Course Instructor Guide

Teaching Philosophy

            Environmental Health and Environmental Justice are complex topics encompassing a variety of disciplines. Adding to the enormity of this is the reality that these can be dystopian subjects adding to our sense of eco-grief and despair for the future. The challenge, therefore, is to identify ways in which students can become empowered with this curriculum. When deciding on how you are going to teach this, you might consider asking yourself how the students can best learn.

            It has been my experience that students learn best from peers, when they feel something is relevant to their own lives, and if what they are learning gives them a sense of empowerment. Help them identify elements that are relevant to them personally.

            If you are teaching this course online, there are the additional challenges with students having grown up with a steady diet of screen time that entertains and fits short attention spans. Here is a sample online class format that I have experienced as having worked well with students:

• I require cameras on unless they ask permission to not do so.
• If it is an early morning class, I like to start with music that relates to the lesson’s topic. I try to choose music that is light and easy on the spirit for an early morning class. 
• While the music is playing, take a Poll for the students. You can ask them how they are feeling generally or how they felt about the assignments or some other thing, such as an upcoming report that is due, or impending school break. If you have Canvas, you can use the white board. Padlet is another online tool that works well, but you have to have students all log onto it. Or you can just have students post in Chat if you are using Zoom. This gets them engaged with the class right away. 
• You can also pose a “Jeopardy” like question at the start that students can answer at the end of class that relates to the content. It’s tough to do something that they can’t answer with ChatGPT, but you can get creative and maybe offer a few points on their grade for correct answers.
• Regarding CHatGPT: I believe that Pandora’s box is opened and there is not going back. You can, however, insist on citations and documentation, which most students will find exhausting. If they write using ChatGPT or other AI and are not transparent about it and do not provide sources, I would count that as a serious plagiarism violation. I think it is important to spell out the AI policy at the start of the term.
• After the beginning of class, you might go right away into a student presentation, and then put everyone in break out rooms to discuss, with a representative from each group reporting back to the larger group. Students tend to prefer specific instructions and they seem to love the breakout rooms. You might consider making these “camera optional,” while keeping the larger classroom “camera on.” Give them plenty of time to visit and to address the questions asked.
• Do Q & A for the last ten minutes of class for students to gain clarity on assignments. 
• End class by recapping the next assignments and due dates.

            As to making papers and exams, you might consider using peer review (with a rubric) as an effective process for knowledge transfer. If students know that other students will be evaluating their work, they often have additional impetus to “up their game.”

            Remember, you are pioneering education on environmental health and environmental justice being taught in an environmental Humanities Format. It is OK to say, “I Don’t Know.” You can follow that up with asking the student to go find out the answer themselves and report back to you and the class. You are learning alongside your students.

            I have aimed to give you elements to work with in the best way that you deem important. It is my greatest hope instructors take this OER and fashion it into something even better for our helping our students navigate their futures!

Resources

• Emergent Strategy: Shaping Change, Changing Worlds – a great guide for understanding the importance of relevance for student learning.
• Engaging Students on Their Own Terms: Intuitive Interaction  – a useful article for how to engage learners particularly in an online setting and build effective engagement.
• Story-Based Strategy – a helpful overview of the value of using stories to mobilize knowledge.
• University of British Columbia Centre for Community Engaged Learning Social Impact Toolkit – a very effective toolkit for student learning in multiple areas of community organizing. Particularly thorough for teaching about engaging with diverse points of view.