NWNR002388 Practical laboratory for science communication: Sustainability and citizen science in the public sphere I

Type
course with continuous assessment
Semester hours
1
Lecturer (assistant)
Strauss-Sieberth, Alexandra , Vlajo, Verena , Winter, Armin , Beaumont, Marco , Trattnig, Marc
Organisation
Chemistry of Renewable Resources
Offered in
Wintersemester 2026/27
Languages of instruction
Deutsch
Content

This course provides fundamentals and practical approaches to science communication, sustainability, and citizen science in the context of large-scale public events. It is designed as a two-semester cycle: in the winter semester, concept development takes place in seminar format (SE); in the following summer semester, the practical testing and application of these concepts on-site takes place as a separate project course (PJ) as part of the Donauinselfest. The focus of this winter-semester course is on developing and reflecting on outreach formats for different target groups, particularly children and families, as well as addressing sustainability issues at large-scale events. Students jointly work on designing participatory formats, digital scavenger hunts, and accessible communication initiatives for the Donauinselfest, develop survey instruments (interviews, questionnaires), and establish initial contact with stakeholders in the context of the event. By the end of the course, students have developed a concept that will be practically tested and applied on-site during the follow-up course in the summer semester.

-Fundamentals of science communication, sustainability, and citizen science
-Analysis of sustainability aspects at large-scale events
-Development of outreach formats for different target groups, particularly children and families
-Design of digital scavenger hunts and other interactive engagement formats
-Initial contact and coordination with stakeholders in the context of large, publicly accessible events
-Development of survey instruments for interviews, questionnaires, and observations
-Development of students' own concepts at the intersection of sustainability, research, and the public, in preparation for practical implementation in the summer semester
-Development of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for the concepts developed, created in small groups and including a materials list, cost estimate, and implementation plan
Previous knowledge expected

none
Objective (expected results of study and acquired competences)

Students can critically classify core principles and current approaches in science communication, sustainability, and citizen science, and apply them to practice.
-Students can analyze sustainability aspects and target-group requirements at large-scale events and derive concrete outreach and engagement formats for different target groups, particularly children and families.
-Students can initiate and coordinate first-stage collaborations with stakeholders in the context of large-scale events.
-Students can design qualitative research instruments such as interview guides and questionnaires, to be applied in the follow-up course in the summer semester.
-Students can present and justify their developed concepts in plenary sessions and reflect on them through joint academic discussion.
-Students can create practice-ready Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for their concepts, specifying the required materials, costs, and implementation process.
You can find more details like the schedule or information about exams on the course-page in BOKUonline.