4A - Cosmic Data Stories: Data Science and Literacy in Your Classroom

Abstract: In this Webinar, we introduce participants to Cosmic Data Stories (CosmicDS, cosmicds.cfa.harvard.edu/data-stories), a NASA Science Activation-funded program, that creates educationally scaffolded online interactives with the goal of making science and data science education more broadly accessible to the public.

Working with scientific data in a classroom can be difficult. Specialized access and domain-specific knowledge are often required to even begin working with data, creating a large barrier to exploring the types of data which scientists are currently using to understand our world. The Cosmic Data Stories project builds on our team’s legacy of creating free, open-source, online resources using WorldWide Telescope and glue.

We have created Data Stories of different scope and length to suit different use cases:
* Shorter (5–15 min) stories allow the user to explore a single topic (ex. 2024 Solar Eclipse)
* Longer (2-3 hr) stories can be used in-class as a lab experience (ex. Hubble Law Data Story)

The shorter Data Stories have been used by tens of thousands, and the large Hubble Law Story had a beta release in 2023 in several community college and high school classes, and is expected to complete summative testing in 2024-25.

We will share 3 Stories in this session, during which participants can access the Data Story to explore and follow along. We will discuss how the Stories have been used and invite participants to a Jamboard to share ideas on how they may fit the Data Stories in their classroom or outreach settings. These include:
* Solar Eclipse 2024 Data Story & Lesson Plan (& 2026 preview)
* TEMPO Air Quality Explorer
* Hubble Law in-class online lab

By the end of the session, we hope participants will feel prepared to incorporate relevant CosmicDS resources into their educational settings to support their learners in exploring and learning from data.