motivations for integrating citizen science into higher education curricula

Motivations for integrating Citizen Science

into Higher Education curricula

Citizen Science

• Involvement of volunteers in science projects

• Collection of ecological & environmental information

Citizen Science

Development of a campus biodiversity recording app

Students’ thoughts on using KiteSite in BYOD field session

Development of a campus biodiversity recording app

1. Skills trainingScientific skills: Sampling strategy & techniques, digital mapping, data accuracy and reliability issues…‘Soft skills’: digital literacies, global citizenship, team working…

Teaching motivations

2. Active Learning (Fieldwork)For large class sizesFor MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses)Enquiry-based learning


3. Students’ engagement in their learning (fun!)



….More?

Project Splatter (Sarah Perkins)

Where?When?What?

@projectsplatter

Project Splatter – Social media PLATform for Estimating Roadkill

Research questions:Where – spatial hotspots?When – temporal hotspots?Protected species?Mapping invasive speciesBehavioural studies

Project Splatter – Social media PLATform for Estimating Roadkill

Skills trainingScientific skills: wildlife identification, data analysis, GIS, mapping, project design, GIS, data mining in Twitter, data management and handling, web design, grant writing‘Soft skills’: Twitteracy, professional online behaviour, media skills, creativity

What is this?

What do you think?

Project Splatter

Send me stuff

How to manage citizen science generated big data?

Project Splatter

Motivations for using Citizen Science in HE

Inputs

Project design

Project implementation

Outputs

Outcomes