Massachusetts

iSENSE: Internet System for Networked Sensor Experimentation

Principal Investigator:

Project Overview

Background & Purpose:

iSENSE is a web system for aggregating and sharing sensor data collected in educational science experiments and citizen science initiatives. The system enables registered users to define experiments and collect and contribute data. Anyone may view and analyze iSENSE data, using the system's mapping and graphing tools.

We are working with area high schools to integrate iSENSE technologies into science classroom practice. We also have been performing work with undergraduates at UMass Lowell (in a general-education social science class).

Research Design:

This is a comparative project designed to generate descriptive [case study, design research, observational] evidence. Original data are collected through observation [personal], survey research, and the work products of research subjects. These are experiment designs and data sets that comprise the core work products of using the iSENSE.

So far, most of our work has been formative, based on observations of users working with the iSENSE tools (scientific data collection hardware and data aggregation and visualization software). We have used a design-research approach to refine our system, making it more accessible and powerful for users.

Findings:

We found that undergraduate students (from non-technical majors) have reported greater understanding of scientific process after using the iSENSE materials.

Publications & Presentations:

Publications are available on the website below.

Other Products:

This project has developed a low-cost data-logging device.

On the Web:

http://www.isenseproject.org

Discipline:

State: