This course will be conducted entirely online. There are no set class meeting times, but you will be required to complete weekly assignments. Registered students in this course will need to navigate between several environments. These include:
The instructional materials in this site include lessons, plus the Orientation. Each lesson contains an introduction, reading assignments, links, assessments, etc.
Canvas is the learning management system currently being used by Penn State University. In Canvas, registered students may consult course calendars; communicate with instructors, teaching assistants, and fellow students; submit assignments; receive feedback from the instructor and teaching assistant; take online quizzes and surveys; and check assignment scores and course grades. A link to Canvas appears on every page.
NOTE: Only students who are registered for this course will have access to the Canvas space for this course. Students who register for this Penn State course gain access to assignments and instructor feedback and earn academic credit.
Here is the course author, Michael Mann, discussing topics covered in this course:
The content of this course is divided into 12 lessons. Each lesson will be completed in approximately 1 week. Lesson learning activities take the form of discussions, quizzes, and online climate simulations.
- Lesson 1: Introduction to Climate and Climate Change
- Lesson 2: Climate Observations, Part 1
- Lesson 3: Climate Observations, Part 2
- Lesson 4: Modeling of the Climate System
- Lesson 5: Modeling of the Climate System (cont.); Comparing Models and Observations
- Lesson 6: Carbon Emission Scenarios
- Lesson 7: Projected Climate Changes, Part 1
- Lesson 8: Projected Climate Changes, Part 2
- Lesson 9: Climate Change Impacts
- Lesson 10: Vulnerability and Adaptation to Climate Change
- Lesson 11: Geoengineering
- Lesson 12: Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions
What is special about this course?
This course will rely upon a variety of methods to assess and evaluate student learning, including:
Refer to the course syllabus for assignment weighting and final grade calculation.