YES-10306 Introduction Environmental Sciences

Course

Credits 6.00

Language of instruction:

Dutch

Contents:

Relationships between humankind and his/her environment plays a central role in this course. This course is centred around a number of case studies and subdivided into three parts: a general case, an information technology course (CCI: Computers, Communication & Information), and a more specific in-depth case. For the general case, students work in subgroups of about 10 persons, and each group is supervised by a coach (wk 1-3). In the general case, students select a topic from a given list of keywords that are related to one of the five climate zones. The CCI course is self-instructing and individual, and is based on a large number of modules (mainly training in advanced MS Office tools) (wk 1-4). Computers skills are immediately practiced in the general and the in-depth case. For the in-depth case, students choose a topic from a list of about 8 in-depth cases. Groups of about 10 students are supervised by an expert in that particular field (wk 4-6).

Aims:

Students are trained in a number of skills that are essential to environmental sciences: what kind of real (libraries) and virtual information sources are available and which software tools should be used to mine these huge and diverse data sources. Students learn how to weigh the value of individual data sources, and how to select information. Students learn to combine and integrate information. Students are trained in concise and exact reporting. Feedback from either the coach or the supervisor/expert on each of these aims is highly structured. (see also: http://www.owio.wau.nl/introomgeving/studiewijzer.htm).

Activities:

For this course, an extensive WWW site is available (in Dutch). The URL of the home page: http://www.owio.wau.nl/introomgeving/index.htm. Activities and products are defined for each day of this course. General and in-depth case studies are in groups of about 10 students; the CCI course is self-instructing.

Examination:

Examination: weighing of the individual course elements is as follows: General case: 30% (products: mini-poster & .ppt presentation), CCI course: 20% (individual examination), in-depth case: 50% (products: report & .ppt presentation).

Literature:

See: http://www.owio.wau.nl/introomgeving/index.htm (there is no hard copy reader)