Digital Participation, Social Justice and Equitable Learning

The Digital Participation, Social Justice and Equitable Learning programme investigates how communities can meaningfully engage with scientific research through the use of innovative learning technologies and methodologies such as citizen inquiry and co-production. Empowering communities to participate in research is seen as a vehicle for developing critical literacies and individual agency, bringing positive change to communities and producing evidence that can influence policy and practice. Our approach aims to benefit all individuals by building their research capacity and addressing existing inequalities and divides.  

Our research spans community and citizen science education, co-produced technology design, civic education, and innovations in digital learning that enable public participation and social justice. We examine how technology-enhanced research participation can be implemented, and governed to advance equity and inclusion—identifying and removing barriers that may prevent individuals and communities from participating fully. In our research, "learning" comes from becoming more agentic, critical and engaged with community issues and is viewed as a lifelong, empowered practice.  We address pressing questions including but not limited to:

• How can digital learning technologies be designed and implemented to enable community engagement and reduce social divides?
• What role can community citizen science and coproduction methodologies play in democratising research and promoting meaningful civic and digital participation?
• What pedagogical approaches and digital literacies are needed to enable communities to critically engage with research, and achieve democratic participation in civic society?

Through collaborative partnerships with researchers across the globe, and a range of institutions and communities such as schools, colleges, museums, libraries and non-profit organisations, we develop evidence-based insights (e.g., approaches and technologies) that support participation in scientific research and decision making and allow for all learners to flourish. 

Selected insights and findings

2025

• Divin, Natalie; Carr, Jessica; Millar, Caoimhe; Griffiths, Geraint; Stanford, Kathryn and Herodotou, Christothea (2025). Using digital platforms for inclusive citizen science, co‑production and sustainability in the Peace of Mind Youth Wellbeing Intervention. In: DMHW 2025: 3rd International Digital Mental Health and Wellbeing Conference, 21-23 May 2025, Granada, Spain.
• Rets, Irina; Whitelock, Denise; Edwards, Chris; Perryman, Leigh-Anne and Pitt, Beck (2025). Co-creating with Generative AI (GenAI) for curriculum design: learning personas. In: EDEN Bologna Annual Conference 2025 - Shaping the Future of Education in the age of AI, 15-17 Jun 2025, Bologna, Italy, European Distance and E-Learning Network (EDEN)
• Stiner, Eric O.; Canseco Vielma, David; Dyson, Miranda; Esposito, Lauren A.; Gaved, Mark; Taylor, Judith A.; Bastida Segobiano, Valeria; Villavicencio, Bernardo and Herodotou, Christothea (2025). Developing scientific equity for biodiversity research: a thematic analysis of ecological change impacts on ranchers in Baja California Sur, Mexico. Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems, 40, article no. e19.
• Scanlon, Eileen and Herodotou, Christothea (2025). Citizen Science and Democracy: Participation with a Purpose. In: Proceedings of the 17th International Conference on Computer Supported Education, SciTePress, Porto, Portugal, pp. 492–499.

2024

• Aristeidou, Maria; Herodotou, Christothea; Ballard, Heidi; Robinson, Lucy and Miller, Grant (2024). Young volunteers on Zooniverse: exploring the relationship between participation and background characteristic. In: ARPHA Proceedings 6 pp. 83–87.
• Herodotou, Christothea; Ismail, Nashwa; Lahnstein, A.I. Ana; Aristeidou, Maria; Young, Alison; Johnson, F. Rebecca; Higgins, M. Lila; Khanaposhtani, G. Maryam; Robinson, D. Lucy and Ballard, L. Heidi (2024). Young people in iNaturalist: a blended learning framework for biodiversity monitoring. International Journal of Science Education, Part B: Communication and Public Engagement, 14(2) pp. 129–156.
• Herodotou, Christothea; Kenny, Ian and Scanlon, Eileen (2024). Democratising Research Practices through Community Citizen Science. In: Proceedings of the 2024 International Conference on Information Technology for Social Good, Association for Computing Machinery, New York, NY, USA pp. 68–75.
• Rets, Irina; Whitelock, Denise; Edwards, Chris; Perryman, Leigh-Anne and Goshtasbpour, Fereshte (2024). Energising the energy literacy debate for environmental education: Exploring citizens’ interest levels, knowledge gaps and individual differences. Australian Journal of Environmental Education , 40(4) pp. 740–757

2022

• Herodotou, Christothea; Ismail, Nashwa; Aristeidou, Maria; Miller, Grant; I.Benavides Lahnstein, Ana; Ghadiri Khanaposhtani, Maryam; D.Robinson, Lucy and L. Ballard, Heidi (2022). Online Community and Citizen Science supports environmental science learning by young people. Computers and Education, 184, article no. 104515.
• Herodotou, Christothea; Twiner, Alison; Scanlon, Eileen; McLeod, Kevin and Seale, Jane (2022). From participants to creators: Considerations for community-led citizen science. In: Proceedings of the 16th International Conference of the Learning Sciences - ICLS 2022 (Chinn, C.; Tan, E.; Chan, C. and Kali, Y. eds.), International Society of the Learning Sciences, Hiroshima, Japan, pp. 11–18.

2021

• Aristeidou, Maria; Herodotou, Christothea; Ballard, Heidi L.; Robinson, Lucy and Miller, Annie E.; Young, Alison N. and Johnson, Rebecca F. (2021). How Do Young Community and Citizen Science Volunteers Support Scientific Research on Biodiversity? The Case of iNaturalist. Diversity, 13(7), article no. 318.
• Aristeidou, Maria; Herodotou, Christothea; Ballard, Heidi L.; Young, Alison N.; Miller, Annie E.; Higgins, Lila and Johnson, Rebecca F. (2021). Exploring the participation of young citizen scientists in scientific research: The case of iNaturalist. PLoS ONE, 16(1), article no. e0245682.
• Herodotou, Christothea; Scanlon, Eileen and Sharples, generate a neMike (2021). Methods of Promoting Learning and Data Quality in Citizen and Community Science. Frontiers in Climate, 3, article no. 614567.

2020

• Aristeidou, Maria and Herodotou, Christothea (2020). Online Citizen Science: A Systematic Review of Effects on Learning and Scientific Literacy. Citizen Science: Theory and Practice, 5(1) pp. 1–12.
• Herodotou, Christothea; Aristeidou, Maria; Miller, Grant; Ballard, Heidi and Robinson, Lucy (2020). What Do We Know about Young Volunteers? An Exploratory Study of Participation in Zooniverse . Citizen Science: Theory and Practice, 5(1) pp. 1–14.
• Herodotou, Christothea; Sharples, Mike and Scanlon, Eileen (2020). Can technology empower the public to think scientifically? The case of nQuire. In: International Conference of the Learning Sciences (ICLS 2020), 19-23 Jun 2020, Nashville, TN, USA.