TY - GEN
T1 - Supporting citizen inquiry
T2 - 8th European Conference on Technology Enhanced Learning, EC-TEL 2013
AU - Villasclaras-Fernandez, Eloy David
AU - Sharples, Mike
AU - Kelley, Simon
AU - Scanlon, Eileen
PY - 2013/9/9
Y1 - 2013/9/9
N2 - Citizen inquiry is an innovative way for non-professionals to engage in practical scientific activities, in which they take the role of self-regulated scientists in informal learning contexts. This type of activity has similarities to inquiry-based learning and to citizen science, but also important differences. To understand the challenges of supporting citizen inquiry, a prototype system and activity has been developed: the Moon Rock Explorer. Based on the nQuire Toolkit, this offers people without geology expertise an open investigation into authentic specimens of Moon rock, using a Virtual Microscope. The Moon Rock Explorer inquiry has been evaluated in an informal learning context with PhD students from the Open University. Results of the evaluation raise issues related to motivation and interaction between inquiry participants. They also provide evidence that the integration of scientific tools was successful and that the nQuire Toolkit is suitable to deploy and enact citizen inquiries.
AB - Citizen inquiry is an innovative way for non-professionals to engage in practical scientific activities, in which they take the role of self-regulated scientists in informal learning contexts. This type of activity has similarities to inquiry-based learning and to citizen science, but also important differences. To understand the challenges of supporting citizen inquiry, a prototype system and activity has been developed: the Moon Rock Explorer. Based on the nQuire Toolkit, this offers people without geology expertise an open investigation into authentic specimens of Moon rock, using a Virtual Microscope. The Moon Rock Explorer inquiry has been evaluated in an informal learning context with PhD students from the Open University. Results of the evaluation raise issues related to motivation and interaction between inquiry participants. They also provide evidence that the integration of scientific tools was successful and that the nQuire Toolkit is suitable to deploy and enact citizen inquiries.
KW - Citizen inquiry
KW - Informal learning
KW - nQuire
KW - Science learning
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84883344945&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/978-3-642-40814-4_30
DO - 10.1007/978-3-642-40814-4_30
M3 - Conference contribution
AN - SCOPUS:84883344945
SN - 9783642408137
T3 - Lecture Notes in Computer Science (including subseries Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence and Lecture Notes in Bioinformatics)
SP - 383
EP - 395
BT - Scaling Up Learning for Sustained Impact - 8th European Conference on Technology Enhanced Learning, EC-TEL 2013, Proceedings
Y2 - 17 September 2013 through 21 September 2013
ER -