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Coronavirus citizen science project now live

 Covid-19 and You

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A new landmark citizen science project – COVID-19 and Me, has been launched on the OU’s citizen science platform, nQuire.

Delivered in partnership with UKRI accredited Independent Research Organisation, The Young Foundation, this new project aims to capture the social impact of coronavirus on individuals and communities across the UK and how this generation-defining moment effects the future of community life and wellbeing.

Professor Anne Adams, Professor of Engaged Practice and Research at the OU’s Institute of Educational Technology said: “Within this current Covid-19 crisis it is important to gain as much insight to help us combat problems both for this emergency and for our future needs.  A critical part of this understanding is the important experiences of people across the country. It is far too easy for decisions to be made based upon numbers without a nuanced understanding of how important different issues are to everyday people, across the country. This piece of citizen research will deliver equity in evidence for decision makers by enabling a balanced national perspective on priorities based upon peoples’ practices and experiences.”

The UK general public (over 18s) are being asked to sign up as citizen scientists to share their day-to-day, real-time experience of the pandemic with a team of social researchers.

The study is underpinned by two types of opt-in “missions” on the nQuire platform – one confidential mission, where data shared can only be used anonymously for research purposes, and one social mission meaning that data and stories shared will be available for anyone to view and download.

Depending on the choice of mission, participants will answer a series of questions online and be asked to share examples, photos and views on what they are seeing and experiencing in their communities. Content in the form of text and photos can be shared with consent, creating a rich archive of content about life during a pandemic.

The missions will be live on nQuire for the next three months.

Read more about the project.

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