Overview
In this course, BES program students are provided with learning materials and exercises to help them revise their final two years of study toward their AU BES degree. The learning activities in ENVS 350 direct them to reflect on what they’ve accomplished thus far, explore their assumptions about sustainability, consider what the future will look like in thirty years, and practise integrative, interdisciplinary socioecological analysis. Using this material as inspiration and a foundation, they will revisit and assess the curriculum of study they proposed in ENVS 201, develop a program plan for the remaining 60 credits of their BES degree, and begin thinking about the environmental topic they’ll use to demonstrate their ability to undertake interdisciplinary, integrative environmental analysis in ENVS 498 and ENVS 499. Finally, they will update their e-portfolio.
Learning outcomes
On the successful completion of ENVS 350, students will have the capacity to
- identify the competencies they’ve acquired through their academic work;
- analyze different ways of looking at environmental problems and challenges;
- consider how to be open to and creative in responding to change;
- apply basic systems thinking and integrative, interdisciplinary critical analysis to a socioecological challenge;
- develop a program of study for the last sixty credits of their BES degree that allows them to fulfill the BES program regulations and aligns with their goals/interests; and
- update and enhance their e-portfolio to better showcase their achievements and learning.
Outline
Unit 0: The BES Program Structure
Unit 1: Reflecting on Your Past Studies
Unit 2: Critically Assessing the Concept of Sustainability
Unit 3: What the Future Holds
Unit 4: Causal Relationships and Integrated Interdisciplinary Analysis
Unit 5: Updating My BES Program Plan
Unit 6: Updating My BES E-Portfolio
Evaluation
To receive credit for ENVS 350, students must satisfactorily complete two tutor check-ins and the following six learning activities.
| Activity | Weight |
| Learning Activity 1: What did I learn from my first 60 credits, and how does this influence my future studies? | Pass/Fail |
| Learning Activity 2: What does sustainability mean to me? | Pass/Fail |
| Learning Activity 3: What will the world be like in thirty years? | Pass/Fail |
| Learning Activity 4: How do I apply integrative, interdisciplinary systems analysis? | Pass/Fail |
| Tutor Check-In 1 | Pass/Fail |
| Learning Activity 5: What do I need to do to complete my BES degree? | Pass/Fail |
| Learning Activity 6: How do I best represent my competencies to others? | Pass/Fail |
| Tutor Check-In 2 | Pass/Fail |
Materials
This course either does not have a course package or the textbooks are open-source material and available to students at no cost. This course has a Course Administration and Technology Fee, but students are not charged the Course Materials Fee.
All course materials are available online.
This course includes the use of an e-portfolio platform called PebblePad, where students will post their responses to some of the learning activities. This platform is external to Brightspace, and students are given instructions on how to access it.