Aims of the activity and description of target group
In this activity, participants assess the skills needed in a Citizen Science project and evaluate which skills they personally bring to the project. This will later help them to find a good balance of all the required skills when putting together the project team. The activity is suitable for researchers and citizens in a group or individual learning setting.
Resources, Materials needed
- Paper, pen, color pencils
- printed worksheet "Module2_4-1-skill_map.pdf"
- printed worksheet "Module2_4-1-Task_and_Skill_Assessment_Project.pdf"
Duration
60 minutes
Step 1: Warm up (10 minutes)
Think about your last projects and write down 3 things that went well and 3 that you didn't like.
Step 2 - Your strengths (10 minutes)
Take the printed worksheet "Module2_4-1-skill_map.pdf" and start by marking the skills that you would classify as your strengths with a color. If more strengths come to your mind, add them to the sheet. Think about:
- What are you really good at? What do other people ask you about because they know you are good at it?
- What do you enjoy doing?
- What motivates you?
Step 3 – What are you not so good at? (10 minutes)
Use a different color to mark the things you are not so good at. You can add additional items to the sheet again. Think about:
- What do you find difficult?
- What did not work in your last project?
- Why didn't it work?
- What makes you dissatisfied?
Step 4 – Tasks and skills in a Citizen Science project (20 minutes)
Take the worksheet "Module2_4-1-Task_and_Skill_Assessment_Project.pdf", which contains a list of tasks and skills commonly found in Citizen Science projects. Now think of your own Citizen Science project, go through the list and check:
- What tasks can you do with your skills?
- Which tasks can be done by your team?
- For which tasks is there no one with the right skills?
- Which tasks are not relevant for your project?
This list will help you later on to put together a suitable project team.
Step 5 – Reflect on the results (10 minutes)
- What proportion of the project tasks can you and your team already cover?
- What do you think of the open tasks? Is it realistic to find someone to take on these tasks?
- Are there sections where you have the feeling that there could be more tasks that you do not yet have on your list?
Learning Outcomes - which skills are addressed?
The activity trains participants to observe their own skills and evaluate the skills of their team. The activity also introduces them to the details of planning a Citizen Science project and prepares them for the actual team and project planning.
How do you check the outcomes are reached?
The participants have completed both worksheets and have a clear idea of their skills and the skills of their team.
De-Briefing questions
- What skills will you bring to your Citizen Science project?
- What skills will your team bring to your Citizen Science project?
- Which tasks cannot be taken on by you or your team?
- How likely is it to find someone for the open tasks?
Further links and readings
- Hansen (2021): Citizen Science Skilling for Library Staff, Researchers, and the Public. https://libereurope.eu/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/guide.pdf (last viewed 03/11/2024)
- Klaphaak et al. (2023): How to Identify Your Strengths. https://www.wikihow.com/Identify-Your-Strengths (last viewed 03/11/2024)