Real field trip model for the 2024 total solar eclipses

This Project Grant award from the National Science Foundation (CFDA 47.049 - Mathematical and Physical Sciences) provides $465,000 to Southern Illinois University Carbondale to develop and assess a Remote Engagement and Access to Learning (REAL) field trip model that will allow any school, regardless of location or funding, to actively participate in large-scale scientific events such as the 2024 total solar eclipse. The REAL field trip model will be tested with 6 middle schools, 3 within and 3 outside the path of totality, and will include online streaming opportunities for students to interact with experts and create their own eclipse videos. The effectiveness of the REAL field trip model in overcoming inequalities in science education opportunities will be measured, and if successful, the model could be used for future scientific events to increase science literacy and interest in STEM careers among students nationwide. The award period is from September 1, 2023 to August 31, 2025.

Abstract

Approximately 7 million school-age children live inside the path of totality for the 2024 total solar eclipse. This means that most school-age children in the united states will not be in the path of totality. A project run through southern illinois university will develop and assess a remote engagement and access to learning (real) field trip model that would allow any school, regardless of location, funding, or other barriers, to have its students actively participate in large-scale, localized scientific events such as a solar eclipse. The model will be tested, developed and activated for the april 8, 2024 total solar eclipse. The impact of this type of active scientific participation for students will be measured amongst various populations to determine the model?s effectiveness in overcoming inequalities in science-education opportunities. The real field trip model, if shown to be successful, could be used for a vast array of future scientific events and phenomena, allowing school kids from across the country to interactively participate in distant, real-time, scientific events. This will increase science literacy and numbers of children who become interested in science and stem careers. Three middle schools located in the path of totality for the 2024 solar eclipse and three middle schools located out of the path of totality will participate in the real field trip. Student interaction with the real field trip will occur both prior to and during the eclipse via various online streaming opportunities. Prior to the eclipse, teacher-led instruction will be supplemented by pre-recorded downloadable discussions of eclipses from a diverse group of experts, providing scientific as well as artistic, economic, and historical discussions of current and past eclipses. Students will also have the opportunity to create their own eclipse videos that can be submitted for inclusion in the live eclipse broadcast. During the eclipse, students, both in and out of the path of totality, will be able to actively participate in the eclipse experience through a variety of streaming interactions including a question and answer chat session, where experts will be on hand to answer student questions in real time. Data will be collected prior to and after the eclipse to assess the efficacy of the real field trip model. In addition, the april 2024 total solar eclipse experience will be expanded beyond the partner schools through a professionally produced live TV broadcast simulcast with the real field trip over the national PBS feed. This broadcast format will reach a much larger national audience. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.- subawards are planned for this award.