This collaborative project is implementing and communicating methods for assisting educational content providers in combining resources from their respective websites into coherent, composite collections. The project is developing a composite collection, Nuclear Pathways, consisting of a closely-knit group of collections relating to nuclear issues that serve a broad community of educators and learners. The initial effort, led by the Alsos team, integrates the Alsos (http://alsos.wlu.edu/), Atomic Archive (www.atomicarchive.com/), and Nuclear Chemistry and the Community (www.chemcases.com/nuclear/) websites into a composite collection for nuclear issues. It consists of two content rich sites, Atomic Archive, and Nuclear Chemistry and the Community, supported by a solid bibliographic resource, Alsos, and the Alsos site for educators, Nuclear Connections. Both collaborating sites will become members of the NSDL by providing metadata and participating in NSDL activities. Atomic Archive represents a successful commercial partner. Nuclear Chemistry and the Community is a component of an NSF funded CCLI educational project (DUE-9652889), ChemCases that continues to flourish.
The techniques used and lessons learned in integrating the three initial partners are being employed to recruit additional websites (approximately 10) addressing nuclear issues. These websites are being invited to join the composite collection and NSDL as associates. The National Advisory Board of the Alsos library is performing review and selection of those sites.
The continuing development of the Nuclear Connections site led by the Alsos team is expanding to reference materials useful to teachers in multiple disciplines at all levels from middle school through college and postgraduate training. It links vetted educational materials (syllabi, suggested references, etc.) from the partner sites as well as from individual educators. In addition, direct links to appropriate topics in the associate sites are being embedded in appropriate locations in Nuclear Connections.
The Office of Multidisciplinary Activities in the NSF Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences (MPS) is providing significant co-funding of this project in recognition of the value of this work in advancing the larger educational goals of MPS.
