Assessing the Educational Benefits of Student-Developed Software for Citizen Science (2026)

International Conference on Computer Supported Education

Authors

L. Cernau, Simona Motogna, L. Diosan

Abstract

In the context of Community and Citizen Science (CCS) projects, communication and collaboration are essential, especially in interdisciplinary partnerships. However, existing research rarely examines these dynamics in student teams. This gap is particularly evident in computer science education, where CCS initiatives are integrated to support both technical and civic competencies. This study analyses computer science students’ perceptions of communication and collaboration within teams developing citizen science projects. We collected 32 anonymous responses from bachelor’s students in computer science via a structured survey. These responses were analysed both quantitatively and qualitatively, using a Goal-Question-Metric approach. We focused on the team’s communication methods and their opinions on possible improvements. We also examined impactful collaboration practices and how team members become aware of them. Lastly, we analysed the collaboration between the challenge owners and the teams. Our analysis showed that communication was efficient, primarily through online meetings, and that improvements were identified in conflict management and feedback. From a collaboration perspective, the focus was on clearly defining responsibilities and making decisions as a team, while the challenge was ensuring a fair distribution of the workload. Furthermore, there is consensus on the need for interaction with the challenge owner during project development to understand the requirements.

Citation

@Inproceedings{Cernau2026AssessingTE,
 author = {L. Cernau and Simona Motogna and L. Diosan},
 booktitle = {International Conference on Computer Supported Education},
 title = {Assessing the Educational Benefits of Student-Developed Software for Citizen Science},
 year = {2026}
}