CAM in action
We have found the CAM approach of integrating media production into climate change education to be very effective at the high school, undergraduate, and graduate student levels. Examples of CAM in action include:
University-level course on climate change: Climate Change: Science, Communication, and Solutions
As part of the CAM project, we have developed a cross-disciplinary course at the upper undergraduate and graduate levels entitled Climate Change: Science, Communication, and Solutions.The course seeks to provide students with the tools and knowledge that they need to develop their own well-informed view of climate change. Because climate change is both impacted by humans and will increasingly impact society, the course takes a cross-disciplinary approach, integrating science, policy solutions, and media literacy as they relate to climate change. In the first half of the course, students examine scientific concepts drawn from diverse fields, including atmospheric science, physical climatology, biogeochemistry, and ecology. Students learn about current and projected climate change and its impacts though inquiry-based analysis of climate data and visualization resources. The course then focuses on communication and policy solutions as they relate to climate change. Students work together in teams to produce a short video conveying their own perspective on a climate change science topic and its implications for society. Through this project, students both engage with science content and also improve their literacy in a medium that is emerging as a major means of communication. This literacy provides a means to:
- Become more sophisticated consumers of media related to climate change
- Provide a vehicle for active exploration and learning about climate change science
- Empower students to join the larger societal conversation about climate change
More information and resources used in this course can be found here.
High school program on climate change science and media: YEP! (Youth Educating the Public!).
For middle and high school students, climate change is an issue that has always been present in their lives. During this five-week summer program for high school students, students were introduced to key concepts about climate change science, impacts, adaptation, and mitigation. The students then wrote, produced and edited a range of media projects, including a newscast, animation, music video, game show, and experimental film about the specific aspects of the issue that they wanted to communicate to the public. Their motivation and perspective on their work became clear when they named the program YEP! for Youth Educating the Public.
