Xplorlabs

Xplorlabs is a free, innovative digital platform that bridges the gap between classroom and real-world engineering problems and inspires critical thinking and innovative applications of STEM concepts.

A flexible complement to middle school science, technology, and engineering curricula 

Middle school (grades 5-9) is a critical time in students’ academics and personal identity formation and a time when decisions about their future careers are created. It is also a time when students’ engagement in STEM topics and skills declines, creating a cliff-like drop-off and derailment from STEM career pathways. This problem is especially evident in communities in poverty, for girls, and for students of color; combined this demographic is called “underrepresented minorities” in STEM. Compounding these issues with STEM education is the level of science literacy after COVID-19 and a teacher shortage. 

Building on a platform designed to counter a loss of engagement in science common to middle school students, in 2023 the Office of Research Experiences & Education (OREE) launched a redesigned Xplorlabs, reflecting contemporary best practices in science and engineering education and incorporating feedback from more than 200 educators. 

STEM pathways to develop the next generation of problem-solvers

At the heart of STEM is problem-solving and processing skills that apply to everything students will do for the rest of their lives. Xplorlabs helps teachers engage young minds in a way that cultivates a passion for inquiry as well as generates excitement for problem-solving.

By encouraging students to ask why a phenomenon happens and how they can solve the problem, the Xplorlabs experience connects teachers and students with practicing UL Research Institutes and UL Standards & Engagement engineers, scientists, chemists, and researchers who engage in the process of asking scientific questions every day. 

“Gone are the days of memorizing boring facts! When learning is relevant and contextualized in a real-world setting students are more engaged,” says Dr. Sally Creel, STEM and Innovation Supervisor at Cobb County Schools in Georgia.

Enhancing traditional classroom learning

Adaptable learning solutions for educators and students can be easily incorporated into existing curricula and serve as a springboard for deeper understanding, curiosity, and robust classroom discussion. The modules are designed so that students can lead themselves and an educator facilitates the conversation.

“For a program like this to be valuable to teachers, it must not only be informed by Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), but also allow students to solve real world problems with creative solutions, not prescribed results,” says Dr. Kelly Keena, OREE director.

Since 2015, Xplorlabs has worked directly with students and teachers in hundreds of communities in the United States and Europe.