CCS eeWorks

eeWorks

Overview

Learn more about the final products of eeWORKS here!

Project Duration

2018-2024

Background

How can citizen science facilitate environmental education, and what does current research tell us about this relationship? Our Center hoped to answer these questions through participation in eeWorks, a broader initiative led by the North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE). Research groups such as ours conducted systematic literature reviews on various environmental education topics. At CCCS, we investigated and synthesized the research evidence available documenting citizen science as a pathway for environmental education. Additionally, we hoped to identify future research directions to best support community and citizen science (CCS) as a strategy for environmental education, and proposed a research agenda based on our findings.

With these goals in mind, we asked the following research questions in our larger study:

  • What are the key ways in which CCS and environmental education are aligned theoretically?
  • What common environmental and educational outcomes have been measured within the context of CCS?
  • What are the recommendations for design and implementation of CCS for environmental education (or vice versa)?
  • What are the identified directions for future research?

To learn more about our research methods and preliminary findings view our poster from CitSci 2019.

You can find more details about the final products below as well.

Funder

North American Association of Environmental Education

Blog entry

A synthesis of key findings for eeWorks

Moving Forward in Environmental Education

A new article authored by Nicole M. Ardoin, Alan Reid, Alison W. Bowers, Heidi Ballard, and Martha C. Monroe, summarizes 6 recurring themes found in successful environmental education programs. In light of today’s sustainability challenges, environmental education is more important than ever before.

Blog entry Heidi Ballard

Heidi Ballard Presents in eeWORKS webinar: What We Have Learned and Why It Matters

How community and citizen science impacts environmental education

On June 18, 2025, director Heidi Ballard gave a wonderful presentation on community science for environmental education (EE) in the eeWORKS webinar “eeWORKS: What We Have Learned and Why It Matters“. With over 200 people registered, Heidi dove into systematic review findings about EE and its impact on K-12 education, youth development, and much more.

Watch the webinar recording now here!

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