Weaving a web of connections through online citizen science

Abstract

This article explores how the funding process of New Zealand’s Teaching and Learning Research Initiative (TLRI) has catalysed the coming together of an interdisciplinary research team of education researchers, information systems researchers, and teacher practitioners. Through two funded research projects, a large and growing web of connections is being woven, benefiting the research partnership and outcomes. Our collective aim is to investigate the affordances of online citizen science projects to enhance science teaching and learning. Using examples, we trace the development of some key lines of inquiry that have been made possible because of the interdisciplinary foundation of the projects.