PolarPASS: Polar Places and Spaces
Earth's polar environments have undergone rapid change during the 21st century and scientists have generated important new data and made groundbreaking insights. Despite growing interest to bring polar-focused material into the undergraduate classroom, curriculum developed has lagged. Polar Space and Places, or PolarPASS, is connecting polar-focused material with innovative teaching methods to advance STEM undergraduate education and increase polar knowledge.
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PolarPASS Modules
Using real data, diverse material types, and a range of activities, PolarPASS modules are designed to bring polar science and exploration to the classroom. PolarPASS modules link to Climate Literacy Principles and Polar Literacy Principles and are being tested in teaching models that include semester, quarter, and block teaching models.
Project Goals
PolarPASS is designed to:
- bring real polar data into the classroom,
- strengthen students' knowledge of polar science, and
- build student connections to polar places.
Get Involved
Project events and opportunities are described on the Get Involved web page. Current opportunities include:
About this Project
PolarPASS is developed by a team of educators and scientists at Western Washington University, the University of Montana Western, and the National Snow and Ice Data Center and Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences at the University of Colorado Boulder. During the initial development of PolarPASS materials, the team is testing the efficacy of different teaching activities in developing student sense of place.
Contact PolarPASS
The PolarPASS team is excited to address your questions and hear about your experience using PolarPASS material. Please reach out to us at polarpass@colorado.edu.
Project Support
PolarPASS is generously supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation via a grant from the Office of Polar Program's Polar Special Initiatives. This collaborative grant supports project activities at the University of Colorado (award #2021503), University of Montana Western (award #2021275), and Western Washington University (award #2021543).