Home Intro Tour Partnerships Curriculum Software Research Developer Center Teacher Center FAQ Contact Info

KIE Projects The KIE software environment provides a framework that can be used for many different types of specific curriculum units. KIE projects can be on any topic that is appropriate for critical scientific inquiry; you can use one of ours, or create your own. Current projects explore scientific topics such as heat, temperature, and light, or current scientific controversies such as global warming and life on Mars. KIE projects generally involve surveying evidence on the Internet to answer a complex scientific question or support a theory. For example, in the project "How Far Does Light Go?", students interpret a range of evidence and construct a scientific argument for one of two theoretical positions: "light dies out as you move farther away from a light source" or "light goes forever until absorbed." The project culminates in a classroom debate, in which students present their arguments and supporting evidence and field questions from the rest of the class. KIE supports three primary types of projects: Theory comparison projects, to help learners distinguish ideas in their repertoire; Critique projects, to help learners expand their repertoire of ideas and recognize partisan or invalid arguments such as they might find on the Internet; and Design projects, to help learners draw on scientific information to solve complex problems such as creating an energy-efficient home. Most KIE projects range from two days to two weeks, and can be extended to incorporate hands-on experimentation as well as Web exploration. For a complete list of existing projects, visit the Curriculum Library. To see evidence that's already in use on KIE projects, visit the Evidence Database.