January 21st, 2016 | RESEARCH
Success stories of citizen science projects widely demonstrate the value of this open science paradigm and encourage organizations to shift towards new ways of doing research. While benefits for researchers are clear, outcomes for individuals participating in these projects are not easy to assess. The wide spectrum of volunteers collaborating in citizen science projects greatly contributes to the difficulty in the evaluation of the projects' outcomes. Given the strong links between many citizen science projects and education, in this work we present an experience with hundreds of students (aged 15–18) of two different countries who participate in a project on cell biology research — Cell Spotting — as part of their regular classroom activities. Apart from introducing the project and resources involved, we aim to provide an overview of the benefits of integrating citizen science in the context of formal science education and of what teachers and students may obtain from it. In this case, besides helping students to consolidate and apply theoretical concepts included in the school curriculum, some other types of informal learning have also been observed such as the feeling of playing a key role, which contributed to an increase of students' motivation.
Document
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Team Members
Candida Silva, Author, University of CoimbraAntonio Monteiro, Author, University of Coimbra
Caroline Manahl, Author, Centre for Social Innovation
Eduardo Lostal, Author, University of Zaragoza
Teresa Holocher-Ertl, Author, Centre for Social Innovation
Nazareno Andrade, Author, Federal University of Campina Grande
Francisco Brasileiro, Author, Federal University of Campina Grande
Paulo Mota, Author, University of Coimbra
Fermin Serrano Sanz, Author, University of Zaragoza
Jose Carrodeguas, Author, University of Zaragoza
Rui Brito, Author, University of Coimbra
Citation
Identifier Type: ISSN
Identifier: 1824-2049
Publication: Journal of Science Communication
Volume: 15
Number: 1
Related URLs
Tags
Audience: Educators | Teachers | Scientists | Youth | Teen (up to 17)
Discipline: Life science
Resource Type: Peer-reviewed article | Research Products
Environment Type: Citizen Science Programs | Informal | Formal Connections | K-12 Programs | Public Programs