Home | Information | Schedule | Links | Communication
Welcome to the University Environmental Colloquium!
Brundtland, Gro (1987) Our Common Future: The World Commission Environment & Development. London, UK: Oxford University Press.
Leopold, Aldo (1996) A Sand County Almanac. New York, NY: Ballantine Publishers.
Orr, David W. (1992) Ecological Literacy. Albany, NY: SUNY Press.
Dewey, John, (1945) Experience & Education, New York, NY: Harper.
This course is designed with the intent of giving students the opportunity to participate in the University Colloquium at a distance. Students are provided excercises that they may participate in the field and/or over the internet. All students will be expected to prepare for each class by being able to answer the set of questions posed for each class session. Distance learning students will be expected to deliver their responses to the questions posed on or before the meeting of the next scheduled class meeting. In this way, students are provided with a common set of class learning assignments, which can be demonstrated in a written fashion.
Conceptual Approach to the Course:
We have made a commitment as a university to make environmental education an integral part of our identity. One of our university-wide outcomes is that all students will develop "an ecological perspective." A way to accomplish this perspective is to devise a course, or group of experiences, with an environmental focus that all FGCU students must complete, and in which faculty from all four colleges would be involved. Because "ecology" applies to our total living space and interrelationships, human and natural, it is relevant to all our disciplines and professions. Thus, an ecology course would touch on all nine of the university-wide goals and outcomes, and more. Students would not only be introduced to FGCU values, they would participate in them.
The University Colloquium is an interdisciplinary course designed to explore the concept of sustainability as it relates to a variety of considerations and forces in the environment. In particular, we will consider ecological , social, ethical, historical, scientific, economic, and political influences. The course goals are:
- to provide a "sense of place" and an understanding of the unique ecological features of the environment of which you are a part,
- to assist in achieving the Florida Gulf Coast University learning goal of developing "an ecological perspective" and in teaching the related outcomes that the student will analyze and evaluate ecological issues locally and globally, participate in collaborative projects requiring awareness and/or analysis of ecological and environmental issues,"
- to provide experiences to assist in moving toward achieving the eight other FGCU learning goals and their related outcomes, (click here for a list of the nine FGCU Student Learning Goals)
- to enable a working understanding of sustainability, of environmental education, and of ecological literacy.
Learning Process
Study will be through reading and discussion, writing, and extensive field experiences. Students will reflect upon and demonstrate their learning through analysis in short papers and a reflective journal. The integration of these learning experiences will be expressed in the form of a final paper as specified by the instructor. Successful completion of the course requirements will earn three-credit hours and completion of this requirement for graduation from Florida Gulf Coast University. Grades will be earned based on an assessment rubric which provides the weighting of the standards for assignments.
- Attend and participate in class on a regular basis. Students must be prepared to answer weekly assigned questions in class. Weekly study questions will be utilized to determine if students have read and understand the content of reading assignments. All questions will be posted by the date of the next class on the web board. Questions WILL NOT be mailed to the instructor or emailed.
- Complete all weekly questions & homework in a timely and thorough fashion and weekly post study question and homework answers to the bulletin board. All homework assignments, regardless of whether students participate in each class or choose to study independently, must be completed weekly.
- Successfully complete the Web Tutorial (for no points) to complete the course.
- Successfully complete all assigned field trips.
- Sucessfully complete all five assigned papers.
- Sucessfully complete the class project.
|
None
Study Questions, and Homework:
Students participating in class sessions will, on a weekly basis, prepare their homework assignments and post their responses on the course bulletin board. All posted attachments must be in Word , HTML or Wordperfect format. Spreadsheet or data base information should be reported in either an Excel, Quatro, Access, or Paradox format. Students in attendance at the class session are not required to prepare written responses to the study questions assigned weekly, but are responsible for being prepared to answer and explain all questions.E-mail communications are strictly limited to communications to and from the professor relative to problems accessing information, class absences, and other issues relating to the management of the course. All other communications must be directed through the bulletin board. The instructor will review the responses and the homework posted on the board and will make responses on assignments to the entire class over the board, based upon the nature of the responses and work provided by students.
Students are expected to devote at least as much time in preparing written responses to the study questions as they would have normally spent in traveling to the university and sitting through classes. Time spent on homework is beyond that one would normally spend traveling to and participating in class, and should consume that amount of time required to completely the homework successfully. Finally, since thoroughly reading the required texts and documents is essential to effectively completing the course, time spent in reading for the class should be integrated into the time spent responding to study questions which are drawn directly from web and textbook readings.
Typically, students should be prepared to spend 2 - 3 hours of preparation & study for every 1 hour of classroom time. This formula, which applies to general time commitment for both classroom and distant learners, should yield approximately 6 to 9 hours of course effort weekly. Some week's assignments may entail less time investment, while other class periods may entail more effort.
Communications & Consultation: When to Use E-Mail, Telephone, Bulletin Board and Office Consultations
The instructor is available for either face-to-face or telephone consultation during office hours (Mondays 1-4) at Modular Unit E on campus. E-mail should be utilized only for the purpose of informing the instructor of difficulties in accessing information, notification of class absences, problems students are encountering in completing assignments, and other issues related to the management of the course. All homework , exam, and study questions responses should be directed to the instructor via the bulletin board.. The only exception to this is when the instructor contacts a student relative to a particular learning or teaching issue, or comment. Otherwise, when students have questions regarding the assignment or wish to make a comment for the benefit of the class, they will be expected to use the bulletin board designed for the class. Use the telephone for personal communications, such as notification about missing the class, or needing a specific appointment to discuss the class. It is important for all students to adhere to this policy for communication and consultation. Excessive direct communication with the instructor alone (via telephone or e-mail) can tend to undercut useful class interaction, and can overload the instructor with answering the same or common questions repetitively. The Bulletin Board, used in conjunction with study groups, is specifically intended to provide a means by which questions and comments can be efficiently addressed by the instructor and classmates without creating an overload on the e-mail or telephone system The instructor will also use the bulletin board to post class information.
Students are required to form study groups within which they will work on assignments and mutually problem solve. Students are expected to utilize their study group partners, as well as the entire resources of the class, to assist them in completing homework, studying, and understanding the concepts developed and presented throughout the course. The instructor will facilitate the assignment of study groups. Each study group partner must choose another study group partner who will serve as their weekly sutdy question evaluator (and vice versa).
All study questions for distance learning students must be posted on the bulletin board. Distance learning students will also be expected to utilize to the bulletin board for the purpose of evaluating the weekly responses of their study group partners to each class's study questions. Evaluation will entail commenting upon the completeness of their study partner's (each student will choose one) response to the assigned questions, and will indicate any areas where he/she disagrees with their partner's comments or observations. These comments must appear at the bottom of the study questions submitted by their partners, and must be written in a "bold" & "red" font.
It is the expectation of the instructor that students turn first to their classmates and the study group colleagues to assist them with questions or to bounce ideas off of. In addition as serving as a site for posting study questions, the electronic bulletin board is also utilized as a site for the instructor to post comments & questions, for the students to make general comments relating to the course, and as a site where other documents and interesting web links may be posted. The bulletin board is the primary communication vehicle for the course. Students should post questions or comments they may have on the bulletin board rather than communicating directly to the instructor via e-mail. The instructor, and classmates will monitor the bulletin board and will provide comment as necessary. If questions can not be resolved through discussion within the study group than a request for instructor assistance should be posted on the bulletin board.
A WebBoard is collaboration software
you will use to interact with faculty and other students.
Please do not attempt to access the web board until after you have completed the web tutorial. Thereafter, to access
the WebBoard, you will need a log-in name and password. This
log-in name and password can be used by registered students to access most
WebBoards at FGCU. If you are taking
other classesthat incorporate WebBoards, you will only need
to obtain a WebBoard log-in name and password one time.
IF YOU ALREADY HAVE a log-in name and password to access a WebBoard for another class, you can use that information to access the WebBoard for this class. Click on the link in step one below to access the WebBoard for this class. Enter your user name and password and click "OK."
IF YOU DO NOT HAVE a WebBoard log-in name
and password, follow all of the instructions below. Make sure you read all
instructions before proceeding.
1. Click on this link:
2. Click "New Users.
3. A form will appear. Fill in all the required information to create your user profile. (A red dot indicates a required field.) Write down your log-in name and password so you don't forget them!
4. Scroll down the page. If your web browser does not support frames, click "No" beside the text "Use Frames."
5. Click Create.
6. Explore the WebBoard and practice reading, posting, and replying to messages.
The Electronic Bulletin Board is divided into 4 dialogues or "strands."
(1) Study Questions
& Homework For Each Class Session
(2) Instructor Comments
& Questions
(3) For the Common Good:
(student comments & observations relating to the course)
(4) Web Links and File
Attachments
Students are expected to utilize each dialogue or "strand" within the Bulletin Board for its designated purpose.
Home | Information | Schedule | Links | Communication
Sessions: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14