access to… Instrument People Information

SCHOOL OF INFORMATION UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN Access to instrument Environmental scanning electron microscope at the Beckman Institute Access via the custom-built IRMA software, archived online

SCHOOL OF INFORMATION UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN Access to people Student operator Instrument operator Project director set policies, evaluated and scheduled proposals Minimizing staff time was essential for sustainability

SCHOOL OF INFORMATION UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN Access to information Archiving sessions –Previous student sessions and images are publicly accessible and searchable Background information for users on microscopy Curriculum support

SCHOOL OF INFORMATION UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN Diagram

SCHOOL OF INFORMATION UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN Notice from diagram: No money flow Few individuals involved at Beckman No between-classroom communication

SCHOOL OF INFORMATION UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN Technology used Custom developed Java interface, provides remote control of instrument –Alternate version is web-only (no Java) with approximately the same functionality Website –Archive of images –Classroom support materials Scheduling and operational management

SCHOOL OF INFORMATION UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN IRMA software ( Interactive Remote Microscopy Application)

SCHOOL OF INFORMATION UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN Success measures Conducted 82 online sessions since March 1999 Achieved low-cost, sustainable access to the instrument Good student ratings of software usability (5.7 on 7pt scale)

SCHOOL OF INFORMATION UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN Success measures High teacher rating of session usefulness (6.1 on 7pt scale) Benefits mostly in the area of increasing interest and engagement– a virtual field trip Some curriculum integration also seen-- teachers were able to successfully integrate Bugscope into their curriculums, often into an existing microscopy unit Thakkar, et al. 2000

SCHOOL OF INFORMATION UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN Cost-effectiveness in Bugscope Can take advantage of unused instrument time in ~2 hour blocks Minimal staff time Workflow management

SCHOOL OF INFORMATION UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN Cost-effectiveneness-- staffing Local H.S. assistant does both sample preparation and online assistance Serve as local liaison during sessions

SCHOOL OF INFORMATION UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN Automated workflow (from Potter, 1999) 11 stages of classroom interaction: Acknowledge, Accept/Reject, Confirm, Finalize, Specimen Prep., Setup, Imaging, Immediate Evaluation, Archive, Follow up Evaluation, Thanks. Systematize/Automate as much as possible: Online submissions and scheduling, auto- archiving, online support for sessions

SCHOOL OF INFORMATION UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN Unique requirements of K- 12 collaboratories ‘Bulletproof’ technology to protect lab and ensure successful sessions User-friendly software Curriculum support for teachers is essential for K-12 participation –Next level of support would probably demand summer workshops/ professional development

SCHOOL OF INFORMATION UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN Challenges Getting teachers interested and familiar with inquiry and providing support for them, is challenging (e.g., Thakkar et al., 2001). For instance, –How do we get students to engage in inquiry? –How do we ensure that all students are involved in inquiry activities? –How do teachers link to other teachers and student teachers to facilitate inquiry learning and teaching? –What are roles for scientists in supporting inquiry in classrooms? –How can teachers study their own inquiry practice and share what they learn with others?

SCHOOL OF INFORMATION UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN References Thakkar, U., et al. (2000) Formative evaluation of Bugscope: a sustainable World Wide laboratory for K-12. AERA presentation. C.S. Potter, B. Carragher, L. Carroll, C. Conway, B. Grosser, J. Hanlon, N. Kisseberth, S. Robinson, D. Stone and U. Thakkar, (1999) "BUGSCOPE: The second year of a sustainable remote microscope project for K-12 education outreach", Invited M & M submission reprinted from Microscopy Today, In press.