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Course Syllabus
EnEd 5325
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Class meeting dates: |
Jan. 23:
12:30 - 4:30 pm (WRELC); Feb.
6: 12:30
- 4:30 pm (WRELC );
Feb. 20: 2-6 pm (UMD) March 13: 2-6 pm (UMD); April 3 : 2-6 pm (UMD);
April 10: 2-6 pm (UMD); April 24: 12:30-4:30 pm (WRELC)
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Class meeting location: |
SpHC 119; or, WRELC |
| Assignments: |
Jan. 23;
Feb. 6; Feb
20; March 13; April 3; April 10; April 24 |
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Instructor: |
Dr. Ken Gilbertson |
| Phone |
726-6258; |
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Email: |
kgilbert@d.umn.edu |
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Course web url: |
http://www.d.umn.edu/~kgilbert/ |
Instructor:
| Ken Gilbertson |
| Center for Environmental Education |
| 123 SpHC |
| 218-726-6258 |
| email: kgilbert@d.umn.edu |
| url: www.d.umn.edu/~kgilbert |
Goal: To learn
how to effectively study an environmental issue to a point of resolution.
Purpose: The
purpose of this course is to study an actual environmental issue
that can be reasonably resolved within the scope of this course
(fifteen weeks). We want you to learn how to select an issue; build
an effective team of investigators through your classmates; and,
study the issue through to the point of making recommendations that
will actually influence the resolution of the issue.
Ultimately, it is through this learning process
and the method of experiential education that you will learn how
to teach your future students about environmental issues and problem
solving.
Objectives:
From this course, you will learn:
1. To assess an issue that is resolvable.
2. To build a team of investigators with differing points of view,
knowledge, and experience.
3. How to systematically analyze, investigate, interview, and recommend
solutions to an environmental issue.
4. Differentiate between and effectively use social, political,
and technical science domains in investigating an issue.
5. How to effectively present recommendations of an actual issue
to a group of appropriate community citizens toward resolution of
the issue being investigated.
6. Skills, knowledge, and experience to teach
about environmental issues - prevention, identification, assessment,
and mitigation. These skills are valuable when teaching about the
natural environment.
Format:
This class is designed to have minimal classroom instruction from
the instructor and optimal field investigation by you. We will
meet six times throughout the term. The first session will be a
large group meeting (UMD Grad's and WRELC EE Cert. students) where
the tone, expectations, and guidelines of the course will be set.
The second two meetings will be small group where I will meet with
WRELC students separately from the UMD Grad students. These middle
two sessions will be update sessions by team members to colleagues.
The updates should be approached as a dry run for a formal presentation.
The final two meetings will be the final formal presentations of
each groups' findings and recommendations for resolution pertinent
to the issue that group investigated throughout the term. This final
presentation will include actual constituents who are involved in
the issue.
Schedule:
Jan. 23:
12:30
- 4:30 pm
WRELC
Purpose & Expectations; Guidelines for issues
investigation; Issues Triage; Group selection; Issues identified.
We will also determine class meeting times and dates for UMD Grad
students.
Feb. 6: 12:30
- 4:30 pm at WRELC
This session will be an update - presented formally.
The topics to be presented will be:
1. Identification of the issue (What is the specific
issue? e.g. "Expansion of the parking lot and building at Walmart") Word your perceived issue as a Research Question (e.g. "What is the efficiency of the windows in the Education building?"; "To what extent do they retain/reflect heat?")
2. Definition of the issue. (Define the issue.
e.g. "The issue is the potential effects of stormwater run-off
from the expanded impervious surface.")
3. Questions stated to guide data collection. (What
are questions to ask to investigate the issue? e.g. what permits
are needed? what specifc area is impacted? what does the surrounding
- adjacent - areas look like? what information do we need to determine
if this is an environmental issue?)
4. Intended Methods of obtaining your data: Describe the methods you intend to use to collect your information (data) before you begin to collect it.
(interview - phone or personal; survey; literature review; photography; How do you intend to determine who you will interview or where you will find your literature or how you will measure (collect) yuor data?)
Feb. 20: 2-6
pm at UMD (SpHC 119)
Building upon the prior session, this meeting will once again be
a formal presentation by each group covering the following topics:
5. Preliminary data collection. What information
is needed to assess the extent and impact of the issue?
6. What are the impacts? (What will happen if the
issue continues? What will happen if it is stopped?)
7. Recommend solutions. Based on the impacts (Environmental
- ecological; Economical, & Social).
8. Select criteria to evaluate impacts. (How will
you know, specifically, what the impacts will be? Establish criteria
to be able to tell the difference.)
9. Confirm who the constituents are and present
list of who will be invited to the final presentation. Included
with this list will be the stated means of how the constituents
will be invited to the final presentation.
The final steps of choosing the best solution
will be discussed with Joe Walewski and Ken via independent consultations.
March 13: 2-6
UMD (SpHC 119)
Final presentation and/or preparation. Each group should plan a
1-hour presentation that includes question and answer interaction
from the audience.
ALL students need to attend this session
April 3: 2-6 pm UMD (SpHC 119
Same as above: Final presentation of group projects by WRELC students
where each group provides a 1-hour presentation.
ALL students need to attend this session.
April 10: Location to be determined. This will be both a final presentation and/or a debrief of the course relative to the application of the course experience into an environmental educational learning context.
April 24: 12:30-4:30 pm WRELC. This will be used as a fall-back meeting time if time does not allow for full presentations and adequate debrief of the course. Please be prepared to meet at this time if necessary.
Assignments:
1) For each class presentation, each group will provide an oral
presentation that includes the most appropriate visual aids. Most
often, PowerPoint is the most effective visual aid.
2) Also for each class presentation, each group must present a written
paper that includes the material to be presented for that class
period.
All papers must be:
Typed: Double spaced and in APA format.
Include (as appropriate for the sequence of delivery):
- Cover page
- Table of Contents
- Group members
- Introduction
- Problem identification and definition
- Data collection methods
- Data results
- Criteria to evaluate data
To what extent is the issue valid?
- Possible solutions
- Recommended solution
- Recommendations to evaluate solution effects
- References
3) Each group member
will present peer evaluations and a self-evaluation for work up
to that point in the project. (10 points each)
Click on the "Peer Grading Criteria"icon on the sidebar.
Please present each group members' evaluation on a separate sheet.
It should be typed and include your name.
4) Final synopsis of what you gained in this
course relative to investigating an environmental issue and how
you are prepared to teach your students about environmental issues.
This should be approximately a 4-6 typed pages. (20 pts.)
Grading:
Grades will be evaluated on the following criteria:
1) Each preliminary presentation: 50 points = 200 pts.
| •Content (accuracy and
thoroughness): |
50% (25 pts.) |
| •Presentation (written): |
15% (7.5) |
| •Presentation (oral): |
20% (10) |
| •Sources (references) |
15% (7.5) |
| Final Paper |
100 pts
(50 pts oral presentation; 50 pts written paper) |
| Participation & Preparation |
30 pts (5 pts/class x 6 meetings) |
| Total points |
430 |
Grade Scale:
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