Duke Environmental Leadership Program

Environmental Communication for Behavior Change

Jan. 13 -- Feb. 22, 2009

Online Course
Facilitated by the Duke Environmental Leadership Program

Tuition: $650 for Workshop Credit; $1150 for Graduate Credit

Please register by December 23, 2008

Program Description:

This course provides environmental professionals with a practical introduction to the strategies, methods, and tools of environmental communication that effectively lead to changes in behavior. The field-based skills gained through this course will benefit all practicing environmental professionals faced with the challenge of changing behaviors.

Most often environmental professionals face problems and apply well-developed planning, management, engineering, and scientific principles to address their problems. The premise of this course is that most environmental problems are caused by human behavior and have long-term implications. To address and create long-term solutions to these problems, behavior needs to change. The newly emerging field of environmental communication brings together a set of behavior change tools that can help with environmental enforcement, compliance with regulations, and desired changes in behavior when no policy or law exists to force that behavior. Students will be exposed to the very fast growing set of resources – papers, publications, case studies, people, and programs that offer assistance in addressing behavior change questions.

The course is six weeks in length and is taught in an entirely online, distance learning format.

A different theme within the topic of environmental communication will be addressed each week:

Week One: Introduction to the Course
This week is meant to help us all get our heads around what we mean by behavior change and social marketing. It is also about taking the time to identify one specific project to focus on in this course. It will be a time to get to know each other as well.

Week Two: Introduction to Environmental Communication, Behavior Change and Social Marketing
What is it? How can we use it? Can you really change behavior? How does social marketing work at the community level? How can planners use it to address specific local problems?

Week Three: Behavior Change on Environmental Issues
What are the main theories of behavior change and how do they apply to our work as environmental professionals? This week is dedicated to starting the serious process of understanding the parts of making a campaign work.

Week Four: Designing a Campaign and the Importance of Research
This week participants will integrate the research portions of their work with the campaign planning.

Week Five: Policy Change & Advocacy
Often as environmental professionals, we are trying to enact or implement new policy. How do we effectively apply these behavior change ideas to policy? How do we get our messages to the right audiences? How do we get otherwise disinterested policy-makers to pay attention? How do we create a sense of urgency?

Week Six: No Call- Complete Final Paper

Course Details:

Structure

This course will require 40 contact hours over the 6-week class period. Time will include:

Five synchronous sessions of 1 1/2 hours each (one each week) where students and instructor will address the week’s theme and materials. Please note: Call times will not be determined until registration is closed. Times depend on registrant availability, which will be elicited via email to registrants.
Discussion via online conferencing tools, including bulletin boards and chat room. Participation will be encouraged through the posing of various questions based on readings, previous discussion, and future directions of the class. In addition to exploring general course topics, web discussion tools will also allow students to work through issues related to their paper topic – exploring opportunities and selecting the correct strategies with help from others in the class and instructor’s guidance.
Reading of assigned materials.
Creation of and response to final paper assignment addressing practical solution to environmental communication issue.

Requirements:

Class participation

One of the most critical elements of this class will be your personal contribution to the course through consistent postings to discussion boards and online chat sessions, as well as participation in conference calls. You will receive specific instructions for this requirement before the course commences.

Paper: An Environmental Communication/Behavior Change Strategy Addressing a Real Issue

This paper is a practical application of lessons from this course, translating what you learn into a usable strategy for yourself and/or other professionals in the field. The paper must address a real problem and real barriers and be able to be implemented within the reasonable set of resources of the players for whom you propose the strategy. Assignment details will be given at the beginning of the class.

Instructor

Brian Day is a well-recognized environmental educator and communicator with over 25 years experience in more than 30 countries. Brian is Founder and President of the International Institute for Environmental Communication. Brian is Editor of Applied Environmental Education and Communication, a peer-reviewed journal published by Taylor and Francis. Brian has taught graduate and undergraduate courses for the University of Michigan, and undergraduate courses for American University, Wayne State University, and the Washington Center. Brian has created a diversity of programs, initiated and provided communications training to thousands, and has raised well over $60 million for environmental programs.

General Information:

Tuition and Registration
There are two registration options for this course, Workshop or Graduate Credit.

Workshop:
$650 on or before December 23, 2008 ($725 after December 23, 2008). At the successful completion of the course, workshop participants will be mailed a certificate.

Graduate Credit:
$1150 on or before December 23, 2008 ($1225 after December 23, 2008). Course tuition includes registration and transcript fees for one unit of pass/fail graduate credit through the Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke University.

Cancellation & Refunds: Instructors have confirmed their participation. If for unforeseen and unavoidable circumstances a speaker cannot attend, instructional time will be filled with comparable instructors. If a course is canceled due to insufficient registrations, tuition will be refunded.

Cancellation of registration requires 14 days written notice prior to course start date. Individuals who do not attend and fail to send written notice prior to the deadline will be charged the full tuition. You may send a substitute to attend the course in your place. Extenuating circumstances will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

Technical Requirements:

Internet access:
Course participants need to arrange network access through their local internet service provider (ISP). Participants may wish to arrange for broadband access to the internet via a cable modem, DSL, or a satellite connection. Dial up connections will work, but may hamper the speed at which coursework can be completed. We cannot provide support for your network connection nor can we help you with any home networking equipment such as firewalls, routers, or switches.

Software:
Familiarity with web-based applications, word processing software, and email applications will be helpful. The course will be facilitated using Blackboard™ distance learning software.