InTeGrate Modules and Courses >Cli-Fi: Climate Science in Literary Texts > Instructor Stories > Jennifer Hanselman
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Initial Publication Date: March 7, 2016

Jennifer Hanselman: Using Cli-Fi at Westfield State University

About this course

An upper-level online course.
12
students
Online course
, 3 weeks
4-year liberal arts institution

Climate Change course syllabus (Acrobat (PDF) 145kB Mar1 16)


A Success Story in Building Student Engagement

The module was used in its entirely over a three-week period during my online course. The summative assessment was given during the final week of the module.

Implementation occurred entirely online as part of the course. During the first week of the course, I set up the Blackboard site with the materials needed for each unit. I also set up an assignment link so students could upload materials directly to me for grading.

Within the three weeks of implementation, students were able to post to either specific assignment pages that I set up (for private submissions) or to a discussion board. All assignments were easily graded in both formats.

The students had an introductory knowledge of the scientific principles associated with global climate change, therefore the first two units were partially review but helpful in getting them to the next step.

My Experience Teaching with InTeGrate Materials

The course was taught entirely online, therefore the module was adapted to that format. We implemented the module during the ninth week of the semester and took three weeks to complete it. We utilized online discussion boards, assignment links for homework, and file uploads for the background content.

Relationship of InTeGrate Materials to my Course

The course was run during a standard 15-week semester and I used the module during Weeks 9–11. I felt the students were prepared to begin the unit at that time and they were able to connect the interdisciplinary concepts.

Assessments

All module assessments were used in my course. The only modification I had to implement was due to the different format of the course, so all assessments had to be completed online. Formative assessments were submitted as private submissions or discussion board posts, depending on the nature of the assignment. The summative assessment was given during the last week of the module.

Outcomes

It was my hope that the students would leave my course with a deeper understanding of the concepts related to global climate change and debunk the many misconceptions associated with climate change. With an audience of primarily teachers, it is my hope that the teachers would then translate the information into their own classes and help to develop climate-literate citizens. This module fits my goals because it addressed what many citizens are exposed to, a variety of types of literature that are written for specific audiences. It was my hope that after this module and this course, the students would be able to differentiate the purpose of a specific text and how the science is being presented.

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These materials are part of a collection of classroom-tested modules and courses developed by InTeGrate. The materials engage students in understanding the earth system as it intertwines with key societal issues. The collection is freely available and ready to be adapted by undergraduate educators across a range of courses including: general education or majors courses in Earth-focused disciplines such as geoscience or environmental science, social science, engineering, and other sciences, as well as courses for interdisciplinary programs.
Explore the Collection »