This collections track project is developing a new educational interface called Ceph School supported by CephBase data. In Ceph School, Cephalopods are being used as the model organisms for a number of reasons. Cephalopods (squid, cuttlefish, octopus and nautilus) are very different from animals that students typically study. They actively, colorfully, and dynamically illustrate all major concepts in biology and are bio-medically important. They are animals that students are naturally curious about. Ceph School is providing full access to all of the current data and also modifying and expanding it by creating an entirely new age/knowledge appropriate interface composed of eight new modules. The goal, using cephalopods as model organisms, is to have students understand basic principles in biology (modules 2,4,5 & 7), observe the methodology of scientific research and become familiar with cephalopods (modules 1& 6), and also provide student and teacher-specific support (modules 3, 5 & 8). These modules are enhanced with web cameras, videos and links to additional data. From a distance, students observe living animals in real time, use interactive maps to explore their geographical distribution and habitats, learn about their anatomy, physiology and behavior, search appropriate bibliographies, locate world experts, and observe science in action. Additionally, teachers have a quality, data rich tool to help their students get excited about science. A regional group of motivated and innovative teachers, who are familiar with theresearch center, supply a pedagogue's view of the initial design and appearance of the site, and provide critical assessment of the usefulness of the modules and finally suggestions for improvement and refinement.
This system is structured to provide a type and quality of standard information (Textley and Wild 1996) that is customized for high school and university students. Ceph School begins with the already successful OBIS (Ocean Biological Information Systems) compliant CephBase website (www.cephbase.utmb.edu), recognized twice in Science (282:587 and 285:2027). The site includes complete taxonomy for all living cephalopods, from phylum to subspecies. It includes over 1000 images and 70 video clips depicting behavior, taxonomic traits and predator and prey data. It also includes a directory of all the world's cephalopod workers, a "frequently asked questions" database, a searchable scientific literature database containing 4688 papers on cephalopods, geographic distribution maps made in real time, and finally a powerful web interface that allows interoperability with other OBIS databases (i.e., FishBase, Kansas Geological Survey and Species 2000).
