Abstract:

In the last few years, Citizen Science has been discussed as a relevant research tool to develop citizen-centric approaches for decision-making. In this paper, we will investigate how far citizen science can be used as a learning tool in the context of a challenge-based learning approach for students at Higher Education levels. We will provide a methodological framework describing the steps needed to define a learning-by-doing strategy in which the students do not appear as the data providers but as relevant actors in a co-creation process for the resolution of a specific local challenge, together with the academia, public administration, SME's and the citizens. We will also provide results for a concrete implementation into the curriculum of the subject of Urban Open Innovation at a Smart Cities Management Degree, in which students tackle the re-definition of the waste-management strategy of a metropolitan city in Catalonia. Finally, we will discuss findings that allow the use of the evidences obtained for recommendations in policy-making.

Keywords:

Citizen Science, Challenge-based learning, learning-by-doing, waste management, smart cities, open innovation, living labs.