This summer, the National Great Rivers Research and Education Center (NGRREC), located at the confluence of the Mississippi, Illinois, and Missouri Rivers, is offering a two week course in Large River Floodplain Ecology through the University of Illinois. The course will meet June 16-26 at NGRREC in Alton, IL. Students will work directly in large river floodplain ecosystems, which generally consist of a mosaic of land and water containing bottomland forests, grasslands, islands, backwaters, sloughs, side channels, and wetlands. Students will learn how historic management practices have impacted these river systems, and how current science-based approaches to management and ecological restoration are impacting river health and sustainability. Monitoring the biological and physical components of riverine habitats is a key part of this process, and students will become familiar with the types of quantitative assessments common to the field of river ecology.
* Undergraduate students take the course as NRES 285 (http://oce.illinois.edu/Section/30222/120145)-estimated tuition and fees for non-UIUC students: $918 (includes housing) * Graduate or non-degree seeking students with a bachelor's degree may take it for graduate credit as NRES 499 (http://oce.illinois.edu/Section/37944/120145)-estimated tuition and fees for non-UIUC students: $988 (includes housing) Foundations in Environmental Education (NRES 499 section XM, 3 credit hours, Meets online Tuesdays 6:30-8:30 pm Central Time from May 27-August 12) As science education adapts to comply with the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS - 2013) and teachers help prepare students for science, technology, engineering, and math careers (STEM) it is important that both formal and informal educators provides opportunities to further the understanding of human dependence on natural ecosystems, improve awareness of environmental problems, and promote environmental literacy. This course will familiarize online students with the history of environmental education, assumptions of environmental literacy (including concepts, skills, and behavior), current trends in education practices (such as place-based and garden-based learning), and the professional responsibilities of the environmental educator. Estimated tuition and fees for the course for non-UIUC students: $1311. Environmental Psychology (NRES 472, 4 credit hours, Meets online Mondays 6:30-9:00 pm Central Time from June 2-August 18 except July 21st and 28th) Theory and research in environmental psychology. Topics include environmental perception, cognition, experience, values and emotion, perceived environmental quality, environmental hazards and risk perception, and conservation attitudes and behavior. Prerequisite: Introductory Psychology. Estimated tuition and fees for the course for non-UIUC students: $1748.
