Module 1: Freshwater Resources - A global perspective

The goal of Module 1, Freshwater Resources: A Global Perspective, is for students to understand the availability of freshwater resources for human activities and the variations in population and water availability globally, and to develop skills analyzing and interpreting data as portrayed in diagrams. After completing the module, students will be able to:

• describe the two-way relationship between water resources and human society;
• explain the distribution and dynamics of water at the surface and in the subsurface of Earth;
• communicate scientific information in terms that can be understood by the general public;
• interpret graphical representations of scientific data;
• identify strategies and best practices to decrease water stress and increase water quality;
• predict how availability of and demand for water resources is expected to change over the next 50 years.

Overall, this one-week module is intended for use as a stand-alone lesson or as part of an online or blended general education or introductory-level course that would satisfy a science distribution requirement. The module would be appropriate for non-majors and undeclared students looking for a major. There are two formats: (1) Blended where the students meet at least once to perform the activities in teams; and (2) 100% online. As a general guideline, the delivery of content and assessment of learning goals/objectives have been designed to accommodate the logistics of large class sizes where students are expected to work approximately three hours per week covering lecture content with an additional six hours per week of additional reading and work on assessments. Note that some students will require more or less time to meet the goals and objectives of the module.

In this module, students will:

• interact with online teaching materials pertaining to the value of water worldwide;
• synthesize data from population and precipitation maps;
• perform unit conversion calculations to gain perspective on water use;
• explore the relationship between groundwater extraction and agriculture;
• select and defend a preferred water deficit solution from a list of options;
• comment on whether clean water is a marketable commodity or a human right;
• record and analyze their own personal water usage for one week.

All materials for students are available online using the Student Materials link below. These can be implemented entirely in the context of distance learning, with students completing any discussion questions in the form of a blog or discussion group. In a traditional or blended classroom setting, students can complete the online unit as homework, using class time to address the discussion questions and for student presentations of Water Journal Projects.

• Student Materials - Module 1: Freshwater Resources – A Global Perspective

Teachers can find documentation of the activities as well as rubrics for students at this location. Rubrics for teachers are compiled under Assessment on this site. Suggestions for teaching and a list of the assessments are found below.

What works best for the module?

Much of this module covers conceptual content that students find relatively easy to relate to. The summative assessment immediately involves students in collection of data—in this case their own water usage. Students enjoyed this activity and got to know one another in the first week as the result of presenting their average daily usage and an indirect water use example. There was some duplication (coffee, beer and beef are popular) but acceptable. Note: instructor should be certain to explicitly assign this in the first (orientation) week so that students can complete their water usage charts before the class meeting during which it will be discussed (even with warning, about 10% of the students fail to bring data to class; we note some frantically searching on cell phones for indirect use examples to present during the presentations). Also note that there are a variety of other water use calculators online, including one from National Geographic.

What students found difficult

About half of the students were particularly challenged by Formative Assessment 2, which required some fairly simple calculations and unit conversions. We suggest that the instructor highlight the Unit Conversion Exercise - Formative Assessment 2: Water Use Quantity (Activate Your Learning) in the Orientation and urge students to work through it before undertaking Formative Assessment 2. Also, we suggest that, time permitting, the instructor work through one or two of these (or similar) problems, or provide explicit comments on each student paper, or provide a copy of the properly completed worksheet for student reference.

A few students grossly underestimated their water usage in the Summative Assessment. In order for this exercise to be effective, it is important to discuss the results afterward to make sure any students who underestimate their usage understand how much water they actually use every day.

Reflections
This is the setup for the intersection of water science and society. Questions entertained here will arise again in Section 3. Emphasize that Sections 1 and 2 highlight principles of water availability, flow, composition, and retention that are essential for dealing with societal issues in Section 3. The indirect water use examples helped students appreciate the impact of their consumption of goods and services on water resources. The instructor could (as a meta-cognitive exercise) ask students how, if at all, the presentations changed their view of certain commodities. The Summative Assessment discussion takes about 3–4 minutes per student presenting to complete in class. For class sizes greater than 20, this will eat up an entire class session with a short instructor summary of what was learned at the end (note: average water usage should be compared with the average family of four usage in the United States.).

Formative Assessments

• Formative Assessment 1: Human Water Use
• Formative Assessment 2: Water Use Quantity
• Formative Assessment 3: Water and Agriculture
• Formative Assessment 4: Deficit Solutions
• Formative Assessment 5: Commodity or Right?

Summative Assessment

• The summative assessment for this module, the Water Use Project, requires students to keep a Water Use Journal for one week and to calculate their daily and weekly water use. They will compare their own personal water use to national and global per capita averages. Students present their results to the class. Includes a metacognitive component in which students are asked to reflect upon how keeping a water journal has impacted their own attitudes toward water use.
   

Student readings:

• Readings from Student Materials - Module 1: Freshwater Resources — A Global Perspective
• The Big Thirst: The Secret Life and Turbulent Future of Water by Charles Fishman, Chapters 1, 2, and 4
• What Can We Learn From Atlanta's Water Privatization by Geoffrey Segal, from The Reason Foundation.
• Detroit residents and national allies protest water shutoffs by Ned Resnikoff, published on MSNBC.
• Tell Detroit to turn the taps back on: Water is a human right! — From the Blue Planet Project.