A Module-Based Environmental Science Course for Teaching Ecology to Non-Majors

Oct 15, 2026

Module-based course design is used to strengthen undergraduate science instruction, especially for students who are not science majors. The proposed course organizes environmental issues into five focused modules—climate change, human population growth, sustainable resource use, habitat loss, and biodiversity value—each combining an ecological science investigation with a human-dimension discussion. Laboratory work ends with field-based, student-designed biodiversity surveys on the Denison University Biological Reserve. The module structure integrates science and non-science disciplines and supports effective teaching outcomes.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages9

Reading Time23 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

The Course

Basic Course Organization

Table 1: Summary of content of the five modules used in the environmental science course for non-majors

Module 1: Is the Climate Changing?

Module 2: Can the human population grow indefinitely?

Module 3: Can exploitation of natural resources be sustainable?

A Module-Based Environmental Science Course for Teaching Ecology to Non-Majors Geoffrey R. Smith Department of Biology, Denison University, Granville, OH 43023 E-mail: [smithg@denison.edu](smithg@denison.edu) Abstract: Using module-based courses has been suggested to improve undergraduate science courses. A course based around a series of modules focused on major environmental issues might be an effective way to teach nonscience majors about ecology and ecology‟s role in helping to solve environmental problems. I have used such a module-based environmental science course for non-majors. The course is divided into 5 modules, with each module addressing a key environmental issue, specifically global climate change, human population growth, sustainable use of natural resources, habitat loss, and the value of biodiversity. Each module follows the same basic structure: 1) an introduction to the question, 2) an investigation of the basic science underlying the question, and 3) an investigation and discussion of the human aspect of the question (i.e., what can we do?, what are the costs and benefits of addressing the question?, are there any social, economic, or cultural factors that affect our ability to address the issue?, etc.) . Each module has associated laboratory exercises that culminate with field-based studentdesigned surveys of biodiversity on the Denison University Biological Reserve. The module-nature of the course allows for the integration of science and non-science disciplines around basic environmental questions, and appears to be an effective means of teaching environmental science and ecology to non-majors. Keywords: ecology, environmental science, module-based, non-majors course Introduction Teaching ecology to non-majors, especially non-science majors, can often be challenging as students sometimes do not feel or see a need to learn what they see as material that is irrelevant to their real life or future career. Linking the teaching of ecology to discussions of real world environmental problems or controversies is one way to engage students in the study of ecological principles (Pallant, 1996; Gill and Burke, 1999; Battles et al., 2003) . Different approaches to making these connections have been suggested (e.g., use of service-learning, Bixby et al., 2003; problem-based learning, Keller, 2002). Here I describe a course for first-year nonscience majors designed around modules that use major environmental issues as a context in which students can learn and apply basic ecological principles to questions they may encounter as citizens once they leave college. The Course.--The course is a First-year Seminar, a writing intensive course that is part of the first-year experience at Denison University. The particular course, FYS102, is a multi-section course with each section taught by a different professor and focusing on a different theme related to the professor ‟s discipline-thus there are science, humanities, social science, and fine arts sections. Each section of FYS102 has 12 – 20 students, and represents a selfcontained course lasting 14 weeks. My section was focused on the ecology of environmental problems and fulfilled a lab science general education requirement, as well as a quantitative reasoning competency requirement. My course met for three 1-hour long “lecture” periods and one 3-hour long lab period each week. I have taught this course twice (Spring 2005, Spring 2008) . Both times I taught the course the majority of students were non-science majors, although in Spring 2008 there were a substantial minority of students who were science majors or environmental studies (ENVS) majors (in Spring 2008, this course could count as a core course for ENVS majors) . Basic Course Organization.-- The course was organized around 5 modules covering a variety of environmental issues and each module was focused on a guiding question. Each module started with an introductory exercise, explored the under

FAQs

What is the main goal of the module-based environmental science course?

The course aims to teach non-science majors ecology by using major environmental issues as contexts for applying core ecological principles to real-world problems they may face as citizens.

How is each module structured?

Each module begins with an introduction to the guiding question, then investigates the basic science behind it, and finally explores human dimensions such as what can be done and the associated social, economic, or cultural factors.

What do students do at the end of the modules?

Each module includes laboratory exercises culminating in field-based, student-designed surveys of biodiversity on the Denison University Biological Reserve.

Oct 15, 2026

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