Welcome to the Course
We are delighted to welcome you in the "Conservation in Asia: Challenges and Opportunities" course! This course will provide in-depth knowledge about the interdisciplinary nature of conservation issues in Asia. Apart from learning about course content, you will also develop critical thinking, reflective judgment and enhance your skills in finding effective solutions to conservation issues through reviewing relevant policies and practices and discussing real-life conservation issues in Asia. In this course, we expect you to actively participate in the discussion, conduct self-reflection, peer reviews, and collaborative work with their peers for co-creation of knowledge to master shifting paradigms, policy, and process in conservation and development issues in Asia. Acquiring this knowledge and skills, we believe, contributes to a broader understanding of global sustainability.
How to take the course?
This course consists of four complementary modules and each module has 3-4 topics. Hence, we strongly recommend you to follow the course progressively from start to end as directed in the syllabus. This is particularly important for the students who are registered for the credit.
As provided in the syllabus and learning activities, there are mandatory assignments, which must be completed and will be graded. In the 1st week, you are expected to submit a self-introduction video and complete the Pre-course Survey. Then, each week, you will go through the self-explanatory lecture presentation and read the assigned readings. The readings are an integral part of the course, therefore, spend time on completing them according to the proposed schedule. Based on the lecture presentation and reading, you are also expected to respond to the discussion questions posted by an instructor with 150-450 words, actively participate in the discussion followed by at least two peer comments (each comment 100-350 words). After completing each topic/module, you are expected to complete the mandatory quiz. Please see details in the syllabus and learning activities. On week 8th, you are expected to submit a term paper proposal (800-1000 words with 8-12 key references) related to conservation issues in Asia. During the progress of the course, you are expected to develop a full term paper based on the term paper proposal. Please go through the syllabus and learning activities for details on the deadline and direction to complete the task. On week 13th, each of you will record an audio-visual presentation summarizing the key findings of your term paper (15 minutes) and upload it to the course CANVAS site for feedback, please consult the syllabus and learning activities for details. On week 16th, you are required to submit your final term paper (2500-3000 words) and complete the post-course survey, please see the syllabus and learning activities for details.
How to advance in the course?
Make sure that you complete all the modules, topics, and assignments as suggested in the syllabus. There are four modules and each module contains 4 topics. Each week, you will start with an overview of the module and topic introducing key concepts and key points related to the assigned module and topic. Then, you will review in detail with a lecture PowerPoint presentation followed by the assigned readings. And finally, complete the mandatory quiz. Read the instructions and assignments carefully, and ask for help when you need it.
What’s my advice?
To successfully complete the course, please be regular, follow the deadline, be proactive and participate actively in the course. Do not wait until the last moment to complete the assignments. If you have any confusion, do not hesitate to contact your instructor or teaching assistants. Be curious, actively participate in the learning activities, read all the readings, and become an active agent of this collaborative learning.
|