Citizen Science through Participation: Engaging Teachers and Students in Cutting-Edge Water Conservation

Successful water management depends on critical, valid, and reliable water use data. In Arizona, access to water data is limited by protective, consumer legislation that prohibits the collection of individual, household data... [ view full abstract ]

Successful water management depends on critical, valid, and reliable water use data. In Arizona, access to water data is limited by protective, consumer legislation that prohibits the collection of individual, household data without a complex consent process. The lack of available water use data presents a grand challenge for developing water conservation strategies and forecasting future water demand. To help bridge this informational gap, our study combined aspects of citizen science and experiential education to develop an innovative citizen science water monitoring project that uses cutting-edge technology to engage high school students in the real-time tracking, analysis, and sharing of their water consumption data. The citizen science project is being developed with participatory feedback from high school teachers across the Phoenix Metropolitan area. In July, 16 middle and high school teachers participated in a formative evaluation of the proposed citizen science water unit. We presented teachers with examples of the possible web-based tools and approaches we were designing for classroom use and data collection. Teacher feedback suggested ways the exercise could be improved, including accounting for differences in single vs multifamily dwellings and more questions to encourage discussion about water. During the small group discussion, teachers highlighted the importance of engaging students in the process of collecting data, understanding the scientific method and understanding data analysis tools (e.g., graphs and charts). Teachers also expressed a great deal of interest in this type of unit and we expect this enthusiasm to contribute to increased success in recruiting and retaining future program participants. Moreover, this experience allowed us to balance scientific and educational goals and highlighted the potential mutual benefits of participatory program development and formative evaluation.