14.4.6 Atelier Courses
Another approach that has proved effective in student education is to
develop graduate-level “atelier” style workshop/field-courses that integrate
transdisciplinary graduate education and environmental problem solving.
The atelier approach is being developed by the University of Maryland
Institute for Ecological Economics. “Atelier” is French for “artisan’s workshop,” and the method employs a combination interdisciplinary workshop,
case study, design studio, and guest lecture system rolled into one. Each
workshop focuses on a specific environmental problem selected and
14. Educational Investments
277
Sidebar 14.2
Teaching model development and implementation
Promoting effective communication skills is an important component
of the “Systems Approaches to Natural Resource Modeling” course
offered to graduate students in the Department of Fisheries and
Wildlife Sciences at the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. This course is an introductory modeling course that teaches
students the goals, processes, applications, benefits, and limitations of
natural resource modeling. Students learn by participating in the
modeling process, from defining the goals of a model related to their
dissertation topics, to building a prototype of the model, to presenting their results.
At the end of the class, each student gives two presentations of
the model’s results. One presentation is meant to be a formal technical presentation, similar to one that might be given at a professional
society. Students are expected to present the methods and results
to their fellow students as peers. The second presentation is meant to
be a presentation to a decision maker, to someone without a strong
technical background who would need to apply the results of the
model.
The students have very little trouble with the technical presentation. Most have given many scientific presentations previously. It is
quite different with the nontechnical presentation. They are given 10
minutes to tell the room full of “decision makers” the bottom line of
their model in terms that the decision makers will understand and in
a way to keep them interested. The students say that this is one of the
toughest parts of the class. But it is one of the most important. When
the students get to the real world, they will be giving many nontechnical presentations, and if they want to be effective, they need to give
them well.
Another approach that has proved effective in student education is to
develop graduate-level “atelier” style workshop/field-courses that integrate
transdisciplinary graduate education and environmental problem solving.
The atelier approach is being developed by the University of Maryland
Institute for Ecological Economics. “Atelier” is French for “artisan’s workshop,” and the method employs a combination interdisciplinary workshop,
case study, design studio, and guest lecture system rolled into one. Each
workshop focuses on a specific environmental problem selected and
14. Educational Investments
277
Sidebar 14.2
Teaching model development and implementation
Promoting effective communication skills is an important component
of the “Systems Approaches to Natural Resource Modeling” course
offered to graduate students in the Department of Fisheries and
Wildlife Sciences at the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. This course is an introductory modeling course that teaches
students the goals, processes, applications, benefits, and limitations of
natural resource modeling. Students learn by participating in the
modeling process, from defining the goals of a model related to their
dissertation topics, to building a prototype of the model, to presenting their results.
At the end of the class, each student gives two presentations of
the model’s results. One presentation is meant to be a formal technical presentation, similar to one that might be given at a professional
society. Students are expected to present the methods and results
to their fellow students as peers. The second presentation is meant to
be a presentation to a decision maker, to someone without a strong
technical background who would need to apply the results of the
model.
The students have very little trouble with the technical presentation. Most have given many scientific presentations previously. It is
quite different with the nontechnical presentation. They are given 10
minutes to tell the room full of “decision makers” the bottom line of
their model in terms that the decision makers will understand and in
a way to keep them interested. The students say that this is one of the
toughest parts of the class. But it is one of the most important. When
the students get to the real world, they will be giving many nontechnical presentations, and if they want to be effective, they need to give
them well.