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Next session: Fall 2 starts Oct 23!

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EARTH SCIENCE

Water

Environmental Science and Policy

a person's hands under a gentle stream of water falling from the end of a log

Christian Vorhofer/ImageBroker/AGE Fotostock

Who owns water? Explore the relationship between our most precious natural resource and ourselves.

Investigate the way water shapes our planet on every level, from the chemical properties of the H2O molecule to the central role of water in global climate. Authored by world-class experts, this six-week online course focuses on why water is such a critical resource, how human consumption is affecting aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, and the social, economic, and environmental implications of water management. 

 

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COURSE COST

$574 per course

GRAD CREDIT

This course is approved for graduate credit from these institutions at an additional cost. Select an institution below for full details on cost, enrollment and more:

Investigate the way water shapes our planet on every level, from the chemical properties of the H2O molecule to the central role of water in global climate. Authored by world-class experts, this six-week online course focuses on why water is such a critical resource, how human consumption is affecting aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, and the social, economic, and environmental implications of water management. 

 

Course Format

This online course is asynchronous, giving you the flexibility to complete weekly activities at your own pace. Essays, written by our authoring scientists, are supplemented by case studies, textbook readings, videos, interactive simulations, image galleries, and more. These resources provide the foundation for assignments as well as online discussions where you will exchange questions and ideas with course faculty and other learners. The course culminates in a final project, which is your opportunity to create activities that you can use with your students.

Teenage students gathering samples in a wetland environment

Photofusion/UIG/AGE Fotostock

Connecting to Your Classroom

This course includes a variety of resources that can be adapted for use in your classroom. Participants frequently use course activities as a central component of their final project. For example, in this course you will make detailed observations and inferences about a local wetland and share them with your classmates on an online map.

Recent Course Faculty

This course is co-taught by an experienced classroom teacher and a working scientist. With low faculty to student ratios, this powerful combination of scientific expertise and classroom application creates opportunities for discussions about the course content and how it can be taught.

Check back for next offering

COURSE COST

$574 per course

GRAD CREDIT

This course is approved for graduate credit from these institutions at an additional cost. Select an institution below for full details on cost, enrollment and more:

I really valued the opportunity to look at water issues from a variety of standpoints and am anxious to share these thought with my students. We try to look at some of these issues locally but we also want the students to begin thinking globally.

— HIGH SCHOOL BIOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE TEACHER

I really felt the instructors knew the subject matter. They asked the most thought-provoking questions, and we were all ready to search for the best answers.

— MIDDLE SCHOOL LIFE SCIENCE TEACHER

The format of the discussions was my favorite part of the course. I'm sold on online courses!

— MIDDLE SCHOOL SCIENCE TEACHER