A
collaboration involving the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point and Cornell
University has led to a Global Environmental Education course being offered
this spring.
More
than 2,500 participants from 132 countries have registered for the course,
which began Feb. 1. Registration is open through Feb.15.
Kendra Liddicoat, assistant
professor within the human dimensions of natural resource management at
UW-Stevens Point’s College of Natural Resources, is a co-leader of the course,
along with faculty from the University of Bristol, United Kingdom; Wageningen
University, The Netherlands and University of Gothenburg, Sweden.
It is
the first time a global course on environmental education has been offered.
It’s available online at no charge. Or, participants
can register for one credit through UW-Stevens Point, the only
institution offering credit for the course.
UW-Stevens
Point became involved through connections Liddicoat had with her doctoral
mentor at Cornell, Marianne Krasny, who is course leader. “I’m glad the
Wisconsin Center for Environmental Education is interfacing with all these
people. We’re sharing the resources we have and building a broader
conversation,” said Liddicoat, who also is interim director of WCEE.
“It’s
been incredible. The level of interest in the course really speaks to the
interdisciplinary nature of responding to environmental issues,” she
said.
The
course attempts to create an environmental education trading zone, where
scholars and students learn about disciplines that may shed light on improving
environmental quality and changing environmental behaviors. Lectures, readings
and discussions focus on “wicked” problems -- complex policy issues resistant
to resolution.
Most
of the participants are professionals in various fields, including government,
engineering, wildlife conservation and education, as well as students. Nearly
30 percent are from the United States.
The lectures on
various environmental topics are
provided by 35 instructors from 12 countries. Shiba Kar, assistant professor
of human dimensions of natural resource management at UW-Stevens Point, is
among them, discussing energy policy.
The course also includes a case
study from UW-Stevens Point staff in the K-12 Energy Education Program (KEEP).
Annie Baker and Susan Schiller developed “Energy Education for a
Sustainable Future.”
“We’re
pretty proud that our case study on energy education is being studied around
the world,” Liddicoat said.
For
more information about the class or to register, visit www.globalee.net/.
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