Environment, nature and sustainable development in an educational perspective
Summary
Humankind is facing large challenges regarding sustainable development. In this course, effects on ecosystems of the Earth and on climate are treated. You also learn what citizen science is and how it can be used. If wish a developed understanding for scientific and technical aspects of sustainable development and how they link to education, this is a course for you. Knowledge and skills are particularly useful for anyone aiming for teaching sustainable development or to work with information about this topic for the general public.
About
This course is focused on the environmental, scientific and technical aspects of sustainable development. The course provides you with a broad understanding of how the interaction of man with ecosystems and organisms influences the preconditions for sustainable development as well as how this knowledge can be treated in teaching situations. The course provides you with tools in the form of concepts, information and data sources data that can be utilised in education for sustainable development. These can be used in the course for the study assignments that are based on local situations in your specific environment. You are introduced to didactic applications of field methodology concerning studies of ecosystems as well as to didactic issues with regard to teaching and learning of ecological relationships. Sustainability change is addressed through concepts and tools from industrial ecology. Problematizing of concepts and indicators that are used in society to discuss, handle and quantify man's influence on his environment. Sustainability change is also included. Important such concepts are resilience, ecosystem service, life-cycle perspective, dematerialisation, bioeconomy, circular economics, planetary boundaries and sustainability principles. The course has a global perspective. In this course education for sustainable development includes both formal and informal teaching contexts, that is learning and education outside classroom and courses.
Prerequisites and selection
Requirements
Degree of Bachelor of 180 credits, or professional qualification directed towards the school system of at least 180 credits as well as an independent degree project of 15 credits in or outside qualification, or the equivalent. Furthermore the student must demonstrate language proficiency in English equivalent English B/English 6 or through an international established test in English for example TOEFL, IELTS.
Selection
Selection is based upon the number of credits from previous university studies, maximum 165 credits.
Facilities
The course is completely web-based. The teaching is theoretical. A detailed course guide, instructions for the five modules of the course, recorded lectures and course literature are provided to the students. You account for your learning by two multiple-choice tests, submission of developed answers to five assignments and through a webinar. Contact and discussion between students and teachers is made through discussion fora on the learning platform.
Exchange opportunities
Since the course is completely web-based it can be performed anywhere as long as Internet is accessible.
