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.