Known as nQuire, the project will support the development of inquiry, reasoning and problem-solving skills used by scientists. Young people will have the opportunity to capture scientific information from local sources.
“nQuire will really bring science to life," says Mike Sharples, Professor of Educational Technology at The Open University.
"Working on actual scientific issues, students will be able to ask questions, investigate and share in a way that traditional approaches can’t support.
"The OU’s OpenScience Laboratory provides online access to data from real physical instruments and equipment, and students will be able to work on current science issues or propose their own experiments.”
nQuire project one of eleven technology ventures sharing funding of over £1million from the Nominet Trust through its Digital Edge investment programme, which seeks out projects to improve opportunities for young people.
The OpenScience Laboratory, currently being developed by the OU for practical science teaching to students, will include remote access to laboratories and observatories; virtual laboratories and instruments, such as the virtual microscope and interactive screen experiments; online field investigations; and citizen science, where non-scientists collect or process data as part of a scientific enquiry.
29 May 2013
Image: Thinkstock
