Integrating web-based activities and site-based experiences to investigate environmental issues

Abstract

This chapter describes how the Environmental Education (EE) course at Lehigh University uses a hybrid approach of instruction using web-based activities and face-to-face site-based experiences to primarily focus on the study of environmental issues in the Lehigh River watershed. Course activities are discussed to illustrate how technology can be used effectively to support EE teaching and learning with prospective and current science teachers. Site visits to areas of environmental concern support and extend the environmental education concepts and skills that are initially developed with web-based materials. Course activities provide teachers with an in-depth content understanding of local environmental issues as well as opportunities to explore pedagogical strategies to promote issues-based approaches to learning. Course materials also take advantage of easily available geospatial information technologies to foster spatial literacy in the curriculum and support learners with the ability to make use of data visualizations for analysis and interpretation when examining environmental issues such as sprawl and land use decision-making. Advantages to using web-enhanced learning environments for EE instruction are discussed. © 2010 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.