Unit 5: Analyzing Complexity part of Systems Thinking
deborah gross, Carleton College; Lisa Gilbert, Cabrillo College; Karl Kreutz, University of Maine
This unit has students build on a system diagram, to include new knowledge about quantitative values and relationships. They will also write about and discuss what they know about their systems, the questions that ...

Unit 3: Modeling a System part of Systems Thinking
Karl Kreutz, University of Maine; Lisa Gilbert, Cabrillo College; deborah gross, Carleton College
This unit introduces systems modeling, which allows students to quantify and manipulate system components to create system responses. Students use a simple systems model of a bathtub to explore the effect of flow ...

Unit 4: Feedbacks in a System part of Systems Thinking
Karl Kreutz, University of Maine; Lisa Gilbert, Cabrillo College; deborah gross, Carleton College
Feedbacks are a critical part of many systems. In this unit, students use a systems model to explore the effect of positive (reinforcing) and negative (balancing) feedbacks on system behavior. Model results are ...

Unit 1: Introduction to Systems Thinking – What is a System? part of Systems Thinking
Karl Kreutz, University of Maine; Lisa Gilbert, Cabrillo College; deborah gross, Carleton College
This unit introduces systems and systems thinking. The unit is easily adaptable to any course and includes an introduction of terminology, motivation for using systems thinking, and practice reading, as well as ...

Unit 2: Picturing Complexity part of Systems Thinking
deborah gross, Carleton College; Lisa Gilbert, Cabrillo College; Karl Kreutz, University of Maine
This unit includes an opportunity for students to move from definitions into reading and creating a diagram of a complex system relevant to their course, and then to exploring the connections between the components ...

Unit 3: Geologic Record of Past Climate part of Carbon, Climate, and Energy Resources
Callan Bentley, Piedmont Virginia Community College
Students will be introduced to a few of the different methods used in paleoclimatology, including isotopic ratios as paleotemperature proxies. They will investigate the greenhouse gas connections of two ancient ...

Unit 5: Modern CO2 Accumulation part of Carbon, Climate, and Energy Resources
Pamela Gore, Georgia State University
Students will examine data that record the modern increase in carbon dioxide concentrations and the associated increase in average temperatures, and they will investigate the effects of carbon dioxide on various ...

Unit 6: Moving Forward: Evaluating Impacts of Modern-day Proposals Affecting the Carbon-cycle and Climate part of Carbon, Climate, and Energy Resources
Pete Berquist, Virginia Peninsula Community College
In this unit, students will review mock proposals that deal with some aspect of the role of carbon in the environment. Each proposal is based on actual actions proposed to mitigate some aspect of carbon consumption ...

Unit 2: The Carbon Cycle part of Carbon, Climate, and Energy Resources
Callan Bentley, Piedmont Virginia Community College
Students will explore the different aspects of the carbon cycle on Earth. This includes the original source of all the carbon on our planet, the near ubiquity of carbon, the six principle reservoirs of carbon in ...

Unit 7. Low Impact Development and Green Infrastructure part of Water Sustainability in Cities
Steven Burian, University of Utah; Manoj Jha, North Carolina A & T State University; Gigi Richard, Fort Lewis College; Marshall Shepherd, University of Georgia
Unit 7 continues the use of the CME Building Case Study to explore water sustainability in the context of a building. The activity is extended to the catchment level, and a new tool for catchment level storm water ...