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Found an ObZooVer Sign?
Found an ObZooVer Sign?
Have you visited the Durham Museum of Life and Science recently? You may have seen a sign asking for your help monitoring the ring-tailed lemur habitat. During your visit, you can scan the QR code to participate in a data collection activity about the lemurs' behavior. You may also see an educator with a tablet that you can do the activity on as well!
What is ObZooVer?
What is ObZooVer?
ObZooVer is part of my dissertation research as a PhD student at NC State University. It's a web app I created to implement a citizen science activity for zoo visitors to do. My research seeks to explore how visitors can contribute to monitoring the wellbeing of zoo animals through behavior observations and how participating in this educational activity impacts a visitor's experience and learning. I ask the following questions:
How accurate is visitor-collected data?
What do visitors learn when participating in behavioral observations?
How do visitors perceive zoos/museums? As science institutions? Recreational spaces? Entertainment?
How does participating in data collection impact a visitor's experience?
After scanning the QR code, you'll be directed to a short description of the project.
Next, you'll be asked to consent to participate in the study. We're also asking for some additional information about how you're completing the project. Participation is anonymous and does not require any personal information to be shared so minors are allowed to participate!
Then, you'll be assigned a random lemur and asked to verify that you consent for your location to be shared.
We do not store this information.
It's just a "yes/no" check that you're near the habitat where you scanned the QR code. Once the app checks to see if you're nearby, you'll be able to tell us the behavior you see and where the lemur is at in the habitat!
Finally, you'll see a thank you page with two options:
Answer a survey as the final part of this research project, or
Submit another round of observations.
What information do we collect from you? How is it used?
What information do we collect from you? How is it used?
We do not collect any personal information or contact information from you at any point in this study. The ObZooVer activity is only asking you to voluntarily submit behavioral observations (3 at a time with a randomized lemur assignment for each observation). For the survey, you will be asked to share your thoughts and feelings for 1) why you participated in the activity, 2) your confidence in your ability to do various science-related tasks, 3) your perceptions about the purposes of zoos and aquariums, 4) your experience doing the observation activity, and 5) general demographic information. Data collected from the survey will not be reported individually. ObZooVer submissions are also not connected to survey responses.
What is "Citizen Science"?
What is "Citizen Science"?
"Citizen Science is the practice of public participation and collaboration in scientific research to increase scientific knowledge. Through citizen science, people share and contribute to data monitoring and collection programs."
This study uses citizen science to pair animal behavior/wellbeing monitoring with public education and engagement!
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