NASA Teaching Modules

NCSE-NASA Interdisciplinary

Climate Change Education

Project Description

The NNICCE team is developing a robust curricular package for a general education course on climate change that universities across the country can readily adopt and adapt. The team is led by Dr. David Blockstein, Director of Education and Senior Scientist at the National Council for Science and the Environment (NCSE). He also serves as Executive Secretary of the Council of Environmental Deans and Directors (CEDD). The 157 members of CEDD institutions provide a unique venue for curricular development and dissemination.

Background

The basis for this effort will be the course that has been taught for the past 6 years at the University of California Davis by Professor Arnold Bloom. We are focussing on the development of course components based on NASA resources that encourage students to study the issues independently and propose solutions based on objective information.

Dr. Susan Ustin, also of UC Davis, who has extensive experience in using satellite and other high-altitude multispectral images to study Earth’s environment, is the primary person for NASA-related resources. Dr. Andy Jorgensen of the University of Toledo and a Senior Fellow for NCSE has been involved in both classroom and web-based curricular development. He is coordinating the creation of new materials.

Curriculum Modules

NASA Time Machine - David Hassenzahl

Climate Change Impacts on Colorado River water supply - Patricia Mynster and Dave Hassenzahl

Seasonality - Kevin Spigel

Introduction to Remote Sensing Metrics - Kevin Spigel

Advanced Topics in Remote Sensing - Kevin Spigel

Ice Core Data Module - David Kitchen

Recent Climate Change Module - David Kitchen

Team Members

  • David Blockstein, National Council for Science and the Environment
  • Andy Jorgensen, University of Toledo
  • Timothy Weston, University of Colorado
  • Susan Ustin, University of California at Davis
  • Kevin Spigel, Unity College
  • Barry Benedict, University of Texas at El Paso
  • David Kitchen, University of Richmond
  • Marcia Owens, Florida A&M University
  • David Hassenzahl, University of Nevada, Las Vegas
  • Arnold Bloom, University of California at Davis
  • Maggie Surface, University of Delaware

Timeline

In Phase I representatives from six CEDD institutions created curricular components that span a range of topics central to climate change. This material and the course from UC Davis formed the basis of an offering of a trial course taught at each of these schools in the first year. Dr. Tim Weston of University of Colorado is directing an evaluation of the program to guide the production of modules for use in Phase II. In this second phase fourteen CEDD institutions will teach the course adapted for their interests and expertise.

A final evaluation will allow the creation of flexible curriculum modules that a wide range of universities should find useful. The content will have the advantage of thorough testing in a variety of settings and carry the imprimatur of a nationally-recognized organization which has been a leader in the field of science education. This outcome will advance climate change education at the undergraduate level.

Phase I Institutions

Phase II Institutions