NEON Citizen Science Academy Online
NEON Citizen Science Academy's Mission
Provide online professional development resources for educators to support effective implementation of Citizen Science projects and activities that focus on ecology and environmental sciences.
Welcome to NEON's Citizen Science Academy Online! Here you will find courses, modules, and tutorials designed to help you implement Citizen Science programs in your educational setting.
Register Now for Summer Sessions!
The normal course fee of $35 has also been waived for this session. The Winter sessions were filled within two weeks, so be sure to register early!
To get Academy updates, sign up for the Project BudBurst Community Newsletter, visit our Facebook page, or follow us on Twitter
Current Course Lineup
PBB 501/551: Introduction to Plant Phenology and Climate Change
Upcoming Course Sessions for Summer 2012:
Session 1: June 11 – July 9
Session 2: August 1 – 29
Course Fee: $35 (Waived for the summer sessions, so be sure to sign up early!)
Each session is limited to 50 participants.
This professional development course will provide you with detailed information about Project BudBurst and how to participate, including how to select your plants and make observations, suggestions for structuring your classroom involvement, educational activities to engage your students in making observations, analyzing data, as well as forming a community with other educators.
This course is offered in two sections:
- PBB 501 was developed for educators in formal education settings such as K12 classrooms and community colleges;
- PBB 551 was developed for educators in informal education settings such as botanic gardens, nature preserves, and science museums.
Clicking the links above will download the syllabus
for each course as a PDF file.
The content for both sections is very similar, however, implementation ideas have been tailored to the needs of different learners. Also, to facilitate more useful discussion, you will be taking the course with others who are in similar educational settings.
Participants can also sign up for optional graduate level continuing education credits from Colorado School of Mines. The fee for these optional 2 credits is $90.
For more information, please email registrar@citizenscienceacademy.org
Courses in Development
PBB 502/552: Using Project BudBurst Data in the Classroom
This course will overview using Project BudBurst data in the classroom. The course will highlight an exciting new set of online data visualization tools developed by the National Geographic FieldScope program. It will also cover plant adaptations to a changing climate, and links between Project BudBurst data and other broadscale data sets. The first course will be offered in August 2012. Stay tuned for more information!
CS 501: Introduction to Citizen Science for Educators
This course will review the history of citizen science projects and where we are today in this exciting area at the intersection of science and education. We will highlight several national citizen science programs and explore approaches to educational implementation. The first course will be offered in August 2012. Stay tuned for more information!
Frequently Asked Questions About Continuing Education Credits
Offered
Through Colorado School of Mines
Are college credits available?
2 optional semester credit hours of graduate-level continuing education credit are available through the Colorado School of Mines Teacher Enhancement Program. NEON is not a degree-granting institution and therefore cannot grant official credit for our courses. Recognizing that many schools and districts require their teachers to complete a certain amount of continuing education each year, we have made arrangements with the Colorado School of Mines to offer graduate-level continuing education credits upon the successful completion of each course.
How do CSM continuing education credits differ from traditional university or college credits?
Graduate-level semester credit offered for each course is applicable for recertification in the State of Colorado and is generally accepted elsewhere. The credit is not applicable toward a degree at the Colorado School of Mines. Typically, continuing education credits are used by teachers for relicensing or recertification and not for application to a degree program or initial certification. Requirements vary by state and district, therefore, you should check with your local administrators to determine if the graduate level continuing education credits meet their requirements.
Is there a cost for the graduate-level continuing education credits?
Yes, these optional credits require an additional fee. As of February 2012, the fee is $90 per course and is separate from the $35 course fee.
How do I apply for the optional continuing education credits?
You must submit your intent to take the course for credit prior to the course start. If you would like the optional credits, please send an email to our CSM coordinator (lwasser@neoninc.org). Please do not contact CSM directly.
CSM credit paperwork is course specific. You will receive directions for submitting CSM credit-related paperwork and payment after registering for the course.