Active Learning : a Supportive Teaching Method to Address Climate Change in Higher Education

Abstract: Universities world wide do efforts to integrate education on climate change in the educational programs, but teaching about climate change is challenging: the climate system is complex, future prognoses include difficult terms of likeliness and the topic as such awakes emotions. Simulations and games are sometimes used to address climate change matters, and along with an increasing number of available interactive online simulations there is an on-going revolution in how online-material is used to provide students with information in higher education. Some practitioners move parts of the informative course material online in order to get more time for active learning – learning processes in which the student is participating more actively than just listening. This master thesis investigates if active learning can support students when learning about climate change in higher technical education. Data for the research was collected through three case studies of interactive seminars, in climate related courses at the Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden, and at the University of Graz, Austria. The active learning was facilitated through gaming sessions with a climate board game, with exercises in vocabulary and discussions as well as explanations of the physical science basis. One student group was provided with a series of lectures prior to the board gaming session, whereas the other two groups were participating in a single seminar with the flipped classroom approach: students followed a study instruction with online material as well as reading of scientific papers on Earth’s climate system and climate change before the interactive gaming seminar took place. Analysis of survey responds (n=102), mind-map reflections (n=14) and interviews (n=5) led to the development of three key findings: (1) students’ attitudes toward learning about climate change involves emotions, (2) the active gaming seminar increased the students’ understanding of climate change and (3) students’ confidence - in their own understanding as well as in their ability to explain climate change – increased through the participation in the active learning seminar. Moreover, a reflection drawn from the results in this study indicates that universities could play an important role in climate communication; if a university provides an introduction to climate change, the students can be “pushed over a threshold”, so that future participation in discussions on the topic may become less distant. Using games as an active learning tool in the introduction can increase student understanding and confidence in the topic of climate change - and doing so in a supportive and enjoyable manner.