Limited time and resources to develop and implement project
The QUT ARG had been preparing funding applications for the project at
the time of lockdown. During the initial timeframe, the QUT ARG planned
to consider all aspects of the project prior to commencement of
activities. However, due to the cessation of face-to face schooling and
closure of research laboratories, a majority of the CSHS school students
quickly moved to learning from home, impacting the delivery of the
agricultural science curriculum. There was a limited time to develop new
educational resources and tools needed to enable the students to
undertake this project at home. This time-restraint was not only due to
the immediate demand for student activities but also driven by the
approaching end of the grass flowering season; flowers being an
important characteristic to identify grass species. Having a
multidisciplinary team quickly facilitated development of the necessary
educational resources and citizen science tools.
Without direct funding, members of the group worked on this project with
considerable discretionary effort, and in their own time. Universities
were undergoing their own transition to working-from home and this added
administrative workload and logistical challenges. Having a new and
engaging project, which had potential to directly helped the school
students, gave a sense of altruistic purpose that connected the team
during this disruptive period.
There were also limitations from the school perspective. As students had
to provide their personal details to download the App, the process had
to be cleared by Education Queensland. The Information Privacy Act
(2009) legislates how the Department will collect, store, use and
disclose personal information about students (Queensland Legislation
2019). There was a need to liaise with the school IT Manager to
ascertain in which country the data was stored to ensure the security of
the personal information. The process was approved by the Deputy
Principal once it had been cleared by the IT Manager.