If a science teacher has an objective to provide their students with more than a list of facts, phenomena, and explanations, but instead aims for the learners to develop a deeper connection to the process and philosophy of science, then experiential learning is one technique that engenders higher-level understanding. One potential criticism of experiential learning methods, such as typical biology labs, is that these environments push students through a battery of step-by-step procedures that always result in the same conclusion unless a student lab team performed unsatisfactorily. Citizen science projects, on the other hand, are tools that have many benefits of conventional laboratory exercises, yet also allow for the unknown, discovery-based process of science to occur. Incorporation into biology lab settings is a fairly straightforward process. In classroom settings with set curricula, seamless transitions into citizen science is more complicated.
Results/Conclusions
Within a non-majors introductory biology class at North Carolina State University, three citizen science projects were interwoven into the semester-long curriculum. These projects—Caterpillars Count!, Triangle Bird Count, and Backyard Beetles—provided ties to many pieces of biological content already in the curriculum. Project participation occurred first during class periods under instructor supervision, then once students understood the protocols they were free to pursue the projects on their own for the requisite data collection days. Many students initially did not understand the point of the projects within the context of a lecture class, but subsequent reemergence of project data or protocols demonstrated their purpose across many lectures. Additionally, qualitative data showed that at least some students learned the curricular material better because there was a physical act associated with the material.
As an example, trophic pyramid dynamics are discussed with all three of the projects. Tree identification occurs in the Caterpillars Count! project (primary producers), then diets of the most common animals seen on campus (ants, aphids, spiders, Carolina wrens, and crows) are discussed after students have collected the data. Each semester classroom conversations differ because the organismal data changes, which provides variation to the instructor, but also allows the students to take ownership of their learning in so much as they collected the data that drives the course material. Finally, discovery-based learning—inherent in classroom citizen science—is an incredible tool for educational equity. Utilizing more citizen science in the classroom has the potential to increase scientific understanding of our world, increase student achievement, and increase student confidence.