WISE projects are designed in part to encourage students to become autonomous learners. Compared to the Jasper Series very little support in the form of “guided inquiry” is needed from the teacher. The design of the WISE projects is such that most students can navigate through a lesson or project almost entirely on their own. This is not so with the Jasper Series. Without careful guidance from the teacher, I think the information presented in the video format of Jasper could be overwhelming for a typical student. Another difference is WISE projects move along according to the preference of the student; the student is in control. Also, the WISE projects are built so that information is presented in a logical, incremental way to build on the knowledge that the student has acquired previously. Finally, different activities are used strategically in WISE “to create inquiry projects that help students to develop a more cohesive, coherent and thoughtful account of scientific phenomena” (Linn, Clark & Slotta, 2003, p. 521). In comparison, the Jasper Series makes use of SMART tools that require further explanation and guidance from the teacher.
Reference
Linn, M., Clark, D., & Slotta, J. (2003). Wise design for knowledge integration. Science Education, 87(4), 517-538