Student use of their local greenspaces and experiences as a focus for remote learning of environmental science

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Terryanne Maenza-Gmelch, Environmental Science, Barnard College, Columbia University, NY, NY, Jennifer Rosales, Center for Engaged Pedagogy, Barnard College, NY, NY and Melissa A. Wright, Center for Teaching and Learning, Columbia University, NY, NY

Background/Question/Methods
Remote teaching of a large environmental science lecture course worked surprisingly well during Fall 2020. A dual focus on community building and use of students’ local resources allowed for a connected experience. Engagement with local resources and community building were structured on three levels: a local icebreaker, local assignments and a process-oriented, local final exam.
Students were attending from Los Angeles, Brooklyn, NJ and Italy to Cambodia and Shanghai with places in between. Sharing of students’ first-hand local observations allowed a global perspective.
Can a student remotely engage with course material and successfully apply it to their local greenspace and experiences? Comparison of student scores on assignments from 2020 (remote) and 2019 (in person) and a question about engagement in the course evaluations are used to assess effectiveness.
Results/Conclusions
In course evaluations from 2020 and 2019, students report significantly higher engagement during remote learning (average 2020 rating is 4.15/5; n = 91 respondents versus 3.42/5 for 2019 with 92 respondents; p = 0.0000276). In addition, there was a nearly significant (p = 0.08) increase in lecture activity engagement between 2020 and 2019; n = 118 and n = 113, respectively, as represented by the average lecture activity and attendance grade. Qualitatively, anonymous student comments from the 2020 course evaluations support the quantitative analysis, for example: “I valued the fact that at some point in each lecture, there was a connection to our daily lives and current events, so that we were always able to relate and engage with the material and lessons in a more intimate manner. This helped me grasp the topics.” “I appreciated how clearly the course connected back to our everyday lives, and taught us about real things we could do to help the earth.” “I am so grateful that professor was so passionate about making this course accessible to non-majors and building a community of students, even remotely (through discussions, postcards, answering questions, polls, and activities). Taking this class has been the highlight of my pandemic and I am so grateful to her for teaching on such an important topic so passionately and in such an engaging way.” Some improvements are still needed. For example: students wanted more breakout rooms: “Breakout rooms! More group projects please”.
This analysis suggests that application of concepts to personal experiences and local resources is an effective way to increase engagement in a large environmental science lecture class during remote learning.