LEARN citizen science: 4 year collaboration between science museums and the university of California, Davis, the Open University UK and the University of Oxford, to study youth learning in citizen science programmes.
1. LEARN CitSci:
Youth learning in citizen science programmes:
How can Natural History Museums (NHMs) design citizen
science projects to maximise learning outcomes for
young people?
Dr Christothea Herodotou
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4. 4
The project team: Researchers and practitioners
United Kingdom Partners
Left to right:
Lucy Robinson
The Natural History Museum, London
Dr. Christothea Herodotou
The Open University
Dr. Grant Miller
University of Oxford
United States Partners
Left to right:
Alison Young and Dr. Rebecca Johnson
California Academy of Sciences
Prof. Heidi Ballard
University of California, Davis
Lila Higgins and Dr. Greg Pauly
Natural History Museum of Los Angeles
Image of
Thea
5. Current state of citizen
science
● Rapidly-growing field
● Millions of volunteers,
thousands of citizen
science projects
● International activity
● Most with learning goals
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What we do not know yet
Unique focus on youth
participants (5-19)
Learning outcomes not
well documented yet
Identify project settings
and features that lead to
learning outcomes
Multiple overlapping
settings
6. 6
Research Questions
What is the nature of the learning environments, and what activities
do youth engage in, when participating in NHM-led citizen science?
To what extent do youth develop the following three science learning
outcomes:
a) an understanding of the science content
b) identifying roles for themselves in the practice of science
c) developing a sense of agency for taking actions using science
through participation in NHM-led citizen science programs?
What program features and settings in NHM-led citizen science foster the three
science learning outcomes (a,b, and c above)?
7. Environmental Science Agency
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(Based on Basu and Barton (2009) “critical science agency”)
Aligns with the values
and goals of making
science more
accessible, equitable,
and generative for
youth.
Science content
Processes, norms
Roles
Own expertise
Science as foundation
for change
8. Year 1: research objectives
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●To describe the learning settings where citizen
science takes place
e.g., physical or digital space, staffing, structures
What is happening
What young people do (e.g., roles)
What resources they access
●To describe the process of participation in learning
settings
Social interaction, family communication, staff, scientists etc.
●How? Interviews with museum staff.
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Year 1: Existing Programmes
Online
Outdoor
Ongoing
One day
outdoor
events
10. One day programmes: BioBlitzes
●‘Bio’ = ‘life’
●‘Blitz’ = ‘to do something quickly and
intensively’.
●‘BioBlitz’=
collaborative race (scientists,
students, public etc.)
discover as many species of plants,
animals and fungi as possible
a set location
over a defined time period (usually 24
hours)
●(BioBlitz Guide, NHM London).
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11. Ongoing programmes
• Ongoing: June 23rd-July 2nd 2017
• Aim: document all coastal biodiversity
• Search for animals and plants in the west coast
• Take pictures and share online
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16. NHM London: Miniature fossils
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• Marine fossils preserved in thin slices of rock, collected by scientists during the 20th century
• Reconstruct environmental change, climate change and geological history of the area
17. Next steps
Year 1 – describe settings
Year 2 – capture learning
Year 3- redesign and design new citizen science programmes
Year 4 – data analysis and dissemination
●Guidelines:
●how to design online and offline citizen science programmes that
scaffold learning and participation of young people.
●Museums - free admission:
●lower the barriers to engagement with science
●allow young people from diverse backgrounds to participate in STEM
activities through citizen science.
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This is a 1.7 m pounds project collaboration funded by..through the science learning plus scheme, started in April 2017…early days of its development
Why this project? What is the rationale behind it?
Need for research
Science outcomes of cs are well-documented
Many claims about learning outcomes, only starting to be studied
What settings and practices lead to learning outcomes?
Gap in current understanding of the learning outcomes for youth participants
Sociocultural understanding of learning
Vygotsky theory
Learning as situated – cop - wenger
and understood as an activity – everyday interactions with tools, people, community etc.
As scaffolded through interaction with others more experts
Our theoretical understanding of learning originates from Basu and Barton and critical science agency.
a) what environmental science content process and norms youth take up,
b) what roles they take up and where they find their own expertise in science,
c) and how they see themselves using science and citizen science for a foundation for change.
Overall, we are focusing on science learning that aligns with the values and goals of making science more accessible, equitable and generative for youth
We are at the process of documenting. This
How we collect data? Interview museum staff at the 3 NHMs.
I will talk you through an example relevant to online programmes and what learning settings look like
*ALL of these citizen science projects and programs have been designed, refined, and administered by the members of our team.
*Some of these projects and programs have been in existence for years (is this the stat we want to use??).
Citsci Social network
Owned and managed by cal academy.
Uk based platform
Owned and managed by the uni of oxford
The largest cs platfom in the world
How do you complete the task
Not publicly available