ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Educ.

Sec. Leadership in Education

Volume 10 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/feduc.2025.1392118

This article is part of the Research TopicBuilding the Future of Education Together: Innovation, Complexity, Sustainability, Interdisciplinary Research and Open ScienceView all 19 articles

HUMETAV Model for Citizen Science Initiatives: Designing Socio-Ecological Projects to Foster Awareness

Provisionally accepted
Jorge  Sanabria-ZJorge Sanabria-Z1Eduardo  Santana-CastellónEduardo Santana-Castellón2Pamela  OlivoPamela Olivo1*José  Martín Molina-EspinosaJosé Martín Molina-Espinosa3Inna  ArtemovaInna Artemova2Terry  IrwinTerry Irwin4Gideon  KossoffGideon Kossoff4David  Sánchez-RuanoDavid Sánchez-Ruano1Laura  SucciniLaura Succini5Davis  Velarde-CamaquiDavis Velarde-Camaqui1Néstor Gabriel  Platero-FernándezNéstor Gabriel Platero-Fernández2Lorena  QuinteroLorena Quintero1Inés  Alvarez-Icaza LongoriaInés Alvarez-Icaza Longoria1Cléa  MontanariCléa Montanari6Luis  ValleLuis Valle2Lisset Abril  Sánchez-SalgadoLisset Abril Sánchez-Salgado1
  • 1Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education (ITESM), Monterrey, Nuevo León4, Mexico
  • 2Universidad de Guadalajara, Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico
  • 3School of Engineering and Sciences, Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education (ITESM), Monterrey, Nuevo León4, Mexico
  • 4Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States
  • 5University of Bologna, Bologna, Emilia-Romagna, Italy
  • 6Learning Planet Institute, Paris, France

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

The socio-ecological impacts of climate change, biodiversity loss, and globalisation are becoming increasingly evident locally and globally. While efforts are being made to sensitise citizens through environmental and ecological education, the impetus for their active participation in addressing growing socio-ecological problems is still lagging behind. In this context, this study presents the design and testing process of a citizen science workshop based on the HUMETAV model, as applied in the Museum of Environmental Sciences of the University of Guadalajara. This is an initiative driven by Transition Design to raise awareness among youth about the socio-ecological importance of connecting nature and the city through techno-creative empowerment. We begin by presenting the visual representation of the HUMETAV model, which is crucial to understanding the scope of this development. This paper has followed the Design Process and Design Practice design methodology to define the HUMETAV–Citizen Science workshop to test the HUMETAV model. The findings of this study are that (a) the HUMETAV model can be applied to citizen science as a pedagogical tool; (b) the Design Process and Practice methodology is suitable for the development of educational training activities; (c) the Transition Design and Threshold for Citizen Science Projects framework effectively guides the design of citizen science proposals; (d) feedback engagement transforms participants into vital co-creators, mirroring citizen science practices; and (e) a student-teacher-mentor inter-group structure is a catalyst for long-term online workshop success by emphasising the importance of collaboration. The implications of this study for educational communities lie in the benefits of applying a model that empowers youth through a co-designed, interdisciplinary approach in real-world environments to improve socio-ecological conditions. Future research can build on these findings to explore the applicability of the HUMETAV model across diverse educational settings.

Keywords: citizen science1, educational innovation2, higher education3, complex thinking4, educational model5, design process 6, transition design7, socio-ecological education8

Received: 27 Feb 2024; Accepted: 29 Apr 2025.

Copyright: © 2025 Sanabria-Z, Santana-Castellón, Olivo, Molina-Espinosa, Artemova, Irwin, Kossoff, Sánchez-Ruano, Succini, Velarde-Camaqui, Platero-Fernández, Quintero, Alvarez-Icaza Longoria, Montanari, Valle and Sánchez-Salgado. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

* Correspondence: Pamela Olivo, Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education (ITESM), Monterrey, 64849, Nuevo León4, Mexico

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