[ESSP] Enviro Ed course offered this spring

[Vanessa Paulman]

Environmental Education Course Offered On-line in Spring 2004

The "Fundamentals of Environmental Education" on-line course will be
offered again this spring.  The course will begin on February 16, 2004
and end on April 30, 2004.  The course is offered via the Internet and
participants may obtain three undergraduate or graduate level credits
from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point.  The course is also
offered at a reduced cost for a limited number of participants that are
not interested in obtaining college credit.  Enrollment begins
immediately.

The "Fundamentals of Environmental Education" course strives to provide
educators with the knowledge and skills necessary to incorporate quality
environmental education into their instruction.  Participants discuss
the history, definition, and goals of environmental education, develop
an understanding of the professional roles and instructional methods of
environmental educators, and have the opportunity to interact with other
educators from across the country.  Approximately 130 educators from 36
different states, Pakistan, Peru, Mexico, and the Philippines enrolled
in the course over the past three semesters.  Student feedback from the
prior course offerings has been very positive.

According to Dr. Richard Wilke, one of the course developers, "The
course should be valuable to current teachers, those training to be
teachers, those who work with teachers, and those who work in settings
like nature centers and museums."  Dr. Wilke will be one of the course
instructors this spring.

The "Fundamentals of Environmental Education" course was developed in
collaboration with national EE experts, using materials produced by
organizations such as the North American Association for Environmental
Education (NAAEE), World Wildlife Fund, Project Learning Tree, Project
WILD and Project WET.  The course is based on the "Guidelines for the
Initial Preparation of Environmental Educators" document produced by Dr.
Deborah Simmons and NAAEE.  There are six units in the course, and each
unit corresponds to a theme from the "Guidelines" document.

Susan Toth will also be an instructor for the course this spring.  Toth
has taught on-line environmental education courses before, including
this course, and assisted in developing this course.  Toth is a former
board member of NAAEE, former faculty member at Florida Atlantic
University, and former Director of Education at Pine Jog Environmental
Education Center.

There are a variety of assignments and readings associated with the
course.  These include writing assignments in conjunction with each
unit, discussion board postings, and a culminating assignment.  There
are no text books or exams.  According to Toth, "Students do not have to
be available for class at a particular time, but we do want them to keep
current by completing the weekly work.  They can do this when it is most
convenient."  Past participants have estimated they devoted an average
of 50 hours to complete the 10-week course.

Holly Carson, who took the course recently, says this about her
experience: "I have found a definite direction for the EE I present, and
new insights into how I can provide better EE.  I think that it's
wonderful to have such a class available, and as a distance learning
course!"

University of Wisconsin tuition is $513.45 for three undergraduate
credits and $867 for three graduate credits (tuitions are approximate
and subject to slight increases).  All students, regardless of location,
are eligible for this in-state tuition rate.  For those that are not
interested in obtaining college credit, the course is also offered to a
limited number of people as a workshop for $175.  The University of
Wisconsin-Stevens Point will provide verification of workshop
completion.  Workshop participants should expect to complete nearly the
same amount of assignments as students taking the course for credit.

EETAP has scholarships available to individuals that are EE leaders in
their state and want to complete the course.  Examples of state level EE
leaders include the state coordinators for programs such as PLT, WILD,
and WET, and board members of state EE associations.  Others can also
fit the definition of a state level EE leader.

To view the course syllabus, obtain a scholarship application, or
register for the course, please visit http://www.eetap.org/eecourse or
contact Sarah Wilcox at Sarah.Wilcox at uwsp.edu or (715) 346-4957.

The development of this course was funded by EETAP, the national
training program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Office of Environmental Education established through the National EE
Act of 1990.  The University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point (UWSP)
administers EETAP through a cooperative agreement with the EPA.
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Charlene D'Avanzo
Professor of Ecology
Dean, School of Natural Sciences
Hampshire College
Amherst, MA 01002

Voice - 413-5595569
FAX 413-5595448
Email - cdavanzo at hampshire.edu

website: http://helios.hampshire.edu/~cdNS/
TIEE: http://www.ecoed.net/tiee
Course website: http://ns.hampshire.edu/ns207/

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-- 
Vanessa Paulman
Science Outreach Coordinator
Center for Science Exploration
Hampshire College

phone: (413) 559-5792
fax: (413) 559-5438
Adele Simmons Hall #132

http://ScienceExploration.hampshire.edu