In this course, learners deepen their understanding of the importance of natural resources to humankind. Students explore physical, biological, and ecological principles, examine how human alterations affect the environment, and reflect on the controversies surrounding various approaches to addressing environmental problems and the steps some communities have taken to address these challenges
Course Design
The course is designed to introduce students to the scientific method and utilize this approach to study the interaction between humans and their environment on a range of scales, from individual to global. Through laboratory techniques, engaging multimedia, interactive assignments, and course readings, students will enhance their understanding of environmental issues. Course projects, journal writing tasks, and discussion forum activities will also be employed to achieve learning outcomes while fostering a community of deeply engaged interactive learners.
Course Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:
- Apply the steps of the scientific method, along with qualitative and quantitative analysis and problem solving skills, to complete laboratory exercises on environmental issues and document the results.
- Explain basic ecological concepts and how they relate to the goal of achieving environmental sustainability.
- Examine how human actions have affected Earths capacity to sustain life.
- Discuss some of the major environmental challenges facing modern societies and the social, economic, political, and ecological choices and tradeoffs these challenges pose.
- Describe ways in which natural phenomena affect living things and the physical world.
- Apply changes to ones daily life choices in order to promote sustainability by reducing ones ecological footprint.
Course Map
The course map illustrates the careful design of the course through which each learning objective is supported by one or more specific learning activities in order to create integrity and pedagogical depth in the learning experience.Learning OutcomeWeekAssignment1. Apply the steps of the scientific method, along with qualitative and quantitative analysis and problem solving skills, to complete laboratory exercises on environmental issues and document the results. Insert course learning outcome1112223334455
- Week 1: Ecological Footprint Update and Course ReflectionJournal
- Week 1 Interactive ActivityLearning Activity
- Stream Morphology LaboratoryAssignment
- Week 2: Ecological Footprint Update and Course ReflectionJournal
- Week 2 Interactive ActivityLearning Activity
- Properties of Soil: Agriculture and Water Availability Impacts LaboratoryAssignment
- Week 3: Ecological Footprint Update and Course ReflectionJournal
- Week 3 Interactive ActivityLearning Activity
- Ground and Surface Water Interactions LaboratoryAssignment
- Week 4: Ecological Footprint Update and Course ReflectionJournal
- Climate Change Virtual LaboratoryAssignment
- Week 5: Ecological Footprint Update and Course ReflectionJournal
- Oil Spill Bioremediation LaboratoryAssignment
2. Explain basic ecological concepts and how they relate to the goal of achieving environmental sustainability.111222233344555
- Week 1: Ecological Footprint Update and Course ReflectionJournal
- Week 1 Interactive ActivityLearning Activity
- Sustainable Living Guide Contributions: Sustaining Biodiversity and EcosystemsAssignment
- Food Resilience Plan for ArzavilleDiscussion Forum
- Week 2: Ecological Footprint Update and Course ReflectionJournal
- Week 2 Interactive ActivityLearning Activity
- Sustainable Living Guide Contributions: Sustaining Our Agricultural ResourcesAssignment
- Water Management Plan for ArzavilleDiscussion Forum
- Week 3: Ecological Footprint Update and Course ReflectionJournal
- Sustainable Living Guide Contributions: Sustaining Our Water ResourcesAssignment
- Week 4: Ecological Footprint Update and Course ReflectionJournal
- Sustainable Living Guide Contributions: Sustaining Our Atmosphere and ClimateAssignment
- Sustainable Living Guide Submission AcknowledgementQuiz
- Week 5: Ecological Footprint Update and Course ReflectionJournal
- The Journey to SustainabilityFinal Paper
3. Examine how human actions have affected Earths capacity to sustain life.111112222233334444445555555
- Ecological FootprintsDiscussion Forum
- Week 1: Ecological Footprint Update and Course ReflectionJournal
- Week 1 Interactive ActivityLearning Activity
- Stream Morphology LaboratoryAssignment
- Sustainable Living Guide Contributions: Sustaining Biodiversity and EcosystemsAssignment
- Food Resilience Plan for ArzavilleDiscussion Forum
- Week 2: Ecological Footprint Update and Course ReflectionJournal
- Week 2 Interactive ActivityLearning Activity
- Properties of Soil: Agriculture and Water Availability Impacts LaboratoryAssignment
- Sustainable Living Guide Contributions: Sustaining Our Agricultural ResourcesAssignment
- Week 3: Ecological Footprint Update and Course ReflectionJournal
- Week 3 Interactive ActivityLearning Activity
- Ground and Surface Water Interactions LaboratoryAssignment
- Sustainable Living Guide Contributions: Sustaining Our Water ResourcesAssignment
- A Carbon-Neutral Energy Plan for ArzavilleDiscussion Forum
- Carbon-Neutral Community Plan Voting RationalesDiscussion Forum
- Week 4: Ecological Footprint Update and Course ReflectionJournal
- Week 4 Interactive ActivityLearning Activity
- Climate Change Virtual LaboratoryAssignment
- Sustainable Living Guide
- Contributions: Sustaining Our Atmosphere and ClimateAssignment
- Ecological Footprint and ComparisonDiscussion Forum
- Nature Experience ProjectDiscussion Forum
- Sustainable Living Guide Submission AcknowledgementQuiz
- Week 5: Ecological Footprint Update and Course ReflectionJournal
- Week 5 Interactive ActivityLearning Activity
- Oil Spill Bioremediation LaboratoryAssignment
- The Journey to SustainabilityFinal Paper
4. Discuss some of the major environmental challenges facing modern societies and the social, economic, political, and ecological choices and tradeoffs these challenges pose.11122333334444455555
- Post Your IntroductionDiscussion Forum
- Week 1: Ecological Footprint Update and Course ReflectionJournal
- Sustainable Living Guide
- Contributions: Sustaining Biodiversity and EcosystemsAssignment
- Week 2: Ecological Footprint Update and Course ReflectionJournal
- Sustainable Living Guide Contributions: Sustaining Our Agricultural ResourcesAssignment
- Water Management Plan for ArzavilleDiscussion Forum
- Week 3: Ecological Footprint Update and Course ReflectionJournal
- Week 3 Interactive ActivityLearning Activity
- Ground and Surface Water Interactions LaboratoryAssignment
- Sustainable Living Guide Contributions: Sustaining Our Water ResourcesAssignment
- A Carbon-Neutral Energy Plan for ArzavilleDiscussion Forum
- Carbon-Neutral Community Plan Voting RationalesDiscussion Forum
- Week 4: Ecological Footprint Update and Course ReflectionJournal
- Week 4 Interactive ActivityLearning Activity
- Sustainable Living Guide Contributions: Sustaining Our Atmosphere and ClimateAssignment
- Sustainable Living Guide Submission AcknowledgementQuiz
- Week 5: Ecological Footprint Update and Course ReflectionJournal
- Week 5 Interactive ActivityLearning Activity
- Oil Spill Bioremediation LaboratoryAssignment
- The Journey to SustainabilityFinal Paper
5. Describe ways in which natural phenomena affect living things and the physical world.1112223334445555
- Week 1: Ecological Footprint Update and Course ReflectionJournal
- Stream Morphology LaboratoryAssignment
- Sustainable Living Guide Contributions: Sustaining Biodiversity and EcosystemsAssignment
- Week 2: Ecological Footprint Update and Course ReflectionJournal
- Properties of Soil: Agriculture and Water Availability Impacts LaboratoryAssignment
- Sustainable Living Guide Contributions: Sustaining Our Agricultural ResourcesAssignment
- Week 3: Ecological Footprint Update and Course ReflectionJournal
- Ground and Surface Water Interactions LaboratoryAssignment
- Sustainable Living Guide Contributions: Sustaining Our Water ResourcesAssignment
- Week 4: Ecological Footprint Update and Course ReflectionJournal
- Climate Change Virtual LaboratoryAssignment
- Sustainable Living Guide Contributions: Sustaining Our Atmosphere and ClimateAssignment
- Nature Experience ProjectDiscussion Forum
- Sustainable Living Guide Submission AcknowledgementQuiz
- Week 5: Ecological Footprint Update and Course ReflectionJournal
- The Journey to SustainabilityFinal Paper
6. Apply changes to ones daily life choices in order to promote sustainability by reducing ones ecological footprint.111223334444455555
- Ecological FootprintsDiscussion Forum
- Week 1: Ecological Footprint Update and Course ReflectionJournal
- Sustainable Living Guide Contributions: Sustaining Biodiversity and EcosystemsAssignment
- Week 2: Ecological Footprint Update and Course ReflectionJournal
- Sustainable Living Guide Contributions: Sustaining Our Agricultural ResourcesAssignment
- Week 3: Ecological Footprint Update and Course ReflectionJournal
- Week 3 Interactive ActivityLearning Activity
- Sustainable Living Guide Contributions: Sustaining Our Water ResourcesAssignment
- A Carbon-Neutral Energy Plan for ArzavilleDiscussion Forum
- Carbon-Neutral Community Plan Voting RationalesDiscussion Forum
- Week 4: Ecological Footprint Update and Course ReflectionJournal
- Week 4 Interactive ActivityLearning Activity
- Sustainable Living Guide Contributions: Sustaining Our Atmosphere and ClimateAssignment
- Ecological Footprint and ComparisonDiscussion Forum
- Sustainable Living Guide Submission AcknowledgementQuiz
- Week 5: Ecological Footprint Update and Course ReflectionJournal
- Week 5 Interactive ActivityLearning Activity
- The Journey to SustainabilityFinal Paper
Institutional Learning Outcomes
The Universitys Institutional Learning Outcomes (ILOs) represent the knowledge, skills, and abilities that students are expected to develop through their experiences at the university regardless of their course of study or level of degree. The ILOs are designed to guide the development of student learning outcomes and to provide a framework for decisions in the colleges. The ILOs were developed by a multi-disciplinary group of faculty and students with input from other academic leaders. They provide the foundation for alignment of the universitys curriculum with the core competencies of the WASC Senior College and University Commission and the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE).
University graduates:
- Apply logic and critical thinking to evaluate reasoning, explore diverse perspectives, and engage in metacognition.
- Communicate thoughts and ideas clearly and effectively in written and oral forms.
- Leverage digital technologies to solve problems, complete tasks, and accomplish goals.
- Demonstrate information literacy through accessing, evaluating, and using information.
- Construct ethical responses to contemporary problems.
- Cultivate knowledge of and respect for people with diverse backgrounds, values, and lifestyles.
- Apply knowledge of commonalities and differences across varying cultural, economic, and geographic populations as part of global citizenship.
- Demonstrate personal accountability using effective interpersonal communication and emotional intelligence.