Development of a Citizen Science Online Training and Learning System.

The full publication emanating from the project can be found here:

Russell C., Sithole N., Tshabalala G., Kotze D., and Taylor J. 2024. Citizen science online training and learning system. Water Research Commission (WRC) Report No. TT 933/23, Pretoria, South Africa. Available at https://www.wrc.org.za/wp-content/uploads/mdocs/TT%20933%20final%20web.pdf

Summary

A “toolbox” of citizen science tools aimed at the biological monitoring of water resources was previously developed by GroundTruth, through the support of the WRC. The pedagogy (i.e., method and practice of teaching) to support the development of this “toolbox” incorporated an ‘Action Learning’ approach that leveraged off the benefits of social learning. Action Learning, and the associated tools, have received interest from international bodies such as the United Nations (UN) in terms of empowering people to take action towards, and report against, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

However, the facilitation of learning during this process has been heavily reliant on in-person training. Consequently, citizen science training to monitor water-related issues saw a marked decrease during the Covid-19 pandemic. This highlighted the importance of adapting the current pedagogy to facilitate remote learning. The use of digital learning is becoming more widespread globally but marginalised communities are at risk of being left behind or excluded due to a lack of access to the “online” and the high costs of participation.

This research project, led by GroundTruth in partnership with Rhodes University, documented, in-depth, the process of designing and facilitating online learning and training for citizen science water resource monitoring. This was done in the context of a rural community with little access to the internet. What emerged can be summarised as “when there is a will, there is a way”. Participants were able to overcome obstacles to learning through both innovation and leveraging off of each other’s strengths and skills. This highlighted the importance of facilitating opportunities for social learning processes, many of which are embedded in the practical application of the Action Learning framework. Elements from these concepts were captured and summarised into “best practice” steps and can be found in the guiding document (the Best Practice Guide) that accompanies the online learning materials.

The links to the materials and best practice guide below:

Online learning tools: https://www.groundtruth.co.za/olt

Best practice guide: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55fe95d3e4b061de2f940c0c/t/660fcb153add752a3c36ccdf/1712311087649/Best+Practice+guide.pdf

For more videos on GroundTruth’s training and education, visit: https://www.youtube.com/@groundtruthcitizenscience/videos