This lesson sequence guides students to learn about the geography and the unique characteristics of the Arctic, including vegetation, and people who live there. Students use Google Earth to explore the Arctic and learn about meteorological observations in the Arctic, including collecting their own data in hands-on experiments. This is the first part of a three-part curriculum about Arctic climate.

In this jigsaw activity, students explore meteorological data collected from Eureka, Canada to try to decide when would be the best time for an Arctic visit.

In this activity, students use authentic Arctic climate data to unravel some causes and effects related to the seasonal melting of the snowpack and to further understand albedo.

This activity leads students through a sequence of learning steps that highlight the embedded energy that is necessary to produce various types of food. Students start by thinking through the components of a basic meal and are later asked to review the necessary energy to produce different types of protein.

This activity is part of the community collection of teaching materials on climate and energy topics. This activity was submitted by faculty as part of the CLEAN Energy Workshop, held in April, 2011.

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This multi-week project begins with a measurement of baseline consumptive behavior followed by three weeks of working to reduce the use of water, energy, high-impact foods, and other materials. The assignment uses an Excel spreadsheet that calculates direct energy and water use as well as indirect CO2 and water use associated with food consumption. After completing the project, students understand that they do indeed play a role in the big picture. They also learn that making small changes to their lifestyles is not difficult and they can easily reduce their personal impact on the environment.

The Lifestyle Project is a way for students to learn about environmental alternatives by modifying their own lifestyles. It is a three-week exercise for students to reduce their impact on the environment by changing the way in which they live from day to day. The project has fairly rigid parameters, allowing students to achieve a gradual but definitive change in their everyday habits. Students choose three categories from a list of six: heat, garbage, electricity and water, driving, eating, and activism. For each category the rules are clearly defined, such as turning down the heat three degrees or eliminating the use of the car. Each week the project becomes more rigorous, because students will have to meet the requirements more frequently. They write about their experiences in journals, which are incredibly insightful, illustrating just how profoundly the project affects them.

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The online discussions are the single most important part of this course. They are worth more than any other component of the course and the students and I all put considerable time and energy into the discussions.

Disseminating course content is one of the more challenging aspects of online teaching, and discussions help to fill this gap. In order to have meaningful contributions to the discussions, students have to not only understand the topic, but also need to share their comments on it and relate the topics to a larger question. For example, a discussion about developing geologically active land prompts responses that demonstrate understanding of dynamic landscapes, geologic processes, the role of zoning, hazard mitigation and disaster insurance. In addition, a few students are likely to have had personal experiences with natural disasters and thus add firsthand insights that enrich the discussion.

Discussions are also a place where misconceptions arise and they can be easily addressed within this format. In a perfect world, students would be quick to point out flaws in each others' understanding, but when that does not happen, I seize the opportunity to point out the misconception (gently) and clarify it.

Because students have time to research their answers and reflect on their writing, online discussions can bring out wonderful insights and rewarding debates. Introverted students who might otherwise not be inclined to raise their hand in a face to face classroom seem to have an easier time jumping in. If students are not participating enough, I let them know ask them if anything is preventing them from participating, encourage them to get more involved, and suggest some ways for them to jump in.

The discussion topics all begin with open-ended questions that leave a lot of room for interpretation and the discussion is best when it wanders across a few topics. The discussions last for 1-3 weeks. For the longer discussions I have a series of follow-up questions at the ready. I post these to keep the topic moving, to get the class back on track, or simply to toss out a pop-quiz type question that alert students can grab onto.

Teaching Tips
Adaptations that allow this activity to be successful in an online environment
We all know the dreadful feeling when you pose a question to a lecture hall full of students and all you hear are crickets. An online discussion can be far more thought-provoking than a face-to-face discussion because students have time to reflect on the topic, read up on it, and compose their response. So the adaptations are to start off with a very broad question that allows the topic to wander a bit. A sufficient time frame is needed (minimum of one week) to allow the discussion to develop. Lastly, the discussions have to be worth some significant part of the grade so that students do not treat them as optional.
Elements of this activity that are most effective
The most effective element of online discussion is the way students get pulled into the course and are engaged with the content. This is easy to observe by simply noting how active the discussion is. The discussion about climate change never fails to be the most active one and it really brings everybody to the table (including me!).
Recommendations for other faculty adapting this activity to their own course:

Start off with a very broad question that has no correct answer. When you compose the original question, also prepare a series of follow-up questions that you can use to keep the discussion moving.
Limit the number of discussion boards to one at a time. Having multiple discussions going on simultaneously only dilutes the participation.
Being engaged is critical. The first time I taught this course I really stuck by the "guide on the side" tactic. After that fell fairly flat I got more involved. Students enjoy the interactivity and we all get to know each other much better that way. I post pictures, share anecdotes and seize opportunities to respond to posts in a way that builds content, clears up misconceptions, asks questions, and praises outstanding contributions.

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This quiz is part of the first unit of the course. The text of two examples quizzes is below, and of course you would want to change the questions and answers to reflect the policies and important points of your own course.

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Self Test: Course Guidelines
Correct answers are in italics.

Attendance in this course is

optional
required three times a week
required once per week
required once per module

Attendance

does not count toward the grade
counts for 10% of the overall course grade

The most valuable part of the course in terms of point value is

written assignments
discussions
final project

You may contact me by

sending a private message
using the course email
using private email
using Skype
arranging a time to talk on the phone
all of the above

Answers to the written questions at the end of each module

should be based on the textbook only
can be answered by pasting in text from Wikipedia
can be answered with information from a combination of the textbook and credible web sites

Pasting in text from a web site to answer written questions is

a great time-saver
OK if it's from a credible or a recommended site
allowed if you give credit to the author
explicitly not allowed, and will result in zero points being awarded

Answering written questions using text that is verbatim (or nearly so) from the textbook is

helpful if it answers the question exactly
OK if you put quotations around the text
explicitly not allowed, and will result in zero points being awarded

True or false: Answers to written assignment questions have to be composed entirely in your own words.

True
False

If you use information (not exact text) from the textbook or web sites to answer written assignment questions, you need to

be thankful that you found the answers
give the URL of the website and the page number from the textbook

The best way to earn a high grade in the discussions is to

post a lot
write posts that contain relevant content
post something you think the instructor will agree with

Writing a discussion post that is based on your opinion

can be a good way to jump into the discussion
is especially relevant if you have direct personal or professional experience with the topic
is not worth as many points as a more substantive post that you researched from other sources
should not be the only type of post you make
all of the above

If you don't like science you should

suffer through this course and hope for a C
try to change your personality so that you do like science
understand that even though this is a science course, it mostly deals with aspects of everyday life that most people find to be quite interesting

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Example Syllabus Quiz
Mel Huff, Geology & Environmental Science Faculty, NEO A&M College
Correct answers are in italics.

Feel free to change the answers to fit your particular course. In addition, I change the questions from semester to semester if the previous class had struggled understanding or remembering part of the syllabus. These questions are the ones that I repeatedly get asked throughout each semester, even though the answers are stated in the syllabus as well as other locations in the course.

1. How often should you log into this class?

Once a month or less
Never
At least once per week
Every few weeks or so

2. I will be able to turn in late homework.

True
False

3. I will be able to make up an exam.

True
False

4. I have to pass lab to pass the class.

True
False

5. How will exams be taken?

Via D2L
We don't have exams in this class
proctored

6. I don't have to respond to EVERY discussion

True
False

7. How will labs occur? (select all that apply)

We don't have labs for this class
We will meet during 2 Saturday sessions to do labs
Lab is optional for this class
I will download instructions and do labs on my own

8. What is the purpose of the tentative schedule listed at the end of the Syllabus?

To keep me on track for finishing the course
So that I have an idea of what we will be covering
I have no idea
It has no purpose

9. Which of the following will you be able to drop one of? (select all that apply)

homework
lab
discussion response
exam

(I also add in a few short answer responses and have them name some things that are environmentally friendly or geological in nature (depending on the course) just to get them thinking about the class.)

Teaching Tips
Adaptations that allow this activity to be successful in an online environment

This assignment replaces the first day of class when you jump up and down and reiterate how important it is that students know the course policies.

Elements of this activity that are most effective

The effectiveness of a syllabus quiz depends on the students' abilities to remember information and pick out what is important. I have used my quiz for several years. For the most part, I believe it is very effective (even in a face 2 face class) as it forces students to focus on the points I have deemed most important. That said, I still get a few students asking if they can make up an exam, for example. When I remind them about the rules in the syllabus, generally their response is that they have a hard time remember what rules/syllabus go with each course. It is my opinion that students in an online course know and remember the rules a lot better.

Recommendations for other faculty adapting this activity to their own course:

Obviously you can adapt this quiz to the particulars of your own course. I change the questions from semester to semester if the previous class had struggled understanding or remembering part of the syllabus. These questions are the ones that I repeatedly get asked throughout each semester, or ones that students get surprised by.

(Note: this resource was added to OER Commons as part of a batch upload of over 2,200 records. If you notice an issue with the quality of the metadata, please let us know by using the 'report' button and we will flag it for consideration.)