Term
Summer 2020
Capstone
Capstone Project
Degree Name
MAED: NSEE
Facilitator(s)
Kelly Killorn
Content Expert
Patrick Kelly
Abstract
Citizen Science, the crowdsourcing of scientific data collection, is becoming a valuable education tool for environmental educators and classroom teachers. Citizen Science has the capacity to teach students STEM (Science Technology, Engineering and Math) and inquiry-based learning skills in a real-life setting, close to home, that matters to them personally. It provides participants with the skills to face future environmental problems and become civically engaged on environmental topics. This capstone project focuses on creating an education curriculum utilizing Citizen Science to answer the question: how can Citizen Science be used effectively within environmental education in order to foster environmental change? This curriculum focuses on using Citizen Science to engage both adults and children in environmental education programming focused on the preservation of the western firefly and local wetlands habitats. Reflection following this project describes how the project participants were able to create positive shifts in conservation awareness and behaviors within their communities and the benefits it provides to the environmental education profession by providing educators with a strong model and incentive for the inclusion of Citizen Science within future programs.
Keywords
Adult Education, Curriculum, Environmental Studies, Science
Recommended Citation
Sagers, Michelle, "How Can Citizen Science be used Effectively Within Environmental Education in order to Foster Environmental Change?" (2020). School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects. 496.
https://digitalcommons.hamline.edu/hse_cp/496
dc_type
text
dc_publisher
DigitalCommons@Hamline
dc_format
application/pdf
dc_source
School of Education Student Capstone Projects