(German title: EcoLab - Photometrie im Sinne der Umweltbildung verstehen und anwenden)

Many environmental problems cannot be explained monocausally and their discussion requires scientific expertise. However, due to the complexity of the methods used in scientific data collection and analysis, these can often not be dealt with in science lessons at school. As a result, it is not possible to critically examine the results and derive decisions and own actions. Water pollution by pollutants is very present in current debates. Nevertheless, pupils find it difficult to link the data that forms the basis of social decisions with the experiences from their living environment. At the same time, photometry, which is an important analytical method in environmental chemistry, receives little attention at school. This is mainly due to the fact that laboratory photometers are unsuitable for schools. They are expensive, not transportable and the operation of the device is not clear to pupils. These circumstances prevent them from being empowered to make data-based decisions and to act in a sustainable and environmentally conscious manner.

In the context of these challenges, the Department of Bioprocess Engineering at the Technical University of Kaiserslautern is working together with the non-profit organization desklab on the project “EcoLab - Understanding and applying photometry in terms of environmental education”. At the heart of the project is the idea that students create and evaluate a water profile in experiments carried out directly at the place of investigation. Parallel to the experimental protocols, a didactically prepared, portable photometer is to be developed that is suitable for field experiments in this context. Through this affective link with cognitive content, environmental analysis no longer remains a purely theoretical subject area, but the pupils are sensitized to external influences and their consequences in ecosystems. By independently carrying out the individual steps required to answer a research question, students are taught the central competence of scientific work. The integration of a citizen science approach is intended to help them acquire scientific propaedeutic skills.

This process is supported by an online portal developed as part of the project. This offers pupils the opportunity to publish their own measurement results and to interactively present the results and evaluations of others. The resulting space enables pupils to gain initial experience with the process of creating scientific publications and collaborations, thereby lowering the barriers to participation in further citizen science projects. In addition, building on these findings, students can develop approaches for the protection of water bodies on the basis of a real database (see also GewässerCampus). The close link with curricular content in several federal states and the networking of project partners across all phases of teacher training will be combined with a range of events to implement the project results in regular lessons. The expected acceptance and multiplication will lead to supra-regional dissemination and consolidation after the project period.