Outline

Overview

Education is an essential element in addressing the persistent environmental problems society is currently facing. This unit examines issues related to the declining opportunity for students and community to engage with outdoor learning and their lack of opportunity to make a positive impact on their local environment. Connecting people with nature has profound benefits on knowledge retention, and supports students to develop investigative skills, to acquire an attitude of care for the environment and to practise the principles of ecological sustainability. In this unit, participants will gain an advanced understanding of contemporary environmental education theory, research and practice. Using Taronga Conservation Society of Australia as a case study, current environmental education programs that demonstrate positive conservation outcomes will be investigated. This unit provides participants with the knowledge and skills to be effective environmental educators. Various teaching pedagogies will be explored which will help participants gain the expertise to move beyond the classroom with their practice. The major focus of this unit is to teach current and aspiring educators how to design authentic environmental education programs, for all academic levels, that will enable their students to participate actively as citizens in protecting the environment and contribute to the development of an enduring sustainable, environmentally sound society.

Unit details and rules

Academic unit	Education
Credit points	6
Prerequisites ?	None
Corequisites ?	None
Prohibitions ?	None
Assumed knowledge ?	None
Available to study abroad and exchange students	No

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Donna O'Connor, donna.oconnor@sydney.edu.au
Lecturer(s)	Paul Mason, paul.mason@sydney.edu.au

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Assignment	Environmental education grant application Prepare a grant application to fund an environmental education program	20%	Week 04 Due date: 03 Sep 2021 at 17:00	1000 words
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Literature review Source & review a recently published academic conservation education book	20%	Week 08 Due date: 08 Oct 2021 at 17:00	1000 words + 1000 word presentation
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Multispecies ethnography of Zoo-based conservation education Observe, document & analyse 2 zookeeper talks & write 2 mini ethnographies	20%	Week 11 Due date: 29 Oct 2021 at 17:00	2 x 500 words = 1000 words total
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Design and develop an environmental education program Draw on pedagogical principles to design an environmental education program	40%	Week 12 Due date: 05 Nov 2021 at 17:00	2000 words
Outcomes assessed:
= hurdle task ?

Assessment summary

Students must satisfactorily complete all four assessments in order to pass this unit. Students must demonstrate initiative to source appropriate literature to review for their book review as well as suitable real life grant applications to base their environmental education grant application upon.

The multispecies ethnography will be based upon fieldwork at Taronga and will involve both qualitative research and critical interpretive writing skills;
The grant application should be in line with a project that the student is passionate about or currently working on;
The book review should be based on a book on environmental education that has been written within the last five years, or a comparative review of two conservation education books that have been written in the last thirty years;
The environmental education program design is the capstone assignment for this unit. Students are free to choose their topic and target group, but must design their pedagogy in relation to the best current theory and practice in environmental education.

Assessment criteria

The University awards common result grades, set out in the Coursework Policy 2014 (Schedule 1).

As a general guide, a High distinction indicates work of an exceptional standard, a Distinction a very high standard, a credit a good standard, and a pass an acceptable standard.

Result name	Mark range	Description
High distinction	85 - 100
Distinction	75 - 84
Credit	65 - 74
Pass	50 - 64
Fail	0 - 49	When you don’t meet the learning outcomes of the unit to a satisfactory standard.

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

This unit has an exception to the standard University policy or supplementary information has been provided by the unit coordinator. This information is displayed below:

Late penalties will follow standard university procedure.

Academic integrity

The Current Student website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and automated writing tools

You may only use generative AI and automated writing tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator. If you do use these tools, you must acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section. The assessment instructions or unit outline will give guidance of the types of tools that are permitted and how the tools should be used.

Your final submitted work must be your own, original work. You must acknowledge any use of generative AI tools that have been used in the assessment, and any material that forms part of your submission must be appropriately referenced. For guidance on how to acknowledge the use of AI, please refer to the AI in Education Canvas site.

The unapproved use of these tools or unacknowledged use will be considered a breach of the Academic Integrity Policy and penalties may apply.

Studiosity is permitted unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission as detailed on the Learning Hub’s Canvas page.

Outside assessment tasks, generative AI tools may be used to support your learning. The AI in Education Canvas site contains a number of productive ways that students are using AI to improve their learning.

Learning support

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

Weekly schedule

WK	Topic	Learning activity
Week 01	The Multispecies Turn in Environmental Education	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 01	Multispecies ethnography of zookeeper talks	Field trip (6 hr)
Week 02	Connect - Understand - Act: Zoo-based education	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 03	Social dimensions of environmental education	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 04	Pedagogy of the oppressed in more-than-human worlds	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 05	Habitat as metaphor - Landscape as classroom	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 06	Praxis & Globalisation	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 07	Collaborative Ecological Inquiry	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 08	Indigenous & community engagement	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 09	Disrupting & Designing Conservation Education Programs	Seminar (2 hr)

Attendance and class requirements

Attendance: The Sydney School of Education and Social Work requires attendance of at least 90 percent of all seminars, workshops or lectures. Where a student is unable to attend at the required rate evidence of illness or misadventure may be required and the student may be required to undertake extra work. Students should discuss the circumstances of their absence(s) with the co-ordinator of the unit of study. Further details are provided in the School canvas site: https://canvas.sydney.edu.au/courses/13426

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Required readings

WEEK ONE
The Multispecies Turn

Optional readings:

Hecht, M., Crowley, K., & Russell, J. (2020). Decentering Humans in the Learning Sciences: The Role of Nonhuman Nature and Place in Learning Ecosystems. https://repository.isls.org/bitstream/1/6679/1/501-504.pdf

Berrigan, C. (2014). “Life cycle of a common weed”, in Eben Kirksey (ed), The multispecies salon,, 164-80.

Tsing, A. L. (2014). “Blasted landscapes (and the gentle arts of mushroom picking)”, in Eben Kirksey (ed), The multispecies salon, 87-109.

WEEK TWO
Connect Understand Act

Prescribed Readings:

Bell, L., & Clover, D. E. (2017). Critical culture: Environmental adult education in public museums. New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education, 2017(153), 17-29. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/ace.20218

Lowry, R. (2009). Visitor based conservation campaigns. Journal of the International Zoo Educators Association, 45, 11-14.

Lowry, R (2007) Werribee Open Range Zoo takes sustainability education to Zimbabwe. International Zoo Educators Journal, Volume, 43, pp.16–17.

Optional readings:
Knight, A. T., Cowling, R. M., Rouget, M., Balmford, A., Lombard, A. T., & Campbell, B. M. (2008). Knowing but not doing: selecting priority conservation areas and the research–implementation gap. Conservation biology, 22(3), 610-617.

Fischer, J., & Riechers, M. (2019). A leverage points perspective on sustainability. People and Nature.

WEEK THREE
Social dimensions of Environmental education

Clover, D. E., Jayme, B. D. O., Hall, B. L., & Follen, S. (2013). The nature of transformation: Environmental adult education (Vol. 11). Springer Science & Business Media. Chapter 1

Kassas, M. (2002). Environmental education: biodiversity. Environmentalist, 22(4), 345-351.

Sauvé, L. (2005). Currents in Environmental Education: Mapping a Complex and Evolving Pedagogical Field. Canadian Journal of Environmental Education, 10(1), 11-37.

WEEK FOUR
Pedagogy of the oppressed in more-than-human worlds

Prescribed reading:

Clover, D. E., Jayme, B. D. O., Hall, B. L., & Follen, S. (2013). The nature of transformation: Environmental adult education (Vol. 11). Springer Science & Business Media.

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

Outcomes
Graduate qualities

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

LO1. Demonstrate in-depth knowledge and understanding of contemporary human-environment issues and their implications for environmental education theory and practice.
LO2. Critically analyse education programs in terms of their potential to deliver ethical, environmental education experiences with positive conservation and education outcomes.
LO3. Embed scientific principals into education programs in a way that is relevant to students, creating lasting understanding of environmental values.
LO4. • Design authentic environmental education programs that integrate rich learning experiences, teach civic responsibility, and are conducive to the achievement of environmental conservation

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1	Depth of disciplinary expertise Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.
GQ2	Critical thinking and problem solving Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.
GQ3	Oral and written communication Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.
GQ4	Information and digital literacy Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.
GQ5	Inventiveness Generating novel ideas and solutions.
GQ6	Cultural competence Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.
GQ7	Interdisciplinary effectiveness Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.
GQ8	Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.
GQ9	Influence Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes	Graduate qualities
Learning outcomes

Responding to student feedback

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

The selection of readings has been updated to reflect the best current theory and methods in the field. The assignments have been finetuned to meet the future skillsets required of aspiring environmental educators.

Additional information

Site visit guidelines

If you are undertaking professional experience/field education placement as part of your enrolment in this unit of study, please assess your specific needs and requirements for the safe and successful completion of an external placement within a host organisation. You will be given the opportunity to disclose any health issues that have a work health and safety significance before arranging a placement so that your safety, and the safety of others, can be properly assessed. The Professional Experience Coordinator/Field Education Manager will work to ensure that the workplace assignment to you is appropriate for your needs and requirements. If you are experiencing disability, and require reasonable adjustments to be arranged, please contact Disability Services as early as possible prior to commencing the internship. Please note, in all cases, and for the purpose of organising reasonable adjustments, only the impact and not the nature, of your disability will be disclosed to the host organisation.

Work, health and safety

COVIDsafe procedures such as handwashing, social distancing and mask wearing are to be observed.

Good footwear should be worn to the Taronga site as well as clothing appropriate for the weather conditions on any given day.

Disclaimer

Important: the University of Sydney regularly reviews units of study and reserves the right to change the units of study available annually. To stay up to date on available study options, including unit of study details and availability, refer to the relevant handbook.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.

Current students

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Additional information

Additional information

Site visit guidelines

Work, health and safety

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

EDPT5003: Environmental Education Programs

Semester 2, 2021 [Normal day] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Additional information

Additional information

Site visit guidelines

Work, health and safety

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links