Environmental Literacy for All Students: Development of Environmental Science Courses in a New Core Curriculum

越来越多的文献充分证明了美国公众的科学和环境素养水平低下。 该项目的主要目标是提供一个框架，使所有格鲁吉亚南部的本科生可以实现基本的环境素养，同时获得对科学的理解。 这一目标将通过开发四个科学学科的环境课程来实现：生物学，化学，地质学和物理学。 这些课程构成了GSU新核心课程的一个特定领域，将要求所有学生，包括科学专业，非科学专业和未来的K-12教师。 新的课程将利用环境问题介绍和讨论有关的科学概念，根据“需要知道”的情况提供指导。 该项目有三个鲜明的特点：1。一种方法，将扩大学生对地方，区域和全球环境问题的认识，2。基于这些问题的动手实验室活动的重点，和3。高级科学和科学教育专业的学生在实验室作为教师指导的实习生参与“本科教学实习计划”（UTIP）。 预期项目成果是：毕业生谁拥有的知识，从事环境意识的行为和知情的公民，提高未来的K-12教师的科学和环境知识，由学生的科学和现实世界的问题之间的连接，并为UTIP参与者，包括学生实习生和科学教师的教师培训的赞赏。 该项目将产生实验室练习，供其他机构调整使用。 传播将通过在国家会议、教师发展讲习班、实验室材料和专业文章的出版以及项目网站上的介绍来完成。 该模型是一种通用模型，其他机构可以合理调整，因此具有在大学之外产生影响的巨大潜力。

A growing body of literature amply documents the low levels of scientific and environmental literacy among the American public. The main goal of this project is to provide a framework in which all Georgia Southern undergraduates can achieve basic environmental literacy while acquiring an understanding of science. This goal will be pursued through the development of environmental courses in four science disciplines: biology, chemistry, geology, and physics. These courses constitute a particular area of GSU's new core curriculum that will be required of all students, including science majors, non-science majors, and future K-12 teachers. The new courses will utilize environmental issues to introduce and discuss relevant scientific concepts, providing in-context instruction on a "need-to-know" basis. The project has three distinctive features: 1. An approach that will expand students' awareness of local, regional, and global environmental problems, 2. A focus on hands-on laboratory activities based on these issues, and 3. Involvement of advanced science and science education majors in the laboratories as faculty-mentored interns in the "Undergraduate Teaching Internship Program" (UTIP). Expected project outcomes are: graduates who possess the knowledge to engage in environmentally-aware behavior and informed citizenship, improved scientific and environmental knowledge of future K-12 teachers, appreciation by students of the connections between science and real-world problems, and teacher training for UTIP participants, including student interns and science faculty. The project will yield laboratory exercises that will be made available for adaptation by other institutions. Dissemination will be accomplished thorough presentations at national meetings, faculty development workshops, publication of laboratory materials and professional articles, and a project web site. This model is a general one that can be reasonably adapted by other institutions and, therefore, has excellen t potential for impact outside the university.