DESCRIPTION

"Citizen Science in Action" is a Blended Intensive Program (BIP) offering students a highly practical and collaborative learning experience aimed at designing and implementing a citizen science project. The program consists of seven modules, each focusing on a key aspect of citizen science, combining theoretical understanding with practical application. Citizen science is a form of scientific research that actively involves members of the public in data collection, analysis, and dissemination of results. It fosters collaboration between scientists and citizens, making science more inclusive, transparent, and impactful for society. Citizen science is used worldwide to monitor biodiversity, improve public health, map the stars, and much more.

The course is structured into seven thematic modules that guide participants through all stages of project development. Students will work in groups through a co-creation process, developing original ideas and analyzing real-life examples of existing projects in various fields, including biodiversity, health, astronomy, history and social sciences. Special attention is given to data quality, effective science communication, and active community involvement.

The course begins with foundational concepts in Module 1 (“Foundations of Citizen Science”), where students explore the core principles of citizen science and reflect on successful case studies. They begin generating ideas and mapping out project possibilities. Module 2 (“Citizen Science is possible in my field of study?“) broadens students' perspectives, showing how citizen science applies to diverse fields, helping refine their project concepts through analysis of existing initiatives. In Module 3, (“Engaging Participants and Using Technology“) participants focus on how to engage the public, including training needs, levels of participation, and the use of digital tools and apps. Module 4 (“Data quality, how to avoid problems") tackles data quality concerns, emphasizing strategies to ensure accurate, reliable information collection, even from non-experts. It encourages students to think critically about potential challenges and mitigation strategies. Module 5 (“Communication") centers on communication, showing how to effectively share results with both the public and scientific communities. It helps students craft communication plans and tailor messages to different audiences. In Module 6 (“Legal and ethical aspects”), legal and ethical considerations are introduced, including data ownership and the importance of accessibility and ethical integrity. Finally, Module 7 (“Hints and tips”) offers practical insights from experienced citizen science project coordinators.

The program combines short online introductory sessions, feedback activities, expert lectures, and mentoring opportunities, offering a dynamic, interdisciplinary training path focused on real-world impact in academic or local contexts. In the first two weeks, students attend six online sessions, where they learn the fundamentals of citizen science. Following each session, homework and reading assignments are assigned to allow students to review and deepen their understanding of the content through independent work. The attendance phase comprises 5 days, during which teaching, practical exercises and work phases take place in the mornings and afternoons. During these work sessions, individual and group projects are prepared. The instructors are available to answer questions. While the group projects should focus on EU GREEN-relevant topics, the individual projects are not thematically focused. The attendance phase is followed by a week in which participants finalize their projects. At the end of the BIP, the individual projects must be submitted in writing, and the group projects must be presented to the plenary.