NatureNet – Community-Driven Environmental Projects (C-DEP)
The Community-Driven Environmental Projects (C-DEP) model is a multi-university research endeavor funded by the NSF AISL program with an objective to engage members of diverse communities in local nature and environmental conservation projects of their choosing.
Our approach is to adapt and design new features of NatureNet, an existing multi-touch technology platform that uses mobile devices and a website to enable participants to develop and carry out projects that support their own informal learning and foster positive scientific dispositions. We plan to make four key contributions to learning, program development, and the broader NSF Advances in Informal Learning (AISL) community.
Easily adaptable open source crowdsourcing technology that can be used in other informal STEM environments with minimal technical support
A deployed and tested project model – the community-driven environmental project (C-DEP) model – and set of best practices for community-driven environmental projects
A deployed and tested procedure for rapidly adapting open source technology in response to requests directly from project participants.
Research and evaluation deliverables that report on findings from learning outcomes assessments, fidelity evaluation of the project adaptation by each partner site, and contributions to STEM theory and practice related to sociocultural models of community learning for under-represented communities with technology.
Duration:
April 2015 - March 2020
Project Website:
http://research.nature-net.org/
Total Award Amount:
$1,087,850