Online G3 is offering this dual enrollment course in collaboration with Arizona State University. Content is provided by ASU. Support services and live webinars are provided by Online G3. Your $25 registration fee goes directly to ASU for access to course materials. The $275 G3 tuition provides access to Online G3 live webinars, support services, and included software.
This course introduces the interconnected nature of Earth’s hydrosphere, lithosphere (soils and rocks), atmosphere, and biosphere. It covers a variety of topics related to environmental science. The first part of the course focuses on how soils, the hydrosphere and atmosphere act to support life. The next section introduces the biosphere and how ecosystems work. The third section focuses on energy use and global climate change. Other topics include pollution, solid waste & recycling, and the design of sustainable communities. Throughout the course, students will reflect upon their role in the environment.
The course materials consist of video lectures, readings (including two free textbooks), quizzes, discussion board activities, and several lab assignments/quizzes. These lab assignments will be interactive and provide all the instructions necessary to complete the lab experiments yourself from your home.
Topics Include:
- The role that organisms (including humans) play in the cycling of energy and resources on Earth
- The four Earth spheres (biosphere, atmosphere, lithosphere and hydrosphere) and how energy and matter is cycled through these spheres
- The importance of ecosystems and biodiversity on human survival
- Informed arguments about public policy, especially regarding energy production and renewable versus nonrenewable resources, that can improve our environmental outlook
- Scientific reasoning and data to make predictions about energy use/consumption, land use, and human population
- The complexity of global climate change models and the data behind them
- Anthropogenic effects on the environment
- Waste reduction and recycling strategies using an understanding of issues with solid waste disposal
This is an intensive 16-week college class for teens who have already excelled in advanced high school classes. Weekly webinars with a G3 instructor are 50 minutes long. Recordings are available for students who must miss a session.
Required books:
- All resources are provided online in the ASU classroom at no cost
Exams and grading
- 1% Syllabus Quiz
- 1% Academic Integrity Quiz
- 2% Personal Introduction
- 16% Discussions
- 28% Apply It! Lab Quizzes
- 52% Unit Quizzes
All assignments must be submitted by the stated deadlines. ASU Online does not permit the submission of late work under ANY circumstances.
Please note that students will need access to a Mac or Windows PC to complete the lab simulations in this class. Mobile devices and Chromebooks are not supported.
ASU Credit
Student progress is closely monitored by G3 staff to help students achieve success in each course. However, at the end of the course, the student has the option to decide whether or not to place the course on an official ASU transcript for college credit. This allows the student to earn high school credit and attempt college credit without fear of failure! Students can choose to drop or audit the ASU course at any time. If the student chooses to finish the course and place the credits on an official ASU transcript, an additional $400 fee (set by ASU and payable directly to ASU) will apply.
