Tag Archive for: scoping

Make it Citizen Science?

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Learning aims

Participants explore the possibilities and opportunities for carrying out a citizen science project and check whether it makes sense for their environment to use this type of project. The activity is suitable for researchers and citizens in a group or individual learning setting. Activities 1 – 3 of this session should be carried out beforehand.

The participants have a clear assessment of whether their project idea is suitable for a Citizen Science project or not. They also know the strengths and weaknesses of the project idea as well as the opportunities and risks. Participants should be able to decide whether or not they want to proceed with the Citizen Science approach.

Materials needed

Duration and setting

  • Setting: Single or group work
  • Preparation: 0 minutes.
  • Execution: 60 minutes 

Process description – what has to be done

Step 1 – Questionnaire (10 minutes)

Complete the questionnaire “Module2_1-4-StatusCheck_Questionnaire” and check your results. Make a list of the things you want to do before you continue with the next session or topics that you further need to investigate.

Step 2 – SWOT analysis (15 minutes)

SWOT stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. This method is used to evaluate project or business ideas at an early stage in order to identify aspects that need to be taken into account as the project progresses.

The aim of the SWOT analysis is to find out whether you and your team are ready for a Citizen Science project. You can use the template for the SWOT analysis or simply scribble it down with pen and paper. Ideally, the SWOT analysis is carried out in a group.

You can train the application of this method and use it later with your project team

Think about what you and your potential team do well or not so well or where you might have changes and obstacles.

Internal: Strengths and Weaknesses

  • What do you do well or what are positive aspects? E.g. good team spirit, curiosity, passion for the topic, experience in working with non-scientists, existing funding for a project, good location,…
  • What is not going so well? E.g. lack of funding, lack of time, lack of experience, problematic deadlines, no connection to people outside the organization,…

External: Opportunities and Threats

  • What could positively influence your project from the outside? E.g. a current topic, a topic considered relevant by stakeholders, a public interest, existing initiatives in your organization or field, a complement to a project you are already working on…
  • What external factors could threaten your project? E.g. shift in focus of stakeholders, fluctuating funding, political interests, …

Step 3 – Derive your strategy

Go through the points and compile a list of actions you could take to make the most of the positive aspects and avoid or mitigate the negative aspects

Step 4 – Your conclusion (15 minutes)

Create a list of pros and cons. On one side, enter the arguments in favor of carrying out a Citizen Science project and on the other side the arguments against. What conclusion do you come to? Do you want to start a Citizen Science project?

 

If you need more support in deciding whether your project should be a Citizen Science project or not, you will find a detailed decision framework in chapter 4: https://www.ceh.ac.uk/sites/default/files/sepa_choosingandusingcitizenscience_interactive_4web_final_amended-blue1.pdf (page 17ff).

De-Briefing/Reflection/Evaluation

Participants can decide for themselves whether or not they want to carry out their project using the Citizen Science approach and can justify their decision.

  • Is your topic suitable for Citizen Science?
  • Do you feel comfortable with the overall approach?
  • What are open questions or problems that you see and how do you intend to solve them?
  • How likely is it that you will overcome potential obstacles?

References – further information

#scope #scoping #target #targetgroup #selfreflection #swot #analysis

Analyze the network

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Learning aims

A network map helps participants to gain an overview of the parties involved in science and society and to analyze the extent of their influence on the topic. It is suitable for researchers and citizens in a group or individually. Activity 1.2 should be carried out beforehand.

Participants receive an initial overview of the disciplines and people who could be involved in their project. Participants learn how to identify the key groups they need to involve in their project.

Materials needed

  • Pen and Paper

Duration and setting

  • Setting: Single or group work
  • Preparation: 0 minutes.
  • Execution: 45 – 60 minutes (depending on amount of participants)

Process description – what has to be done

Step 1 – Map Outline (5 minutes)

Start by drawing a central element in which you write the theme of your project. Draw a horizontal line that divides the paper into two halves. Write “Science” in the top half and “Society” in the bottom half. Use some color to highlight the elements.

Step 2 – Enter network nodes (10-15 minutes)

Write all important and related scientific disciplines in the upper half. Bring the disciplines with a stronger influence closer to the topic bubble. In the bottom half, write down all members and institutions of society that influence your topic

Step 3 – Connect nodes with the topic (5 minutes)

Consider how strongly each network node influences the topic. Use different types of arrows to show which elements have a strong influence on the topic and which only have a minor influence

Step 4 – Highlight the most important nodes (5 minutes)

Highlight the elements that have the greatest influence on the topic

De-Briefing/Reflection/Evaluation

The participants identified the most important groups for their project.

  • Do you feel that you have a good overview of your network?
  • Do you already have connections to all relevant groups?

 

References – further information

#scope #scoping #target #targetgroup #selfreflection

Create a topic board

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Learning aims

The topic board is a visual representation of concepts and ideas using an arrangement of images, text and other design materials. Participants will create a topic board to get a first visualization of the situation in which they would like to carry out a Citizen Science project. The activity is suitable for researchers and citizens in a group or in an individual learning environment.

Participants get an overview of the topic they want to research and get a feel for the issues and the environment in which they will carry out the project. This could also raise questions, challenges and problems that might arise from the project. The also learn to present their project idea to other people

Materials needed

  • Paper version:
    • Large sheet of paper
    • Pens
    • Scissors
    • Glue
    • Newspapers, magazines or other visual material that represents the topic
  • Digital version:
    • Whiteboard tool
    • Presentation software
    • Images or screenshots

Duration and setting

  • Setting: Single or group work
  • Preparation: 0 minutes.
  • Execution: 45 – 75 minutes (depending on amount of participants and how clear the project scope already is).

 

Process description – what has to be done

Step 1 – Name of the topic (5 – 10 minutes)

Give your topic board a title so that everyone can easily understand what you are working on. If you are not sure about a topic yet, try to describe what you have in mind, e.g. a question or a task (“Why are there not so many bees in my garden anymore?”, “Raising awareness about the importance of medical prevention.”). If you need some inspiration take a look at the projects in the Citizen Science Repository.

Step 2 – Gathering material (30 minutes)

Gather images, newspaper articles, keywords or whatever represents your potential research topic or question and the area in which your project might take place.

  • core themes, elements, problems, questions, initial ideas for solutions
  • the general setting in which the project could take place (country, city, neighborhood, town…)
  • people involved (researchers, organizations, citizens)

Step 3 – Presenting the result (5 minutes per person)

Present your topic board to the other participants, colleagues or interested parties:

  • Introduce the topic
  • Describe the core elements
  • Describe what you found out so far about your potential setting of the project.
  • Describe what you found out so far about the involved people

Example

 “Our topic is called ‘Digital Media in Families’. We see a lot of families having big fights about the use of digital media and a lot of kids getting into dangerous situations on the net. Fights in the family are around the amount of kids’ media usage, which devices and programs they are allowed to use or with whom they are in contact online. Parents often know little about the potential risks on the net as well about the chances digital media can bring. That’s why they leave their kids often unaccompanied online although the best thing they can do is being with their kids when they use digital media. Families and especially single parent households are often under a big time pressure so there is often not enough time to take a lot of time for these issues. On top parents and kids often feel a high pressure by peers and the society to use digital media in a way the family would normally not use.

 We would like to help families having an easier life with digital topics. We want to focus our project on families that are in a more stressful situation than others, e.g. single parent households, families with a migration background, low-income families. Therefore we would like to run the project in one of the city’s quarters where a lot of these people live.

 There is a lot of people outside the family influence the topic, like friends, teachers, colleagues, people in the public. From a research perspective there is a lot of academic work going on but the results hardly reach the families in their daily lives and can often not be updated as fast as necessary with latest developments.”

De-Briefing/Reflection/Evaluation

Participants can give a 5-minute overview of the topic they want to research to an audience who may have no prior knowledge.

  • What do you think of your topic map? Were you able to include all relevant aspects?
  • Did you find any open questions or concerns regarding the topic?
  • Have you been able to identify a coherent research question or brief for your project?

 

References – further information

#scope #scoping #target #targetgroup #selfreflection

Me and my mission

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Learning aims

Let’s first look at what questions or topics participants bring to the project. This lays the foundation to explain their work and the project to the volunteers and also sharpen their image of the research question. The activity is suitable for researchers interested in Citizen Science as well as for citizens who want to carry out a Citizen Science project. The activity can be done individually or in a group.

Materials needed

Pen and Paper

Duration and setting

Information about the kind of exercise and the duration of the whole exercise.

  • Setting: Single work
  • Preparation: 0 minutes.
  • Execution: 45 minutes.

 

Process description – what has to be done

Step 1 – Draw yourself

Draw a short picture of yourself in the middle of the paper and hold a small box. Write your profession or role in the box. Use easy-to-understand words that anyone on the street can understand.

Step 2 – Describe your work in one sentence

Insert another field under the first one. Make it a little larger than the first one. Now describe your work in a single, easy-to-understand sentence.

Step 3 –  Your questions

Draw a line under the second box and label the bottom section “My most important questions”. Enter up to 3 main questions that arise from your work

Step 4 – Core elements of your work

Insert the heading “My work” at the top of the page. Fill the rest of the page with speech bubbles containing important aspects of your work. You should also use easy-to-understand words here.

If you like, you can add some color. We will need this sheet again later

Step 5 – Introduce yourself and your work in 3 sentences

Now use all the information you have gathered and introduce yourself to the group in 3 sentences

 

De-Briefing/Reflection/Evaluation

The participants are prepared for the subsequent presentation of themselves and their project. It also helps them to formulate a concrete research question or project idea from their current context.

Participants are able to present themselves and their work in 3 sentences to someone who has no prior knowledge of the subject.

  • How comfortable do you feel presenting yourself and your work?
  • Have you found a question or a topic that you would like to evaluate further as a citizen science project?

 

References – further information