What is a Purdue zipTrip™?
A Purdue zipTrip is an electronic field trip. That's right. Electronic!
Let's face it. Kids love field trips. The chance to go places beyond their own classrooms and see for themselves how the world works.
But not every destination is close enough for a day trip, and you may not have the time or resources to commit a full day to one field trip. That's where we come in.
When you sign up to take your class on a Purdue zipTrip, the field trip comes to you!!
Purdue scientists will share their exciting work with your middle-school students, without making them late for their after-school activities.
What are the topics?
We know that kids love animals. And we happen to know a lot about animals here at Purdue. Our programs bring those two elements together.
(To be a little more specific, we'll be looking at comparative biology between animals and humans, focusing on the work of scientists in Purdue's School of Veterinary Medicine and Purdue Agriculture.)
Want to know more? Use the links below to learn more about each zipTrip:
How do zipTrips™ work?
You'll sign up to have your students in grades 6, 7, or 8 attend a zipTrip, then sit back and prop up your feet while your kids go for a cyber-ride....
OK, not quite.
But how does this sound?
We'll provide you with a teacher's guide to help you navigate your way during the trip.
We'll also give you access to specially prepared short videos that you can use in your classroom to introduce your students to Purdue scientists and the work they do.
Then on the designated zipTrip day, we'll use the magic of technology to zip the students to the Purdue campus, where they'll meet actual scientists. Some students will even be able to ask questions that the scientists will answer during the field trip.
Sound good?
Well, what if we also told you that our programs are geared to meet Indiana and national science standards, and are being developed in collaboration with middle-school teachers?
We thought you'd like that!
Who created zipTrips™?
The Purdue zipTrips program is jointly provided by:
Purdue University School of Veterinary Medicine
Purdue Agriculture
Discovery Learning Research Center at Purdue
Additional partners include:
Indiana Higher Education Telecommunication System (IHETS)
Indiana Public Broadcasting Stations, Inc. (IPBS)
Purdue Video & Multimedia Production—ITaP
With support from a Howard Hughes Medical Institute grant, Purdue is developing electronic field trips for middle-school students in grades 6, 7, and 8. The goal of these trips is to promote science education and to help generate a greater interest in science among middle-school students.
Allow us to introduce you to the people behind Purdue zipTrips:
Dr. J. Paul Robinson, School of Veterinary Medicine
Wilella Burgess, Discovery Learning Center
Joan Crow, Purdue Agriculture
Dr. A. Dale Whittaker, Vice Provost for Undergraduate Academic Affairs
Awards
The Purdue zipTrips We’re All Animals program has been recognized with an Accolade Award of Merit in the 2009 “Live Television Events” category. The Accolade is an international competition that recognizes television and videography professionals who demonstrate exceptional achievement in craft and creativity, and those who produce standout entertainment or contribute to profound social change.
2011 Silver Award in the category of
Electronic Media, Video: Class 30,
The Association for Communication Excellence (ACE)
2010 Outstanding Professional Skill Award and
Gold Award in Distance Education and Instructional Design,
The Association for Communication Excellence (ACE)
In the News
Hot off the presses! Read all about it! From newspaper articles to podcasts, the Purdue zipTrips program is making headlines. Check out these links for news reports featuring zipTrips:
- Take a Field Trip…In Your Classroom (Lab Out Loud podcast)
- zipTrips: Behind the Scenes (EzineMark.com)
- Field trips go electronic (Post-Tribune)
- Electronic field trip brings science to students (farmanddairy.com)
- Purdue zipTrips deliver virtual field trips to students nationwide
- A Field Trip Without Buses (Science Scope)
Contact Us
There's more than one way to get information, so take your pick:
- 1. Sign up to receive e-mail updates.
- 2. E-mail us at ziptrips@purdue.edu.
- 3. Check this Web site regularly for new information.
Steve Doyle
Purdue zipTrips Project Manager
E-mail: ziptrips@purdue.edu
Phone: 1-888-EXT-INFO (1-888-398-4636)
Fax: (765) 496-1117
Purdue University Agricultural Communication
615 W. State St., AGAD 16
West Lafayette, IN 47907-2053
Purdue zipTrips, zipTrips, and zipTrip are trademarks of Purdue University.
