Centre for Social Innovation (ZSI) is organising a track on Participatory Evaluation in Citizen Science at the 1st Global Transdisciplinarity Conference.
Overview. What is it about?
In this event, several questions related to the evaluation of citizen science initiatives will be discussed. What do we evaluate when we evaluate Citizen Science? While some say it should be the long term impact, others claim the biggest challenge for evaluation in Citizen Science is still the process: How can we design participatory processes that are truly inclusive? What motivates anyone to engage in Citizen Science? And are we considering these motivations in the design of Citizen Science projects and research programmes? While Citizen Science is intended increasingly as a participatory process, in its current forms this often excludes the dimension of evaluation. However, there are potentially wide-ranging benefits to including participants of a process in evaluation activities, as we learn from various fields that have employed participatory evaluation for decades, such as social and developmental work and community-based participatory research (CBPR).
In this track, speakers will share their practical experiences with the participatory evaluation of Citizen Science. More specifically, the focus will be on how participatory evaluation has to be carefully designed and implemented. What does it imply when we speak about involving stakeholders in evaluation activities from the onset, including the definition of the evaluation strategy, choosing appropriate evaluation instruments and training, as well as impact indicators? In this framework, challenges and opportunities will be discussed, expectations and impact considerations, as well as the limits of openness and transferability of data. Current approaches towards participatory evaluation in transdisciplinary Citizen Science will be presented, and possible risks and pitfalls based on experience from the field will be discussed.
Agenda and formats
27.09, 10:30-12:00
Welcome and Introduction
Common understanding of participatory evaluation
27.09, 16:30-18:00
Interactive Session
From evaluation to participatory evaluation: Needs, Benefits, Challenges, Opportunities
28.09, 11:30
Conference Event
Methodology of Science Society Collaboration & Knowledge Integration
29.09, 09:00-12:00
Case-Based Mutual Learning Forum & Poster Session
Participating Projects
STEPCHANGE (with ZSI participation)
PRO-Ethics (with ZSI participation)
CoAct (with ZSI participation)
