by Margaret Workman
This project incorporated a service-learning component into a global learning experience (GLE) course between DePaul University (Chicago, USA) and the University of Uyo (Uyo, Nigeria). Students worked in groups to investigate the environmental, health, and economic impacts of the fossil fuel industry on their respective communities. Students worked with citizen groups, collected environmental data, and created strategies that supported community-based programs to manage and reduce the impacts of oil and coal on human development. Students used air, water, and soil test kits to monitor the environmental quality in their area. The data was uploaded to a common website and analyzed. The students presented their data to each other and the community groups. They discussed similarities and differences in the data and developed culturally appropriate strategies that the community groups could use to advocate for environmental justice. This project helped students meet learning outcomes related to intercultural and global understanding. The students were provided with an opportunity to interact as peers and work collaboratively on a final project that merged their respective experiences of impacts due to fossil fuel use. Students learned that the underlying determinants of the environmental crises due to fossil fuel use are related to systems that are global in nature, and solutions to these challenges will require approaches that recognize and integrate global interconnectedness. More importantly, this project supported community group initiatives by providing the citizens with skills for collecting and analyzing environmental data for use in educational, advocacy, and lobbying activities.
Margaret Workman is an instructor of Environmental Science at DePaul University in Chicago, IL. She specializes in environmental chemistry, science education pedagogy, and online learning.