Jennifer Hanselman: Using Cli-Fi at Westfield State University

Unit 1

• Students had eight weeks of prior knowledge about climate change prior to completing this unit. However, this unit gave students an opportunity to explore climate data further than they had to before this point. Most of the course prior to the module required students to read about how scientists interpret data. This unit required an application of those skills.

Unit 2

• Students applied their skills further in Unit 2 by developing their own graphs. The class was small, so I was able to assign a specific data set to each person so we could then easily share results as a group. Most of the students were comfortable in graphing the data. During the beginning weeks of the course and when I first exposed students to large data sets and graphs, I explained how to determine which variable should be on which axis and how to select the type of graph to be used (knowing discrete vs. continuous variables is important). The students applied that information when they developed their own graphs.

Unit 3

• For science majors, this unit required them to step out of their comfort zone with scientific or trade journals and into genres that included works of fiction and blogs. The feedback from the students was extremely positive; they completed the reading and writing exercise effectively and appreciated reading different genres. The Unit 3 instructions are extremely clear and therefore helpful for the science student who is not familiar with the different genres and associated terminology.

Unit 4

• The class read "Diary of an Interesting Year" and completed the rhetorical analysis using the concepts learned in Unit 3. This was the most challenging unit for my class, but it was also the most rewarding in many ways, as it gave many students an opportunity to develop and demonstrate a different set of skills. As science majors, the students are comfortable in analyzing data. Therefore when required to shift to analyze text, although it was using new terminology and skills, they were able to accomplish the unit goals effectively. This unit took the most time for my students to complete.

Unit 5

• I set up the final unit as an online discussion board item. This unit requires students to consider a specific audience and describe how they would communicate a specific climate change problem to that audience. I listed the possible audiences and climate change problems and asked students to post their preference on a first-come, first-serve basis. Once assigned, students then posted their responses. All students were required to read each others' posts and thoughtfully reply. This unit truly synthesized the students' understanding of the material.