Preparing the Eclipse Soundscapes Mobile Application for 2023: Applying Lessons Learned from 2017 to Guide Language Choices that Improve the Accessibility and Inclusiveness of the App’s’s Scientific Content to Make Eclipses More Engaging for Everyone!

Data contributed by citizen scientists raise increasing interest in many areas of scientific research. Increasingly, projects rely on information technology such as mobile applications (apps) to facilitate data collection activities by lay people. When developing such smartphone apps, it is essential to account for both the requirements of the scientists interested in acquiring data and the needs of the citizen scientists contributing data. Citizens and participating scientists should therefore ideally work together during the conception, design and testing of mobile applications used in a citizen science project. This will benefit both sides, as both scientists and citizens can bring in their expectations, desires, knowledge, and commitment early on, thereby making better use of the potential of citizen science. Such processes of app co-design are highly transdisciplinary, and thus pose challenges in terms of the diversity of interests, skills, and background knowledge involved.Our &#8220;Nachtlicht-B&#252;HNE&#8221; citizen science project addresses these issues. Its major goal is the development of a co-design process enabling scientists and citizens to jointly develop citizen science projects based on smartphone apps. This includes (1) the conception and development of a mobile application for a specific scientific purpose, (2) the design, planning and organization of field campaigns using the mobile application, and (3) the evaluation of the approach. In Nachtlicht-B&#252;HNE, the co-design approach is developed within the scope of two parallel pilot studies in the environmental and space sciences. Case study 1 deals with the problem of light pollution. Currently, little is known about how much different light source types contribute to emissions from Earth. Within the project, citizens and researchers will develop and use an app to capture information about all types of light sources visible from public streets. Case study 2 focuses on meteors. They are of great scientific interest because their pathways and traces of light can be used to derive dynamic and physical properties of comets and asteroids. Since the surveillance of the sky with cameras is usually incomplete, reports of fireball sightings are important. Within the project, citizens and scientists will create and use the first German-language app that allows reporting meteor sightings.We will share our experiences on how researchers and communities of citizen scientists with backgrounds in the geosciences, space research, the social sciences, computer science and other disciplines work together in the Nachtlicht-B&#252;HNE project to co-design mobile applications. We highlight challenges that arose and present different strategies for co-design that evolved within the project accounting for the specific needs and interests of the communities involved.

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‘I’m doing it for myself’: Using a smartphone-based exercise service during the COVID-19 lockdown in the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa

South African Journal of Sports Medicine ◽

10.17159/2078-516x/2021/v33i1a9053 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 33 (1) ◽

pp. 1-6

Author(s):

Demitri Constantinou ◽

Georgia Torres ◽

Natalia Neophytou ◽

Peter Fourie ◽

Xenia Buntting ◽

...

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

Mobile Application ◽

Small Sample Size ◽

Smartphone Application ◽

Small Sample ◽

Lessons Learned ◽

Protective Effects ◽

Home Based ◽

Negative Effect ◽

The University

Background: Sufficient physical activity (PA) lowers poor health outcomes, with data showing these protective effects in populations under varying levels of lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic. The advent of online PA programmes has created novel opportunities to offset the deleterious effects of inactivity. However, data are limited and the readiness and acceptance of such technology is unknown. These authors nevertheless noted an opportunity to investigate this approach based on promising emerging data at the time of the hard lockdown in South Africa. Objective: This exploratory study investigated the engagement and perceptions of a smartphone application to promote health and fitness in a sample of employees at a South African university. Methods: Employed members of staff (n=15) of the University of the Witwatersrand were recruited through email invitation during the hard Level 5 COVID-19 lockdown in 2020. Individualised home-based PA programmes were prescribed through a mobile application for a period of eight weeks. Researchers qualified in Biokinetics provided online supervision of the exercise sessions during the intervention. Participants were asked to complete a self-reported questionnaire about their use of the application. Thematic analysis was used to understand these responses. Results: Lack of motivation was perceived to have a negative effect on participation in the online PA programme. Only one participant reported using the mobile application consistently during the study period, while half of the participants reported having trouble with the usage of the application. The participants frequently mentioned the need for technical support and further engagement from the clinicians supervising the PA programme to ensure use and progression. Staff identified issues with connectivity and already having too many phone applications (apps) amongst the reasons for the technical difficulties. Conclusion: This study demonstrates the challenges and potential for the uptake of online PA interventions during COVID-19 and, despite its small sample size, the data provide important lessons learned that will be used as information in further investigations.

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Using Mobile Technology to Help Eliminate Malaria in Zanzibar

Online Journal of Public Health Informatics ◽

10.5210/ojphi.v7i1.5679 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 7 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Gordon M. Cressman ◽

Michael V. McKay ◽

Abdul-wahid Al-Mafazy ◽

Mahdi M. Ramsan ◽

Abdullah S. Ali ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Hot Spots ◽

Mobile Application ◽

Lessons Learned ◽

Rapid Response ◽

Quality Data ◽

Secondary Case ◽

Tablet Computers ◽

High Quality Data ◽

Notification System ◽

Case Notification

Decision support systems for malaria elimination must support rapid response to contain outbreaks. The integrated mobile system in Zanzibar has been recognized as one of the most advanced in the world. The system consists of a simple facility-based case notification system that uses common feature phones, and a mobile application for Android tablet computers. The resulting system enables rapid response to new cases, helps to rapidly diagnose and treat secondary case, and provides high-quality data for identifying hot spots, trends, and transmission patterns. This presentation will review the history, technology, results, lessons-learned, and applicability to other contexts.

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The REDCap Mobile Application: a data collection platform for research in regions or situations with internet scarcity

JAMIA Open ◽

10.1093/jamiaopen/ooab078 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 4 (3) ◽

Author(s):

Paul A Harris ◽

Giovanni Delacqua ◽

Robert Taylor ◽

Scott Pearson ◽

Michelle Fernandez ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mobile Application ◽

Study Data ◽

Lessons Learned ◽

Data Capture ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Global Network ◽

Direct Access ◽

Mobile Platforms ◽

Development Framework ◽

Sub Saharan

Abstract Objectives To share our approach for designing, developing, and deploying the Research Electronic Data Capture (REDCap) Mobile Application, details about its dissemination and support through the REDCap Consortium, and a set of lessons learned and guidance recommendations for others developing mobile platforms to support research in regions or situations with internet scarcity. Materials and Methods We defined minimum viable product requirements centered around Android and iOS platform availability, data capture specifications and project initiation workflow, study data synchronization, and data security. After launch, we added features based on feedback from end-users and REDCap administrators. We prioritized new features based on expected impact, difficulty, and anticipated long-term cost for sustainability. Results We chose Apache Cordova, a combined iOS and Android development framework, based on targeted end-user technology expectations, available programmer resources, and the need to provide solutions for resource-limited settings. The REDCap Mobile Application was launched in 2015, has been enabled at over 800 REDCap Consortium partner organizations, and has supported diverse scientific studies around the world. Discussion Apache Cordova enabled early software releases for both iOS and Android, but required ongoing optimization efforts to improve software responsiveness. Developing a robust and efficient mobile device synchronization architecture was difficult without direct access to global network infrastructures for testing. Research teams in sub-Saharan Africa helped our development team understand and simulate real-world scenarios of intermittent internet connectivity. Conclusion Guidance recommendations based on designing, developing, deploying, and disseminating the REDCap Mobile Application may help other teams looking to develop clinical research informatics applications.

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Remote Data Collection Through the ASTHMAXcel Mobile Application, and Lessons Learned During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology ◽

10.1016/j.jaci.2020.12.429 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 147 (2) ◽

pp. AB117

Author(s):

Brian Hsia ◽

Anjani Singh ◽

Obumneme Njeze ◽

Emine Cosar ◽

Savneet Kaur ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Data Collection ◽

Mobile Application ◽

Lessons Learned ◽

Remote Data

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Video Killed the Writing Assignment

Journal of Astronomy & Earth Sciences Education (JAESE) ◽

10.19030/jaese.v5i2.10222 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 5 (2) ◽

pp. 137-150

Author(s):

Nicolle Zellner

Keyword(s):

The United States ◽

Lessons Learned ◽

College Graduation ◽

Scientific Content ◽

Graduation Requirement ◽

Course Content ◽

The Galaxy ◽

Astronomical Object ◽

Course Material ◽

Writing Assignment

An introductory Astronomy survey course is often taken to satisfy a college graduation requirement for non-science majors at colleges around the United States. In this course, material that can be broadly categorized into topics related to “the sky”, “the Solar System”, “the Galaxy”, and “cosmology” is discussed. Even with the wide variety of topics in these categories, though, students may not be 100% interested in the course content, and it is almost certain that a specific topic about which a student wishes to learn is not covered. To at least partly address these issues, to appeal to all of the students in this class, and to allow students to explore topics of their choice, a video project has been assigned to students at Albion College as a class activity. In this assignment, students are asked to create a video of a famous (or not) astronomer, astronomical object or discovery, or telescope observatory to present to the class. Students work in pairs to create a video that is original and imaginative and includes accurate scientific content. For this project, then, students use a familiar technology and exercise their creativity while learning a little (or a lot of) science along the way. Herein data on types and topics of videos, examples of videos, assignment requirements and grading rubrics, lessons learned, and student comments will be discussed and shared.

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Lessons Learned From Coaching Postsecondary Students With Traumatic Brain Injury

Perspectives of the ASHA Special Interest Groups ◽

10.1044/2019_persp-19-00092 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 5 (1) ◽

pp. 88-96

Author(s):

Mary R. T. Kennedy

Keyword(s):

College Students ◽

Traumatic Brain Injury ◽

Brain Injury ◽

Sense Of Self ◽

Scientific Evidence ◽

Sudden Onset ◽

Lessons Learned ◽

Speech Language Pathologists ◽

The Brain ◽

Exhaustive List

Purpose The purpose of this clinical focus article is to provide speech-language pathologists with a brief update of the evidence that provides possible explanations for our experiences while coaching college students with traumatic brain injury (TBI). Method The narrative text provides readers with lessons we learned as speech-language pathologists functioning as cognitive coaches to college students with TBI. This is not meant to be an exhaustive list, but rather to consider the recent scientific evidence that will help our understanding of how best to coach these college students. Conclusion Four lessons are described. Lesson 1 focuses on the value of self-reported responses to surveys, questionnaires, and interviews. Lesson 2 addresses the use of immediate/proximal goals as leverage for students to update their sense of self and how their abilities and disabilities may alter their more distal goals. Lesson 3 reminds us that teamwork is necessary to address the complex issues facing these students, which include their developmental stage, the sudden onset of trauma to the brain, and having to navigate going to college with a TBI. Lesson 4 focuses on the need for college students with TBI to learn how to self-advocate with instructors, family, and peers.

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