Urban Inquiry Project

1. Promoting partnerships to foster
Responsible Research and Innovation
for smart citizenship
projects.kmi.open.ac.uk/urban-inquiries

2. Equipping researchers and citizens with
knowledge and tools to participate and take
responsibility in the research and innovation
Responsible Research Innovation
Source: European Commission Report

3. Equipping researchers and citizens with
knowledge and tools to participate and take
responsibility in the research and innovation
Source: European Commission Report
Responsible Research Innovation

4. Equipping researchers and citizens with
knowledge and tools to participate and take
responsibility in the research and innovation
Source: European Commission Report
Responsible Research Innovation

5. RRI
Science-in-
Society
Knowledge
Scientific
Inquiry
Skills
Technology
Responsible Research Innovation

6. ENGAGE RRI curriculum aims to equip students for
scientific literacy: evaluate claims, weigh up science &
values, argue opinions and compare solutions.
Science-in-society knowledge
Scientific inquiry skills
Big
science
Values
thinking
Science
media
Define
problems
Evaluate
solutions
Construct
arguments
Critique
arguments
Interrogate
media
Technology
impact
Communicate
ideas

7. The educational focus of MK:Smart is engaging students to
analyse and interpret large urban data sets for developing
data literacy.
Urban Data School

8. The aim of nQuire project is to engage young people in
designing and running scientific investigations in order to
raise STEM proficiency.

9. weSPOT aims at propagating scientific inquiry as the approach
for science learning and teaching in combination with today's
curricula and teaching practices through open technologies.

10. Brokering partnerships
SCHOOLS
UNIVERSITIES
RESEARCH CENTRES

11. Project’s Aim
to equip students to be able to identify and describe
problems or questions scientifically mediated by
social and personal learning environments (PLE)
Questions
What are the benefits and challenges
for developing “co-inquiry” partnerships?
What are the co-inquiry tools and strategies
useful for teachers and students?
Qualitative study – Initial pilot
5 researchers from Higher Education,
2 science teachers and a class
26 teenagers of a secondary school in the UK

12. Energy consumption:
a shorter shower
or banish blow-dries?
SCIENCE-IN-THE-NEWS OPEN EDUCATIONAL
RESOURCE
URBAN DATA
Science Communicators Science Educators Smart City
Researchers

13. MOBILE DATA
COLLECTION & DISCUSSION
CO-INQUIRY PROJECT CO-INVESTIGATORS
OUTCOMES
Science Teacher
Learners & Technologists
Co-inquiry
community
Students
Smart citizens

14. What are the benefits and challenges for developing “co-
inquiry” partnerships?
• Collaboration in authentic scenarios
• Co-authorship in various publications
Students: 3 posters, 3 videos, 1 presentation
Researchers: 3 papers different perspectives
Technologists: Agile software development
What are the co-inquiry tools and strategies
useful for teachers and students?
• weSPOT Questioning: to create, comment & rate
• weSPOT analytics: to observe and encourage participation
• nQuire spot-it: to collect, discuss & rate data (photo)
• Dilemma: to engage students in “Science-in-Society”
• Data Inquiry: to improve their scientific questions
• Storytelling: to increase understanding
• Group Discussion: to support a student-centered teaching

15. References:
• N Komninos, M Pallot, H Schaffers Special issue on smart cities and the
future internet in Europe. Journal of the Knowledge Economy, 2013
• Buchem, I.; Pérez-Sanagustín, M. Personal Learning Environments in Smart
Cities: Current Approaches and Future Scenarios. eLearning Papers, 35,
November 2013.
• A J. Dewey. How we think: a restatement of the relation of reflective thinking
to the educative process. Heath: Boston, MA, 1933.
• Okada,A.; Serra,A; Ribeiro, S; Pinto. S. Key skills for co-learning and co-inquiry
in two open platforms: a massive portal (EDUCARED) and a personal
environment (weSPOT) Open Praxis, vol. 7 issue 1, 2015.
• Ratcliffe, M., & Grace, M. Science Education for Citizenship. Open University
Press, 2003
• Vahey, P., Yarnall, L., Patton, C., Zalles, D., & Swan, K. Mathematizing middle
school: Results from a cross-disciplinary study of data literacy. American
Educators Research Association Annual Conference. April, 2006.
• Kinshuk, R. . Ubiquitous Learning Environments and Technologies. Springer,
2014
Contact:
Ale Okada
ale.okada@open.ac.uk

16. Questions
1. What are the role of technologies for co-inquiry and
brokering partnerships? Any example?
2. What are the recommendations for policy makers to
promote scientific digital literacy in the schools
considering that students cannot use mobile and
internet in their lessons?
3. Do you know any project about partnerships for
innovation between Universities, Schools &
Researchers/Scientists ? What would be the drivers
and catalysts to broker partnerships?
Technology, Policy & Innovation
Website: http://projects.kmi.open.ac.uk/urban-inquiries
Twitter: # urban inquiries