Eligibility: Top Stars is open to individuals, and teams of up to four people, who are U.S. citizens and are at least 21 years old. Employees of IGES and NASA, or their contractors, are not eligible.
Format: Entries can include any combination of the following (see Frequently Asked Questions for more detail):
- Text
- Graphics (e.g., jpeg, gif)
- Video* content (e.g., links to YouTube, TeacherTube, etc.)
- Photo* content (e.g., links to Flikr, Picassa, etc.)
- Podcast (new)
- Link to a Website where the entry is located
- Entry may be a complete unit or involved activity or a short, introductory lesson or one-time application for formal or informal education of a concept related to the Hubble Space Telescope. (new)
*To be displayed in the Top Stars Showcase, entries that include photos or video of subjects under 18 years old must include signed parental releases (please download the PDF or Word version of release) or only show the backs of heads for subjects under 18; videos must include closed captioning.
Review Criteria
The following criteria will be used to review and select entries for Top Stars recognition: (see the judging form used)
- Relevance to Hubble and STEM education: The entry focuses on a learning experience relevant to NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope and science, technology, engineering, and/or mathematics (STEM) education. In addition to STEM education, entries can also be relevant to other subjects (e.g., art, English language arts, history, etc.).
- Presents up-to-date, accurate content. The material is free from content errors, including incorrect facts or statements and misconceptions.
- Represents a creative approach and/or is designed to encourage creative instruction.
- The entry is the work of the submitting individual or team, including either a) originally-developed material or b) an innovative or effective use or adaptation of a NASA resource. The entry does not include any copyrighted materials without explicit, written consent from the holder of the copyright.
- Includes appropriate assessment suggestions (e.g., rubrics, open-ended questions, techniques for assessing prior knowledge, individual or group research projects, quizzes, etc.) and/or evidence demonstrating successful results/learning by the target audience.
- Quality of presentation - the entry is clearly and well communicated, for example: writing style that is vivid, compelling and/or creative; information is presented in a logical and well-organized manner; if multimedia resources are included (e.g., graphics, photos, video, etc.) they are of high quality and used effectively to convey information; and the entry is free from editorial or production errors (e.g., grammatical and typographical errors or technical difficulties).
- The approach is appropriate, effective and engaging or entertaining for the target audience.
- Provides good and relevant references or extension ideas for educators or learners who want to learn more or go further.
- Includes appropriate documentation, for example: citations are provided for all sources; copyrighted materials are not included without explicit, written consent from the holder of the copyright; parental/guardian permission forms are included for any photos or videos that include subjects under 18-years-old.
- Supports national education standards (K-12 entries). Entries targeted at K-12 formal education should show alignment with national science, mathematics, or technology education standards. The material identifies specific national education standards that are supported and the content matches the standards and specific outcomes that are identified. National science, mathematics and technology education standards that are appropriate are:
Science -- National Research Council’s (NRC) National Science Education Standards or the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Benchmarks for Science Literacy
Mathematics -- National Council of Teachers of Mathematics’ (NCTM) Principles and Standards for School Mathematics
Technology -- International Technology Education Association’s (ITEA) Standards For Technological Literacy or the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) National Educational Technology Standards
