Website features that guide and support student research

Getting Started

If your students are taking the pre- and post-test, each member of a research group must complete the pre-test before they can start using the website. Then when they log in, they see the navigation bar and the Project Map.

Navigation Bar

Most of the pages also have a submenu to provide both an overview of what is available and easy access.

Project Map

To navigate the e-Lab, students follow the path and complete the milestones. They can hover over each hot spot to preview; click to open. Along the main line are milestone seminars, opportunities to check how their work is going. Project milestones are on the four branch lines. Be sure they watch the Cool Science video. The branch lines include:

• The Basics: Reviews basic research skills.
• Get Started: Prepares the team to design their investigation with links to information about LIGO, seismic events and a research proposal.
• Figure It Out: Prepares the team to ananlyze data with links to how to take and upload data, use data search parameters, choose analysis tools, etc.
• Tell Others: Prepares the team to enter into scientific discourse. Links to how to write up investigation, create a poster and comment on the work of others.

We provide an alternate text version for accessiblity.

Glossary and Resources

The website has a glossary and references for the milestones (accessed by clicking on the milestone in the graphical version and on the icon in the text version). Entries show in pop-up windows when a definition or reference is needed. The entire glossary is available from the Library submenu.

e-Logbook- Opportunities for Feedback

Because this is a student-led, teacher-guided investigation, it is important for students to get frequent feedback.

As students work through the milestones, they have access to an online logbook where they can save their notes. They can enter notes for each milestone and into general notes. They can respond to teacher prompts to reflect on their progress. Teachers are able to access this work, track and assess student progress and provide feedback.

Teachers also have a logbook in which they can make notes on their students, teaching strategies, resources, etc. for the next year. To access your logbook, click on the little pencil in upper right-hand corner on every page.

From their logbook, teachers can access entries

• By milestone for all their student research groups.
• By student research group.
• In their own logbooks with entries about each research group.

Resources

On the Library submenu is a link to references that include:

• Tutorials: Step-by step instructions and tutorials for each of the studies.
• Contacts: Experts and student research groups.
• Online: Other URLs of interest.

Posters

Students may publish their work as a poster or a paper. We provide a webform for them to enter text, select figures from the website, and coming soon uploaded images of their own.

Associated with posters are areas for comments. This allows students to comment on the work of other students and ask questions.

Site Index and Site Overview

The student site index has a list in outline format of all the pages on this site available to students.

The student site overview provides a graphical interface to important pages on this site available to students. Just roll over the main sections to see the items available for access in each section. This same interface is accessible from the "Explore!" quick link on the home page. Your students may like it as an easy way to get around the website. Here the student has rolled over the Library and exposed the Library links.