August 15th, 2016 | RESEARCH
Online citizen science projects have demonstrated their usefulness for research, however little is known about the potential benefits for volunteers. We conducted 39 interviews (28 volunteers, 11 researchers) to gain a greater understanding of volunteers' motivations, learning and creativity (MLC). In our MLC model we explain that participating and progressing in a project community provides volunteers with many indirect opportunities for learning and creativity. The more aspects that volunteers are involved in, the more likely they are to sustain their participation in the project. These results have implications for the design and management of online citizen science projects. It is important to provide users with tools to communicate in order to supporting social learning, community building and sharing.
Document
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Team Members
Charlene Jennett, Author, University College LondonLaure KLOETZER, Author, Geneva University
Daniel Schneider, Author, Geneva University
Ioanna Iacovides, Author, University College London
Anna Cox, Author, University College London
Margaret Gold, Author, The Mobile Collective
Brian Fuchs, Author, The Mobile Collective
Alexandra Eveleigh, Author, University of Westminster
Kathleen Mathieu, Author, University College London
Zoya Ajani, Author, University College London
Yasmin Talsi, Author, The Mobile Collective
Citation
Identifier Type: ISSN
Identifier: 1824-2049
Publication: Journal of Science Communication
Volume: 15
Number: 3
Related URLs
Tags
Audience: General Public | Scientists
Discipline: General STEM
Resource Type: Peer-reviewed article | Research Products
Environment Type: Citizen Science Programs | Media and Technology | Public Programs | Websites | Mobile Apps | Online Media