ACES883 Environmental Interpretation and Community Education
About this Unit
Semester 2, 2008
Offered: E2 - Evening; Second Half-Year
Convenor: Dr Lynne McLoughlin
Prerequisites/corequisites: None
Credit Points: 4
This unit deals with two separate but interrelated educational fields integral to environmental management and the broader needs of sustainability goals: environmental or heritage interpretation and community education. Interpretation principles and practice inform consideration of interpretation from the viewpoint of both managers and visitors, with an emphasis on evaluation of programs and facilities. The complex web of factors that influences environmental values, attitudes and behaviour informs both methods in development of integrated community education programs and assessment of the role and effectiveness of education programs in promoting environmentally sustainable behaviours and community interest in environmental care. The unit includes both a theoretical background to issues and detailed examination of practice.
Rationale
ACES883 develops students' understanding of, and skills in, the heritage interpretation and community education fields within the broader context of environmental education/education for sustainability. Key areas for student development are different forms of writing, project evaluation and independent field-based investigation.
Teaching Staff
Convenor: Dr Lynne McLoughlin
Room: E8B310 (on class evenings only)
Phone: 8837 6045
Fax: 9850 7972
Email: mailto:lmclough@gse.mq.edu.au
Classes
Classes: 1 x 3 hr class per week in semester (13 weeks)
The usual University requirement of 80% attendance at session hours will be observed.
Unit web page
There is no web page for this unit.
Learning Outcomes
On completion of the unit you should have satisfied yourself and the unit convenor that you have achieved the following specialist and generic learning outcomes:
Specialist Outcomes
- Understand the basic theory and principles of interpretation and environmental education and the relationships between the two fields
- Understand the implications of the broader sustainability context for interpretation and environmental education.
- Identify and describe the place of interpretation and education in heritage management.
- Identify appropriate steps in a planning process for interpretation and education programs.
- Demonstrate clear understanding of the role of visitor/audience research and evaluation of programs in effective interpretation/education.
- Identify and describe the factors influencing environmentally responsible behaviour, the barriers to change and the role of education within integrated programs for promoting change.
- Identify the range of education tools available for promoting social and behaviour change and the most appropriate methods to use in specific contexts.
- Demonstrate an effective grasp of the international literature relevant to chosen interest areas in interpretation and/or community environmental education.
Skills
- Work independently to develop and carry out field-based investigation
- Obtain key information from education/interpretation managers, program organisers and/or presenters.
- Concisely present and analyse data collected in field investigation using appropriate tools.
- Apply the literature in the field to critical evaluation of current practice.
- Write cogent and clearly structured essays and reports, which directly address the questions asked.
- Give a clear and well-structured oral presentation of the results of personal investigation and evaluation of interpretive or community environmental education programs.
- Identify key features of good interpretive writing and have developed some skills in this area
- Be able to provide independent and well-substantiated peer assessment of class presentations.
- Manage your own learning through effective use of time and resources, and by definition and completion of assignments that demonstrate your achievement of these outcomes.
Teaching and Learning Strategy
Class sessions consist of a mix of activities including lectures, small group discussions and reporting and individual student exercises.
In addition to attendance at class sessions and completion of the listed tasks for assessment, students are expected to submit a proposal for their major assignment, to participate in group and individual class activities, prepare material for class between a limited number of the sessions, and participate in peer assessment of class presentations.
Schedule of Lectures
| Week | Date | Topic |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7 Aug | Introduction to community education, heritage & environmental interpretation in a sustainability context |
| 2 | 14 Aug | Environmental perception and attention - influences on program effectiveness |
| 3 | 21 Aug | Heritage experience and heritage management Assignment 1 or 2 Due* |
| 4 | 28 Aug | Planning for site-based interpretation and EE Assignment 1 or 2 Due* |
| 5 | 4 Sept | Interpretation: principles and practice I |
| 6 | 11 Sept | Interpretation: principles and practice II |
| 7 | 18 Sept | Visitor research and program evaluation Assignment 3a Proposal Due** |
| Break | Assignment 3b Proposal Due 3 October ** |
|
| 8 | 9 Oct | Learning for sustainability Part 1: Values, attitudes & influences on behaviour |
| 9 | 16 Oct | Learning for sustainability Part 2: Encouraging change |
| 10 | 23 Oct | Integrated education programs: research, development, implementation and evaluation, Pt 1 (+ Student presentations if required, depending on class numbers) 3a. Interpretation Field Analysis Due |
| 11 | 30 Oct | Integrated education programs: research, development, implementation and evaluation, Pt 2 + Student presentations |
| 12 | 6 Nov | Encouraging community participation Student Presentations 3b. Community Education Programs Analysis Due |
| 13 | 13 Nov | Final Student presentations Course Wrap-up and Evaluation |
* Assignments 1 and 2 may be submitted on either date but one assignment must be submitted in each week.
** Submit proposals by email by due date. Acceptance/comments will then be returned by email.
Relationship between Assessment and Learning Outcomes
Assessments are designed to complement lectures with foundation reading and experience in the interpretation field, followed by a choice for the major assessment task in either the field of interpretation or environmental education. The major in-depth reading for the unit is associated with this major assignment. Skills in literature review, evaluation and independent project design and investigation are also expected to be developed through this assignment, as is careful and concise report writing and oral presentation of key findings.
Additional assessment matters
- There is no examination in this unit. The usual University requirement of 80% attendance at session hours will apply.
- Assignments are due by 6.30pm on the due date. Assignments posted to the box after thistime will be regarded as late. Assignments may be handed directly to the Unit Convenor at class. Alternatively, assignments are submitted to the appropriate ELS assignment box for your unit. These are located in the reception area of the ELS Centre (Room 101), which is on the ground floor at the western end of building E7A. Campus maps are available at http://www.bgo.mq.edu.au/campus.htm. The Centre is open 8.30am to 5.30pm, Monday to Friday. An external or after-hours box is available at the main entry of E7A for use outside the normal business hours for ELS Centre.
- All assignments must include a completed and signed coversheet stapled to the front cover.The Assignment Cover Sheet can be downloaded from the web at http://www.gse.mq.edu.au/resources/resource_home.htm.
- Expectations for written work can be found in the GSE Writing Guide at http://www.gse.mq.edu.au/resources/guide/index.htm. Expectations for presentation will be provided in the Unit Study Guide.
- Extensions will only be granted for exceptional circumstance (which does not include workload or computer problems!). A penalty of 10% per day for work submitted after the due date will apply unless prior extension has been sought and granted, both in writing. Extensions must be noted on the submitted assignment cover sheet.
- Assignments will not be accepted after return of marked work on the same topic. If a student is permitted to submit on the basis of unavoidable disruption, an alternative topic will be set.
- Students must keep a copy of assignments. Submit a copy with any claim of 'lost' assignment.
| Assessment | Max. Length | Marks | Due Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Book Review | 1000 words | 10% | 21 OR 28 August 2008 |
| 2. Field Visits Report | 1500 words | 15% | 21 OR 28 August 2008 |
3. a) Interpretation Field Analysis OR b) Community Education Programs Analysis:
|
4000 words
15-20 mins |
55%
15% |
Assignment 3a proposal due 18 September 2008
Submit assignment 3b via email by 3 October 20008 |
| 4. Class participation/discussion/exercises (assessment based on quality and frequency of participation and completion of class-bases tasks/exercises) | 5% |
1. Book Review
Complete a book review of Interpreting Our Heritage by Freeman Tilden for ozEEnews, the quarterly publication of the Association for Environmental Education or the Australian Journal of Environmental Education. [You will be sent a pdf copy of a recent newsletter after the first class of the semester. There are no other readings required for this assignment. However, Beck, L. & Cable, T. (1999, reading list p.24) may be useful for perspective.]
2. Field Visits Report
There are two parts to this assignment:
- Choose one significant site of natural heritage (may include Aboriginal cultural heritage) and one (separate site) of built European cultural heritage which you have not previously visited and which include designed interpretation and other facilities to assist visitor experiences. Experience the sites as a visitor with family or friend(s), including the designed interpretation program(s)/facilities. (Ensure you have both an indoor and an outdoor experience across the two sites).
- Describe (briefly) and reflect on your experiences and those of others in your group at the two heritage sites. Consider the factors that contributed to the quality of the experiences, including what you (including others in your party) expected to get out of your visits, whether your expectations were met, and what you learnt about the sites and their significance. Draw some comparisons between your experiences at the two sites.
3a. Field Analysis
Choose one site of natural or cultural heritage which you (preferably) visited for Assignment 1/2. Each student undertaking this assignment is to select a different site and register their choice for approval with the unit convenor as soon as possible. A completed assignment proposal form for this assignment must be submitted by 18 September.
Describe and thoroughly evaluate the effectiveness of the site's interpretation programs and facilities for a range of visitors in the light of expressed management goals and the literature on effective interpretation. Make recommendations based on your full evaluation. (At large/complex sites selected aspects may be chosen for the study focus)
OR
3b. Community/Workplace Education Programs Analysis
Option 1: Describe and evaluate two environmental education programs that have been implemented in the community or a workplace. Each student undertaking this assignment option is to select different programs and register their choice for approval with the unit convenor. Discuss the likely, or known, effectiveness of the design of each program in the light of its aims and objectives, community goals (if relevant), the target audience, and the literature on effective community education programs. Include any follow-up evaluation conducted by the promoting organisation and/or discuss ways each program could be practically and cost-effectively evaluated including possible outcomes and reasons. Compare the two programs in their known, or likely, performance/effectiveness and value for money expended and make recommendations for the future of the programs.
Option 2: Choose one environmental education program whose effectiveness has not been evaluated. Design and carry out an evaluation of the program and use the results to inform your discussion, which should include all aspects mentioned above for Option 1.
A completed assignment proposal form for this assignment must be submitted by 3 October 2008.
4. Presentation on Assignment 2
Required and Recommended Texts/Materials
The are no set texts for this unit.
Plagiarism
The University defines plagiarism in its rules: "Plagiarism involves using the work of another person and presenting it as one's own." Plagiarism is a serious breach of the University's rules and carries significant penalties. You must read the University's practices and procedures on plagiarism. These can be found in the Handbook of Postgraduate Studies or on the web at: http://www.student.mq.edu.au/plagiarism/
The policies and procedures explain what plagiarism is, how to avoid it, the procedures that will be taken in cases of suspected plagiarism, and the penalties if you are found guilty. Penalties may include a deduction of marks, failure in the unit, and/or referral to the University Discipline Committee.
The GSE recommends that students familiarise themselves with the information contained on the Georgetown University Honor Council website which discusses plagiarism in an easy to understand and comprehensive manner.
University Policy on Grading
Academic Senate has a set of guidelines on the distribution of grades across the range from fail to high distinction. Your final result will include one of these grades plus a standardised numerical grade (SNG).
On occasion your raw mark for a unit (i.e., the total of your marks for each assessment item) may not be the same as the SNG which you receive. Under the Senate guidelines, results may be scaled to ensure that there is a degree of comparability across the university, so that units with the same past performances of their students should achieve similar results.
It is important that you realise that the policy does not require that a minimum number of students are to be failed in any unit. In fact it does something like the opposite, in requiring examiners to explain their actions if more than 20% of students fail in a unit.
The process of scaling does not change the order of marks among students. A student who receives a higher raw mark than another will also receive a higher final scaled mark.
For an explanation of the policy see:
http://senate.mq.edu.au/rules/Guidelines2003.doc or
http://senate.mq.edu.au/rules/detailedguidelines.doc
Student Support Services
Macquarie University provides a range of Academic Student Support Services. Details of these services can be accessed at http://www.student.mq.edu.au.
Advice for Students with Disabilities/Health Conditions
The Equity Support Unit (ESU) provides support and assistance to students with a disability/health condition in aiming to ensure that they do not experience disadvantage in reaching their academic potential. Service provision is determined on a case-by-case basis following an assessment of a student's needs and the provision of supporting documentation. Service provision is also dependent on the availability of resources.
To register with ESU, download an Advice of Disability/Health Condition form from http://www.reg.mq.edu.au/academic-index.html. This form must be completed annually, irrespective of whether a disability/health condition is temporary, long-term or permanent. Students wishing to request support services from the ESU should make an appointment to see a Disability Advisor immediately after enrolling at Macquarie University.
Phone: (02) 9850 6494/7497
Fax: (02) 9850 6063
TTY: (02) 9850 6493
Email: equity@mq.edu.au
In person: Level 2, Lincoln Building (C8A), Macquarie University
Website: http://www.sss.mq.edu.au/equity