SUBSCRIBE
SUBSCRIBE
EXPLORE +
  • About infoDOCKET
  • Academic Libraries on LJ
  • Research on LJ
  • News on LJ
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Libraries
    • Academic Libraries
    • Government Libraries
    • National Libraries
    • Public Libraries
  • Companies (Publishers/Vendors)
    • EBSCO
    • Elsevier
    • Ex Libris
    • Frontiers
    • Gale
    • PLOS
    • Scholastic
  • New Resources
    • Dashboards
    • Data Files
    • Digital Collections
    • Digital Preservation
    • Interactive Tools
    • Maps
    • Other
    • Podcasts
    • Productivity
  • New Research
    • Conference Presentations
    • Journal Articles
    • Lecture
    • New Issue
    • Reports
  • Topics
    • Archives & Special Collections
    • Associations & Organizations
    • Awards
    • Funding
    • Interviews
    • Jobs
    • Management & Leadership
    • News
    • Patrons & Users
    • Preservation
    • Profiles
    • Publishing
    • Roundup
    • Scholarly Communications
      • Open Access

November 1, 2018 by Gary Price

New Report: ‘Citizen Science’ Can Support Both Science Learning and Research Goals; Inequities in Education, Opportunities, and Resources Must be Addressed to Meet Participants’ Learning Demands

November 1, 2018 by Gary Price

From the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine:

2018-11-01_11-13-52Scientific research that involves nonscientists contributing to research processes – also known as ‘citizen science’ – supports participants’ learning, engages the public in science, contributes to community scientific literacy, and can serve as a valuable tool to facilitate larger scale research, says a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.  If one of the goals of a citizen science project is to advance learning, designers should plan for it by defining intended learning outcomes and using evidence-based strategies to reach those outcomes.
[Clip]
The term “citizen science” can be applied to a wide variety of projects that invite nonscientists to engage in doing science with the intended goal of advancing scientific knowledge or application. For example, a citizen science project might engage community members in collecting data to monitor the health of a local stream. As another example, among the oldest continuous organized datasets in the United States are records kept by farmers and agricultural organizations that document the timing of important events, such as sowing, harvests, and pest outbreaks.
Citizen science can support science learning in several ways, the report says. It offers people the opportunity to participate in authentic scientific endeavors, encourages learning through projects conducted in real-world contexts, supports rich social interaction that deepens learning, and engages participants with real data. Citizen science also includes projects that grow out of a community’s desire to address an inequity or advance a priority. For example, the West-Oakland Indicators Project, a community group in Oakland, Calif., self-organizes to collect and analyze air quality data and uses that data to address trucking in and around schools to reduce local children’s exposure to air pollution. When communities can work alongside scientists to advance their priorities, enhanced community science literacy is one possible outcome.
[Clip]

Given the potential for citizen science to engage traditionally underrepresented individuals and communities, stakeholders in citizen science — such as project designers, researchers, and participants — should carefully consider and address issues of equity and power throughout all phases of project design and implementation, the report says. Intentional design of citizen science projects that include underrepresented groups helps to challenge limiting assumptions and creates programming where all participants can learn.
In order to maximize learning outcomes, the report recommends that designers and practitioners of citizen science projects should intentionally build them for learning. This involves knowing the audience; intentionally designing for diversity; engaging stakeholders in the design; supporting multiple kinds of participant engagement; encouraging social interaction; building learning supports into the project; and iteratively improving projects through evaluation and refinement.  Engaging stakeholders and participants in design and implementation results in more learning for all participants, which can support other project goals.

Direct to Report Highlights
4 pages; PDF.
Direct to Full Text Report (Read Online) ||| Download Full Text Report (Free)

Read the Complete Report Publication Announcement
Includes roster of Committee on Designing Citizen Science to Support Science Learning members.

Filed under: Associations and Organizations, Data Files, News

SHARE:

About Gary Price

Gary Price (gprice@gmail.com) is a librarian, writer, consultant, and frequent conference speaker based in the Washington D.C. metro area. He earned his MLIS degree from Wayne State University in Detroit. Price has won several awards including the SLA Innovations in Technology Award and Alumnus of the Year from the Wayne St. University Library and Information Science Program. From 2006-2009 he was Director of Online Information Services at Ask.com. Gary is also the co-founder of infoDJ an innovation research consultancy supporting corporate product and business model teams with just-in-time fact and insight finding.

ADVERTISEMENT

Archives

Job Zone

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Infodocket Posts

Research Tools: National Geographic Society and Utrecht University Launch World Water Map

From the National Geographic Society: Today, the National Geographic Society launched the World Water Map as part of its five-year World Freshwater Initiative to better understand developing freshwater shortages around the world ...

The Verge: "The Internet Archive is Defending Its Digital Library in Court Today"

UPDATE Hachette v. Internet Archive Statements, Materials, and Media Reports Re: Today’s Oral Arguments (Last Updated: 7:20pm, March 20, 2023; We Expect Additional Updates) Media Reports Book Publishers With Surging ...

Journal Article: "Services to Mobile Users: The Best Practice from the Top-Visited Public Libraries in the US"

The article linked below was published today by Information Technology and Libraries (ITAL). Title Services to Mobile Users: The Best Practice from the Top-Visited Public Libraries in the US Authors ...

New Online: Handbook on Comparative E-lending Policies in European Public Libraries

From EBLIDA (European Bureau of Library, Information and Documentation Associations): This Handbook overhauls current stereotypes about e-lending. The studies and investigations quoted in the Handbook demonstrate that e-lending in libraries ...

JSTOR Daily Wins Webby Award; IMLS Welcomes 7 New Members to the National Museum and Library Services Board;...

Changes Will Come to the State Library of Iowa Under the Reorganization Bill (via Iowa Public Radio) IMLS Welcomes 7 New Members to the National Museum and Library Services Board  ...

Research Article (preprint): "A Global Exploratory Comparison of Country Self-Citations 1996-2019"

The article linked below (preprint) was recently shared on arXiv. Title A Global Exploratory Comparison of Country Self-Citations 1996-2019 Authors Alberto Baccini University of Siena, Italy Eugenio Petrovich University of ...

Japan: "Shared Bookstores Let Bibliophiles Meet Owners With a Passion"

From Nikkei Asia: Shared bookstores, where each shelf is operated by a different owner, are cropping up in Japan’s big cities, allowing book lovers to find new books and interact with ...

Connecticut: A CT Leader's Decision to Pull a Children's Book About Pronouns From Library Display Called 'Censorship'; What's...

Arizona: How the Pima County Library Created a Safe Space for This Librarian (via Arizona Daily Star) ChatGPT Sends Shockwaves Across College Campuses (via the Hill) Connecticut: A CT Leader’s ...

American Library Association (ALA) Committee on Accreditation (CoA) Releases a Proposed Revision of the Standards for Accreditation of...

From the American Library Association (ALA): The Committee on Accreditation (CoA) of the American Library Association (ALA) announces release of a proposed revision of the Standards for Accreditation of Master’s Programs in ...

Not Real News: An Associated Press Roundup of Untrue Stories Shared Widely on Social Media This Week

From the Associated Press: A roundup of some of the most popular but completely untrue stories and visuals of the week. None of these are legit, even though they were ...

Getty Acquires 11th Century Irmengard Codex; JAMA's New Editor Settles in, Bringing Open Access and Other Changes; and...

Getty Acquires 11th Century Irmengard Codex (Fine Books & Collections) JAMA’s New Editor Settles in, Bringing Open Access and Other Changes (via STAT) ‘Shelves Have Been Left Barren’: Florida Teachers ...

Institute For Museum and Library Services (IMLS) Releases FY 2022 Annual Financial Report

From an IMLS Announcement: The Institute of Museum and Library Services announced today that the agency’s  (AFR) is now available for FY 2022. The report details the health of the ...

ADVERTISEMENT

FOLLOW US ON TWITTER

Tweets by infoDOCKET

ADVERTISEMENT

This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

Primary Sidebar

  • News
  • Reviews+
  • Technology
  • Programs+
  • Design
  • Leadership
  • People
  • COVID-19
  • Advocacy
  • Opinion
  • INFOdocket
  • Job Zone

Reviews+

  • Booklists
  • Prepub Alert
  • Book Pulse
  • Media
  • Readers' Advisory
  • Self-Published Books
  • Review Submissions
  • Review for LJ

Awards

  • Library of the Year
  • Librarian of the Year
  • Movers & Shakers 2022
  • Paralibrarian of the Year
  • Best Small Library
  • Marketer of the Year
  • All Awards Guidelines
  • Community Impact Prize

Resources

  • LJ Index/Star Libraries
  • Research
  • White Papers / Case Studies

Events & PD

  • Online Courses
  • In-Person Events
  • Virtual Events
  • Webcasts
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe
  • Media Inquiries
  • Newsletter Sign Up
  • Submit Features/News
  • Data Privacy
  • Terms of Use
  • Terms of Sale
  • FAQs
  • Careers at MSI


© 2023 Library Journal. All rights reserved.


© 2022 Library Journal. All rights reserved.