Environmental
Problem Solving and Impact Assessment
Syllabus
INSTRUCTORS
Office hours: by appointment
Lab Instructors:
Sara Mulford Katherine Kransteuber
Aiken 219A Aiken 211
saramul@gmail.com katherine.kransteuber@uvm.edu
Tel. 656-3288 Office Hours: by appointment
Office Hours: by appointment
NR 206 is the capstone course for the core curriculum of the Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources. The core curriculum represents a body of knowledge, skills, and values that the faculty believes are central to the study of natural resources and the environment. This body of knowledge, skills and values cuts across all academic programs within the School and attempts to integrate the natural and social sciences to approach full understanding and resolution of natural resource and environmental issues.
NR 206 is designed to help you integrate your undergraduate experience, your knowledge, skills and values, your passions, your talents, and your lifelong goals and dreams – preparing you for your next chapter while honing tools to help you to succeed in whatever you choose. NR 206 is a hands-on adventure in purposeful thinking and interdisciplinary problem-solving. This course is intended as a stepping-stone from previous structured coursework to the professional world of problem solving and action.
NR 206 is a project-based service-learning course that focuses on the skills and processes of problem solving. Broadly defined, a problem is something that you want to change, and problem solving is a process by which a person or group of people manifest that change. During this course we will study the problem-solving process. We will introduce you to different methods of approaching problems, generating ideas, harnessing group energy, reaching consensus, measuring success, and building alliances. We will consider a variety of case studies and talk with some of Vermont’s successful problem-solvers/activists to look for common threads in successful approaches and frameworks.
This course will offer you a diverse array of skills and frameworks that can help you to become more effective at creating change or solving problems. As individuals and as members of interdisciplinary teams, you will work on critical and creative thinking, writing, presenting, leadership, systems thinking, decision-making, group dynamics, inner personal skills, and interpersonal skills – the skills most identified by alumni, practicing professionals, and employers as "critical" to your future success and well-being.
· “I know how to approach and solve complex interdisciplinary problems.”
· “I am a critical thinker. I continually challenge myself, authority, and the status quo in a respectful manner.”
· “I am a creative thinker.”
· “I have gained real-world experience in solving problems in a field that interests me.”
· “I have created meaningful change in my community.”
· “I can meet professional writing standards.”
· “I can meet professional public speaking standards.”
· “I know how to interact and work effectively with other people.”
· “I am an active self-directed learner.”
As the capstone course and a steppingstone to life outside of UVM, this course will operate under slightly different principles than most college courses. In order to provide yourself with the best opportunities and learning experiences that you can, you MUST take an active role in shaping the development of this course. As instructors, we are here to help you in this process. We are open to modifying particular elements/assignments if convinced that it would better serve your needs. It is, however, incredibly important that you be mindful of how you will propose changes to the curriculum/course experience. Your approach will be crucial to the success of your proposal.
Please remember that in this class (and in this world), very few things are written in stone and cannot be changed. Please be prepared for some changes to occur as the semester unfolds and please take an active role in considering what changes could be made to better your own learning experience.
We recognize that you’ve come a long way in your undergraduate education. As this class helps mark the transition from working within an educational structure to working as a professional, we are assuming that you will handle these expectations with competency and grace! As you enter the professional work world (as you will with your group project) you will undoubtedly find that these expectations are universal:
Attendance: In the professional world, attendance and punctuality are a must.
Quality and Dependability: In
the professional world, deadlines are real and expectations are high. That's
how we'll operate in NR 206. All assignments must be neat, stapled, and
otherwise professional in appearance and content. All assignments must be handed in as hard copies—not electronic files.
Unusual Circumstances: We
are aware that at times in life, the unforeseeable occurs. If it seems that the world is about to
collapse upon you and NR 206 is going to have to give, please contact Matt,
Sara, or Katherine at least 24 hours
before a missed obligation to explain and/or discuss the situation.
Unexplained absences, tardiness and late assignments will drastically
affect your grade! Professionalism and
respect are fundamental to your success in this course.
GRADING
Group Project:
· Proposal 150 points
· Assessment 300 points
Dialogue/Class
Participation: 100
points
Critical
Reflection: 180
points
Check-in: 50 points
Final
Reflection Paper: 250
points
Total: 1030 points
Group Project
With the skills and expertise that you each have amassed through the course of your life experiences, it would be a shame to spend this entire course passively considering the problem-solving process. After all, by definition, problem solving is about action. Instead, we will use this course as an opportunity to apply your energy and knowledge to enact authentic and meaningful change in this community now.
We hope that you will respond to this challenge by considering this course an opportunity to truly enrich the community that you have been a part of for the past 3+ years. This project is a chance to give back and create lasting connections and meaningful experience in a field in which you might want to work. Over the course of the semester, you will be responsible for establishing community partner(s), collaboratively defining the interdisciplinary problem you will attack, determining the group with whom you will work, submitting a formal proposal for your project (which will include your assessment plan by which we will determine your grade), carrying out the stated objectives to completion, and presenting your project to the community.
We hope that by the end of this course you will have created an experience for yourselves that pushes your edge, creates connections, and hones your leadership skills – preparing you for your life’s work and service, and empowering you to handle the diverse array of problems that we face everyday.
|
Date |
Events/Expectations |
|
1/15 – 1/24 |
· Values,
vision and theories of change · Knowledge,
Skills and Values self-assessment · Brainstorm/discuss
project issues · Research
local efforts and possible community partners |
|
1/22 (in lecture) |
· Community
Partner Matchmaking session and open space session · Explore
possible links with community partners
|
|
In lab 1/22 and 1/23 |
· Open space
technology · Determine
group and decide on preliminary issue of focus |
|
1/23 – 2/14 |
· Work on
proposals (with input from community partners) |
|
In lab 2/5 – 2/6 |
· Group
meeting with lab instructor. Be
prepared to discuss: 1) the problem
you would like to address, 2) the utility of finding solutions to this
problem (why is this problem important?), 3) the impacts of alternative
strategies, and 4) how will you measure and demonstrate your success, 5) each
group member’s personal learning goals for this project. |
|
2/14 |
· Submit
flawless group project proposals (by 11:00 am) with resumes attached for each
group member |
|
In lab 2/19 or 2/20 |
· Group
meeting with lab instructor or Matt to receive comments on proposal · Discuss
division of labor |
|
In lecture 2/26 & 2/28 |
· Groups
present short project overview and receive feedback |
|
3/5 |
· Deadline
for submitting signed proposal and Memorandum of Understanding to your lab
instructor |
|
In lab 3/18 or 3/19 |
· Group
meeting with lab instructor for first assessment of group project |
|
In lab 4/8 or 4/9 |
· Group
meeting with lab instructor for second assessment of group project |
|
In lecture 4/17, 4/22, 4/24 and 4/29 |
· Final
group presentations |
|
In lab 4/29 or 4/30 |
· Meet with
lab instructor for final group project assessment · Final
project abstract and photo for NR206 website is due at this time |
|
5/2 |
· Final
reflection paper (1000 words) is due on Matt’s door by 5:00 pm |
|
Thereafter |
CELEBRATE!!! |
Dialogue/Class Participation: Periodically, we will be engaging in group dialogue and exercises to explore central issues related to the problem-solving process. This dialogue will build on the reading assignments as well as our collective experiences. Attendance and participation are crucial to this process. Guidelines for dialogue and a grading rubric will be handed out separately.
Critical Reflection: Critical reflection is a key component of any learning process. Throughout the semester we will ask you to complete six critical reflections. Because individual reflection styles often vary, we are offering two alternatives to complete this requirement:
1)
Critical Reflection Analysis Entries
These entries should go beyond descriptive accounts and
should demonstrate higher order processing of concepts and experiences. Each
entry is an opportunity to critically evaluate and integrate readings, presentations,
dialogues and group project experiences.
Throughout the semester, we will provide you with a number of prompts
(updated weekly on the website).
However, we ask that you choose topics that are of interest or that you
would like to explore in more depth.
These reflections will provide us with valuable feedback about your
experience (and our instruction) and will allow us to assess your understanding
of issues addressed in lecture. Your
entries will serve as a useful roadmap for documenting and evaluating your
project and will also contribute substantially to enhancing the quality of your
final integrative paper. Guidelines for these reflections and a grading rubric
will be handed out separately.
2)
Reflective Dialogue Sessions
Dialogue is a useful method for group inquiry and individual reflection. Practiced well, dialogue can help a group to discover insights that aren’t attainable individually. There will be three facilitated dialogue sessions that will provide an opportunity to reflect on course readings, guest speakers, project experiences, or other emerging topics related to the problem-solving process. While some prompts will be provided, participants are expected to come prepared to engage.
There will be 3 grading rounds for your reflections. Two reflections are due at each round of grading. You may mix and match written and dialogue reflections (or propose an alternative reflection medium if these don’t suit you) for a total of 6 reflections during the semester.
Grading period 1: Two reflections are due by 5:00 pm on February 21st
Grading period 2: Two reflections are due by 5:00 pm on March 20th
Grading period 3:
Two reflections are due by 5:00 pm on April 17th
Guest Speaker Series: Throughout the semester, we will be joined by inspirational individuals who are active agents of change (problem-solvers) in the Vermont community. This will be an opportunity for you to make connections with individuals in fields that interest you and learn about the tools, skills and experiences that equipped them to be successful. Speakers are still being scheduled for this part of the course so if you know specific people that you would like to have join us, or if there are specific fields that you would like to see represented, please contact Matt ASAP.
Check-ins: During the first half of the semester, we will ask you to schedule one 20-minute check-in with Matt, Sara or Katherine. This will be an opportunity for us to touch base and to think about how we might tailor the 206 experience to better suit your needs. To receive credit for your check-in, it must be scheduled by March 18th.
Reading Assignments: Because this is a dynamic course driven by the group project experience, reading assignments will be selected to match the group process. We will draw on a variety of reading materials but there are no required textbooks for this course. Every Thursday I will send out an “e-bundle” of readings via email for the following week. Make sure you check your email regularly and that I have your current email address.
Final Reflection Paper: This paper is a final opportunity for reflection on the NR206 experience. This paper should draw on the readings, guest speakers, dialogue, and group project in an integrative and interdisciplinary way. Guidelines and a grading rubric will be handed out separately.
In keeping with University policy, any student with a disability who needs academic/classroom accommodations should contact ACCESS. ACCESS coordinates reasonable accommodations for students with documented disabilities. They are located at A170 Living/Learning Center, and can be reached by phone at 802-656-7753, or by emailing access@uvm.edu. Visit their website at http://www.uvm.edu/access.