Cinzia Cervato

Carbon Footprint Exercise part of Cutting Edge:Climate Change:Activities
We designed a three-step assignment for students in introductory geoscience that asks them to calculate their carbon footprint during one specific week. The goal of the assignment is to increase student awareness of the various sources of energy consumption and of the impact that each one of them is having on the atmospheric carbon budget. The assignment was implemented in fall 2008 at Iowa State University and students calculated their footprint during the week of Thanksgiving break. They submitted their calculations through an online survey system that allowed the instructor to download the data into a spreadsheet and create graphs comparing the footprints of the whole class. These results were shared with the class and we evaluated the impact of even small changes in a class with an enrollment of more than 500 students. As part of the assignment, students are also asked to write an essay where they reflect on their calculations and the impact they are having on the environment. Many students reported that they were not aware of the impact of 'secondary emissions' related to diet and found the assignment instructive.

Cinzia Cervato part of Building Strong Geoscience Departments:Workshops:Assessing Geoscience Programs:Participant Essays
Cinzia Cervato, Department of Geological and Atmospheric Sciences, Iowa State University Student Assessment In 2004 Iowa State University requested that all departments prepare an outcomes assessment plan. The ...

Cinzia Cervato part of Cutting Edge:Affective Domain:Workshop 07:Workshop Participants
Geological & Atmospheric Sciences, Iowa State University What are the key issues related to the role of the affective domain in teaching geoscience that you would like to engage at the workshop? Quantitative ...