INS 14-8 - Using participatory science approaches in teaching can benefit students, scientists, and local communities

Participatory science approaches, including citizen and community science, can be used in formal and informal education to enhance student learning and engagement. I will describe how these approaches can be impactful for diverse student populations while benefitting scientists and local communities. Participatory science can provide students with authentic research experiences by contributing data to or analyzing data from existing databases at large-scales or by involving students in long-term community science collaborations at a local scale. These opportunities can facilitate student understanding of core ecological concepts, ecology practices, and ethics.