Keywords
Collaborative learning; model-based reasoning; stakeholder engagement
Start Date
25-6-2018 10:40 AM
End Date
25-6-2018 12:00 PM
Abstract
Many of humanity’s most pressing issues are socio-environmental, and as such, are ill-structured, “wicked” problems. Wicked problems require a participatory process that includes researchers from different disciplines and key stakeholders to collaboratively identify science needs. A key challenge in working on these problems is that the problem scope is typically unbounded, the issues are complex and interwoven, and the modeling approach can be framed in a multitude of ways. Because each wicked problem is unique, there exists a plethora of examples of participatory processes used to gain traction on modeling such problems, along with an equally extensive list of tools and methods used. Unifying frameworks are needed to facilitate understanding of participatory approaches as a whole and to provide guidance for research design in participatory contexts. This article outlines an approach, EMBeRS (Employing Model-Based Reasoning in Socio-Environmental Synthesis), that facilitates collective learning during the early, formative phases of a project based on a synthesis of learning and social theories, including: 1) constructivism, 2) experiential learning, 3) model-based reasoning, 4) boundary objects, 5) epistemic objects, and 6) distributed cognitive systems. A series of EMBeRS-based activities can be purposefully linked to move a collaborative group from vague, ill-defined, heterogeneous understandings of the problem to a co-created, shared framing. Examples from working with stakeholders on water and agricultural systems are provided.
EMBeRS: An Approach for Igniting Participatory Learning and Synthesis
Many of humanity’s most pressing issues are socio-environmental, and as such, are ill-structured, “wicked” problems. Wicked problems require a participatory process that includes researchers from different disciplines and key stakeholders to collaboratively identify science needs. A key challenge in working on these problems is that the problem scope is typically unbounded, the issues are complex and interwoven, and the modeling approach can be framed in a multitude of ways. Because each wicked problem is unique, there exists a plethora of examples of participatory processes used to gain traction on modeling such problems, along with an equally extensive list of tools and methods used. Unifying frameworks are needed to facilitate understanding of participatory approaches as a whole and to provide guidance for research design in participatory contexts. This article outlines an approach, EMBeRS (Employing Model-Based Reasoning in Socio-Environmental Synthesis), that facilitates collective learning during the early, formative phases of a project based on a synthesis of learning and social theories, including: 1) constructivism, 2) experiential learning, 3) model-based reasoning, 4) boundary objects, 5) epistemic objects, and 6) distributed cognitive systems. A series of EMBeRS-based activities can be purposefully linked to move a collaborative group from vague, ill-defined, heterogeneous understandings of the problem to a co-created, shared framing. Examples from working with stakeholders on water and agricultural systems are provided.
Stream and Session
C5: Participatory Modelling 2.0: Interfaces, Tools, Methods and Approaches for Linking Stakeholders Decisions, and Environmental Modelling