Open Learning Course -Study Environmental Science from Home with our School.
COURSE CONTENT
There are six lessons in this course as follows:
- Living Things
- Classification of plants and animals
- identifying living organisms
- using identification keys
- Basic Ecology
- Populations
- communities
- ecosystems
- constituents of ecosystem
- the ecosphere
- the web of life
- habitats and niches
- humans in the environment.
- Global Environmental Systems
- The Earth’s structure
- the atmosphere
- climatic systems
- Gaia theory
- the carbon dioxide cycle
- El Nino.
- Environmental Problems
- Deforestation
- loss of agricultural land
- loss of biological diversity
- loss of water
- loss of non renewable resources
- environmental weeds
- the Greenhouse Effect
- Ozone depletion
- ozone as a Greenhouse gas
- Conservation
- The definition and goals of conservation
- the history of conservation
- natural resources (renewable and non renewable).
- Acting Locally: Thinking Globally
- Humans and water
- how to minimize water usage
- energy use in the home
- reducing household waste
- domestic transport and its affect on pollution
- building materials and their environmental impact.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
- To understand the binomial system of classifying living things
- To understand the use of keys to identify living things
- To grasp the basics of ecology (the relationships between living organisms and their environment)
- To have a basic grounding in Earth Science and an understanding of global environmental systems
- To understand the Earth’s major environmental problems and how they have come about
- To gain an understanding of conservation and its importance to individuals and the world
- To learn a range of ways to reduce the environmental impact of ones’ actions at home and globally
WHAT YOU WILL DO IN THIS COURSE
- Classify a range of living organisms in your locality
- Identify the genus and species names of plants in a nursery
- Compose a food web for your local area
- Carry out basic research into the weather in your area and what affects it
- Carry out in depth research into at least one major environmental problem
- Contact three conservation organisations to determine the issues they deal with
- Survey a building to determine the types of building materials used
- Design an environmentally friendly house
Tips
- keep your skills up to date
- get networking - join networking groups within the field of environmental science
- get some experience - paid or unpaid experience is highly valued by prospective employers.
Other Courses
ACS offers a wide range of Environmental Studies covering courses in zoology, environmental management, wildlife, botany, waste, eath sciences for vocational careers, self improvement (adult education) or qualifications; available as e learning (on line or CD electronic study) or with traditional printed texts.
