ith the click of a red “Enroll” button, anyone with internet access—and who can read and understand English—becomes a student of top experts in climate change based in Fairbanks. The button is on the website edx.org, host of massive open online courses (MOOCs) offered by institutions of higher learning around the world. Berkeley, Harvard, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology are charter members of edX, and so is UAF. For its eCampus initiative, UAF chose edX as its platform for a dozen MOOCs, including two sets of three courses that can, for a relatively small fee, lead to professional certificates in geographic information systems (GIS) and sports business management.

One of the newest courses, launched last November, is Climate Change in Arctic Environments. Over four weeks, students watch video presentations from UAF’s world-class climate modelers, biologists, and social scientists to understand the effects of global warming on the atmosphere, land, water, animals, and people of the Arctic region. All that—plus climate modeling tools and links to additional materials—free of charge.

For an extra a $139, students have access to graded assessments toward a verified certificate issued by edX upon successful completion.

UAF scientists have researched climate change since the late ‘90s through the International Arctic Research Center (IARC).

“The warning signals really started showing in the 1990s but have accelerated since 2000,” says John Walsh, IARC chief scientist. “What is happening in the Arctic is a preview to what will happen elsewhere if we don’t get it under control.”

Given the expertise of the UAF research faculty and the amount of data accumulated over the years, the IARC communications group figured a MOOC made perfect sense. Walsh emphasizes that the instructors selected for this course are the experts in their field globally. He says these scientists have dedicated their entire careers to studying the Arctic and the effects of climate change. They provide decision-makers with data, and their reports inform discussions about tackling climate change worldwide.

As co-lead instructor, Walsh worked with IARC’s Alaska Climate Specialist Rick Thoman to outline the course. In the videos, Walsh and Thoman introduce each topic and the experts who provide specific instruction. UAF enlisted thirty experts to produce 10-minute video lessons and assist with additional content for the course.

Developing the course took longer than most people might expect, Walsh says. From the original proposal in early 2021 until production wrapped in October, the team took about nine months to define the syllabus, identify speakers, draft talking points, ensure that presentations didn’t overlap, film the modules, and complete the design of online activities and reading materials in each module. Unlike a syllabus where the instructor can improvise throughout a semester, a MOOC is entirely front-loaded and finished before students ever show up.

Walsh attributes the smooth development of the course to Mike DeLue, IARC’s science communicator. In addition to assisting Walsh and Thoman with organizing the course structure, DeLue also managed the input from experts and its implementation into the course. DeLue worked with eCampus, the UAF team responsible for the university’s online education program, to create content for each module and ensure deadlines were met. He describes his primary role as the touchpoint between the professors and researchers who were producing the content and the eCampus team who had the expertise in how to build this kind of course, structure it well, and handle both video production and course design.

DeLue faced a few challenges during development. He says subject matter experts are extraordinarily busy people, so they graciously took the time to format their research and information in an accessible way. However, some experts were unfamiliar with the MOOC approach. Revising scripts and scheduling video shoots also created obstacles at times. Since the goal of the course is to educate the broadest possible audience, producers often had to find the right balance between scientific detail and accessible material.

“Flexibility is the key in these respects,” says DeLue. “Considering the context both from the course design and learner sides was critical. Support from the individual experts, the eCampus team, and Rick and John also helped smooth out any bumps and motivate us all through the lengthy course-development process.”

“The Climate Change in Arctic Environments course complements the other eleven courses currently available from UAF on the edX platform,” says Sean Holland, media and innovation manager at UAF eCampus. In addition to the GIS and sports management certificate programs, those eCampus offerings include the courses Arctic Security Fundamentals; Salmon, People, and Place; and One Health: A Ten-Thousand-Year-Old View into the Future—the core of a nascent Arctic studies curriculum.

Holland estimates three to five hours per week for coursework and homework. Since the course is self-paced, each student’s due dates are individually customized.

As of the start of the 2022 spring semester, 848 students have enrolled in Climate Change and Arctic Environments. Juneau student Sean Eagan says he took the course because of a personal interest in how Alaska has changed over the years. He found the class more fun than he expected. Though initially skeptical of an online course, he said the edX platform is easy to learn and user-friendly.

“This course really expanded my understanding of climate change,” says Eagan. “It’s not just melting sea ice, but about vegetation, food, and the migration pattern of animals. There are so many different changes, and the impact is far-reaching.”

Climate is changing in the polar regions more rapidly than in the rest of the world, DeLue says, but changes will eventually ripple through ecosystems across the globe. Glacial and sea ice melt contributes to rising ocean levels, which alters wind patterns that affect weather elsewhere.

“Mid-latitude weather in the most recent years has had extreme cold waves and droughts,” says Walsh.

“For us, the impacts of climate change are immediate,” DeLue adds. “Having the best information and the necessary background knowledge can help us all adapt and plan for the future.”

Rick Thoman (background left) and John Walsh (right) record video introductions for Climate Change in Arctic Environments.

UAF

Students who enroll in the course shouldn’t feel intimidated by the complicated math equations or other scientific material, Eagan says. The instructors adequately explain all the concepts and how they apply to climate change.

UAF released the course on the edX platform to reach a broad audience. Both UAF and edX share similar goals for online content; one of edX’s mission statements is, “Increase access to high-quality education for everyone, everywhere.” edX has a global user base of tens of millions of learners from every country in the world. To ensure that the course is accessible worldwide, the lectures and corresponding material have been translated into Spanish, French, Russian, Japanese, and Zhōngwén Chinese.

Thoman says the value of Climate Change in Arctic Environments is that it provides an “up to the minute” overview of what’s happening in the Arctic across multiple disciplines. He says the course is more than a “textbook” review, and students hear directly from experts in various related fields while obtaining additional resources for a deeper understanding of the material.

“I hope one of the big takeaways is that more people understand that our changing climate has consequences far beyond poor conditions for polar bears,” says Thoman. “From the question of ‘What’s for dinner tonight?’, concerns for indigenous communities, and health impacts from wildfire smoke to increased industrial shipping and national security concerns, our changing environment has caused and will continue to drive rapid changes in the lives of peoples all around the Arctic.”

Walsh says he hopes students completing the course realize that changes in the Arctic aren’t confined to the polar region, which could spur them to take action. Fully reversing climate change would take more than 100 years, he says, meaning most people won’t live long enough to see it happen in their lifetime. However, people can limit further damage and stabilize the Arctic if they take drastic action to reach net carbon neutrality as soon as possible.

“The goal isn’t so much to get back to where things were,” says Walsh, “as much as making sure things don’t get much worse.”