Science Education Research

Discipline-based science-education research is an important and expanding program in the School of Earth and Space Exploration. Current areas of education research within the school include:

  • Place-based and culturally informed geoscience teaching and learning
  • Spatial visualization and concept sketching in Earth and space science learning
  • Geoscience teaching and learning in virtual and online environments
  • Computer-based adaptive learning
  • Interpretation and free-choice geoscience education in National Parks
  • Crowd-sourced science in teaching and learning
  • Strategic preparation of secondary Earth and space science teachers.

Science-education researchers in the school maintain important collaborations with several ASU-based education entities including the Center for Education through Exploration, the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College, EdPlus, and the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Institute of Sustainability.

Explore Undergraduate Research Opportunities

Science Education Faculty and Research Scientists

Science Education Programs and Research Groups

  • The Center for Education Through eXploration (ETX) designs, develops, and deploys exploration-based learning experiences through the use of digital platforms including:
    • Habworlds Beyond: An online science course for non-scientists that explores the formation of stars, planets, Earth, life, intelligence, and technological civilizations
    • Online Immersive Virtual Field Trips
    • The “Inspark Science Network,” which digitally-empowers educators in the U.S. to create and share next-generation courseware and technology;
    • Infiniscope: Created in partnership with NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, this project makes the vastness of space and space exploration inviting, accessible, and interactive for educators and learners of all ages
  • NASA L'SPACE Academy: A free online interactive program open to undergraduate STEM students interested in pursuing a career with NASA or other space organizations. Two 12-week academies are available and provide unique hands-on learning and insight into the dynamic world of the space industry. 
  • NASA Psyche Mission Capstone Projects: Culminating, project-based courses focused on the Psyche Mission and undertaken by university students in the final (senior) year of university.
  • Psyche Inspired program: Bringing undergraduate students from any discipline or major together to share the excitement, innovation, and scientific and engineering content of NASA’s Psyche mission with the public in new ways through artistic and creative works.

Science Education and Outreach

At the School of Earth and Space Exploration, we are committed to science literacy. Outreach activities include:

The School’s faculty, graduate students, and staff also appear regularly on local and national news and in major magazines and news sites as subject matter experts, on educational television shows on PBS and the Discovery Channel, and are featured in exhibits at the American Museum of Natural History, the Arizona Science Center, and Grand Canyon National Park where faculty assisted in developing the “Trail of Time,” an interpretive walking geological timeline. Many of the faculty are also authors of popular books and textbooks on science