Citizen science – the active participation of lay people in research – may yield crucial local knowledge and increase research capacity. Recently, there is growing interest to understand benefits for citizen scientists themselves. We studied the perceived impacts of participation in a public health citizen science project on citizen scientists in a disadvantaged neighbourhood in the Netherlands. Local citizen scientists, characterised by low income and low educational level – many of whom were of migrant origin – were trained to interview fellow residents about health-enhancing and health-damaging neighbourhood features. Experiences of these citizen scientists were collected through focus groups and interviews and analysed using a theoretical model of potential citizen science benefits. The results show that the citizen scientists perceived participation in the project as a positive experience. They acquired a broader understanding of health and its determinants and knowledge about healthy lifestyles, and took action to change their own health behaviour. They reported improved self confidence and social skills, and expanded their network across cultural boundaries. Health was perceived as a topic that helped people with different backgrounds to relate to one another. The project also induced joint action to improve the neighbourhood’s health. We conclude that citizen science benefits participants with low educational or literacy level. Moreover, it seems to be a promising approach that can help promote health in underprivileged communities by strengthening personal skills and social capital. However, embedding projects in broader health promotion strategies and long-term engagement of citizen scientists should be pursued to accomplish this.
Providing high-quality feedback is essential for improving preservice teacher performance. Rather than post-lesson feedback, immediate performance feedback while teaching is considered effective. This article reports on developing and piloting a standardised tool for synchronous feedback. Eight teacher educators from a Dutch higher education institution were trained to use the tool (based on accepted models of teacher roles, observation criteria and feedback levels) with pre-recorded lessons. Interobserver reliability was good for teacher roles and sufficient for feedback levels. Positive evaluations of the tool and educators’ interest in its application, warrant further research into scalability and effectiveness of synchronous feedback delivery.
Airborne wind energy (AWE) is an emerging renewable energy technology that uses kites to harvest winds at higher altitudes than wind turbines. Understanding how residents experience a local AWE system (AWES) is important as the technology approaches commercialization. Such knowledge can help adjust the design and deployment of an AWES to fit locals' needs better, thereby decreasing the technology's burden on people. Although the AWE literature claims that the technology affects nature and residents less than wind turbines, empirical evidence has been lacking. This first community acceptance study recruited residents within a 3.5 km radius of an AWE test site in Northern Germany. Using structured questionnaires, 54 residents rated the AWES and the closest wind farm on visual, sound, safety, siting, environmental, and ecological aspects. Contrary to the literature's claims, residents assessed the noise, ecological, and safety impacts similarly for the AWES and the wind farm. Only visual impacts were rated better for the AWES (e.g., no shadows were perceived). Consistent with research on wind turbines, residents who rated the site operation as fairer and the developer as more transparent tended to have more positive attitudes towards the AWES and to experience less noise annoyance. Consequently, recommendations for the AWE industry and policymakers include mitigating technology impacts and implementing evidence-based strategies to ensure just and effective project development. The findings are limited to one specific AWES using soft-wing kites. Future research should assess community responses across regions and different types of AWESs to test the findings' generalizability.
MULTIFILE
Inwoners van Nederland worden steeds ouder, terwijl er minder fysieke zorg beschikbaar komt door een gebrek aan personeel en middelen. Eén van de meest voor de hand liggende manieren om toch adequate zorg te kunnen geven is het inzetten van zorgtechnologie, waaronder digitale zorgassistenten die gebruikers helpen bij het ondersteunen van een dagritme, het op tijd innemen van medicatie, en het krijgen van de juiste zorg op het juiste moment. Dit brengt de nodige uitdagingen met zich mee, op gebied van acceptatie door cliënten en mantelzorgers, geschiktheid van de technologie, en de organisatie van fysieke en digitale zorg. In het project Adaptieve Technologie voor een beter Zorgpad (AdapT-Zorg) staat de volgende onderzoeksvraag centraal: Welke factoren zijn van belang bij de (door)ontwikkeling van een zorgassistent gericht op levensloopbestendige en continue inzet bij patiënten met dementie? Het resultaat van het project is een handreiking voor (door)ontwikkeling van een slimme zorgassistent. Deze bestaat uit een patient journey, gebruiksintentie, softwarearchitectuur, concept van mogelijkheden van AI bij zorgassistenten, een impactschets, en aandachtspunten voor toekomstige projecten. Het consortium bestaat mkb-partner Tinybots en hogeschool Saxion (lectoraten Ethiek & Technologie, Ambient Intelligence en Technology, Health & Care), en ZZG Zorggroep is aangesloten als partnerorganisatie Het project bestaat uit 4 werkpakketten. In WP1 Zorgpad en organisatie wordt de huidige situatie in kaart gebracht. In WP2 Datavraag en databenutting wordt de beschikbare data voor het gebruik in een zelflerende zorgassistent onderzocht alsook de technische uitdagingen om deze data daadwerkelijk te benutten. In WP3 Impact van de adaptieve zorgassistent wordt de mogelijke impact in kaart gebracht en leggen we de basis voor verantwoorde doorontwikkeling en implementatie van een zorgassistent. Tot slot worden in WP4 Projectmanagement en Kennisbenutting de inzichten en producten vanuit het onderzoek gedeeld binnen én buiten het consortium.
