RAISing Education's sails through Citizen Science

The consortium applied for this project to lay the groundwork for EU-wide co-created citizen science programs by secondary schools as part of a novel initiative called Erasmus Maris. While school ...

As a pilot of the Erasmus Maris initiative, RAISE-CS has the overall objective of facilitating the engagement of secondary school students in key phases of environmental scientific studies, including data analysis through transnational collaboration that blends formal and non-formal learning. To achieve this goal, the project has established four specific objectives 1- To showcase the capacity of secondary schools to generate reliable and pertinent data and knowledge in the field of microplastic pollution. 2- To Facilitate the integration of citizen science projects in schools by providing strategies that align these activities with the key competencies of lifelong learning. 3- Empower science teachers to collaborate actively with the scientific community. 4- To develop a holistic approach and roadmap for the implementation of a European citizen science initiative called Erasmus Maris. Erasmus Maris will serve as a collaborative platform for co-creating knowledge and co-design solutions across formal education, non-formal education, and scientific sectors. While focusing on microplastic pollution, the approach and the roadmap are designed within a versatile model adaptable to various environmental themes.

The consortium applied for this project to lay the groundwork for EU-wide co-created citizen science programs by secondary schools as part of a novel initiative called Erasmus Maris. While school experiments provide a good introduction to the scientific method, they often limit students' ability to fully comprehend all stages of a research study. On the other hand, soft skills like communication and teamwork are vital due to rapid societal and labor market changes driven by megatrends like globalization, digitalization, climate change, and societal shifts. To acquire these skills effectively, schools should embrace learning in diverse settings and real-world contexts. Citizen science enables students to join scientific studies and understand environmental issues from the perspective of lifelong learning. Regrettably, school-based citizen science projects often limit students to data collection and reporting, aligning better with primary and lower secondary school educational objectives. Two main barriers impede the implementation of co-created citizen science projects: The scientific community's scepticism regarding data quality and limitations within the school environment, such as curricula and logistical constraints.

We provided the following results: 1- A Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) designed for the preparation of aquatic environmental samples and the quantification of microplastic pollution. This SOP outlines detailed steps and methodologies aimed at ensuring accuracy and reliability in assessing microplastic contamination levels in aquatic ecosystems. This SOP serves as a valuable tool for science teachers and citizen science practitioners striving to understand and mitigate the impact of microplastics on aquatic environments with their students. The SOP is accompanied by a validation report corroborating that it was evaluated and tested according to requirements of international standards to produce valid results and a transfer report corroborating that the methods are suitable for use within a secondary school chemistry lab 2- A document providing comprehensive guidelines for implementing impactful inclusive citizen science projects tailored to the needs of secondary school teachers, non-formal education educators, and scientists. These guidelines were designed to align with the European framework for key competences for lifelong learning schools in a cross-disciplinary manner. 3- A reference document including a conceptual framework and roadmap delineating a scaling-up strategy that focuses on implementing an EU-wide campaign for monitoring microplastics within a versatile model adaptable to various environmental themes.