Faculty Reflection: James P. Allan

Wittenberg University
Course(s): Poli 251: International Relations
Modules were drawn from: Energy, Environment, and Our Future , a Penn Sate University Online InTeGrate course

A Success Story in Programmatic Change

Overall, I would believe integrating the module was a positive experience. I have always covered environmental issues in my International Relations course, but the materials allowed the students to gain a deeper understanding of the causes of, and evidence for, global warming, and connect this information to the policy options under discussion at the national and international levels. Previously, my course discussions simply asserted climate change as a problem to be addressed, without any scientific evidence or background.

Given the (political) controversy over climate change, I was curious to see to what degree I would be facing a skeptical audience in the subject, so the week before the module began I surveyed students on their attitudes to global warming as a cause for concern. I found most students were already convinced of the seriousness of climate change, and human activity's role in contributing to it. This probably increased engagement overall; I wonder if, in a political science course, the classroom dynamic would be very different if one or two "deniers" were present.

After the module was complete, I asked students about the experience (since it was the first time I had incorporated such material into my course). The responses were very positive, and most students thought it should be retained in future iterations of the course.

Incorporating InTeGrate Materials

I adopted something of a "flipped classroom" approach -- students were assigned portions of modules to work through before class. In class, they were quizzed on key points using a classroom response system, allowing for review of problematic areas. Discussion then expanded on the materials covered. in-class worksheets (drawn from summative assessments) were also used, along with group discussions too.

Adaptations

Not much, aside for moving some other International Relations topics around a bit to make room for the material in the course.

Outcomes and Evidence

In terms of in-class engagement, the module saw a higher than average degree of engagement compared to the rest of the course.