Course Overview

Welcome to Climate Literacy! This rigorous online course is designed for communicators, educators, and community leaders who want to deepen their understanding of the science behind climate change and evidence-based, equitable solutions needed to address it. Participants will explore how climate systems function, how human actions influence climate, and how climate influences people and other parts of the Earth system. The course combines scientific readings, engaging videos, interactive simulations, systems thinking activities, and data visualizations to support a rich learning experience. While it does not focus on teaching strategies, it provides a strong scientific foundation to support confident, informed engagement with climate education materials. In addition to global climate science, the course incorporates Colorado-based resources and data to ground concepts in real-world examples; while these materials are locally focused, they serve as valuable case studies that offer insights and applications relevant to participants from any region.

Objectives and Expectations

By the end of this course, you will be able to:

• Explain how Earth’s climate system functions and analyze the relationships between human systems and Earth systems.
• Interpret and apply the Climate Literacy: Essential Principles for Understanding and Addressing Climate Change (2024) to evaluate real-world climate issues and solutions
• Develop, evaluate, and justify strategies for mitigating and adapting to climate change.

As a student of this course, it is expected that you:

• Commit the time required to complete all readings, assignments, and assessments. 
• Complete Modules 1-9 and their associated assignments.
• Submit the final course evaluation. 

Prerequisites

• Experience working in education is not required but highly encouraged. 
  
• Experience using and sharing Google Docs.
• College level reading, writing, and critical thinking skills.

Required Materials

• Laptop or desktop computer with internet access. 

Completing Tasks and Assignments

Throughout the course, documents will be provided in the form of Google Docs. "Make a Copy" under the File menu to edit it as your own. If necessary, you can download it as a Word document, yet this is not preferred. Assignments should be submitted as Google Docs by using the file link-sharing feature. If you have questions or would prefer another option, please contact the course moderator before submitting your first assignment.


Grading and Optional Credit

• Periodic assessments throughout each module must be completed with at least 80% accuracy or a score of 2 as indicated on the scoring guide provided. 
• To receive a certificate of completion, you must complete all assignments and receive the scores as indicated above. You must also participate in the online discussion.
• 1 semester hour of CSM credit can be earned from the Adams State University for an additional $55. If you are interested in earning CSM credit, you will need to complete the course with a grade of 2 or more on all assignments and pay here at any point during the course term.

Important Dates

This course runs for 8 weeks, from June 1 - July 24, 2026. This is a completely asynchronous course. You may learn at your own pace. However, we strongly recommend that you spread out your work so that you aren’t rushed at the end. To help with that, we’ve set suggested deadlines for activities throughout the course. I will also be sending regular emails reminding you to keep up the great work!

• Module 1 – Complete by June 5
• Module 2 – Complete by June 12
• Module 3 – Complete by June 19
• Module 4 – Complete by June 24
• Module 5 – Complete by June 29
• Module 6 – Complete by July 3
• Module 7 – Complete by July 10
• Module 8 – Complete by July 17
• Module 9 – Complete by July 24

Additionally, you will be required to attend at least one 1-hour online discussion with fellow eeCourse participants to share ideas, reflections on course materials, and/or final course project materials. You will receive a Doodle Poll via email to complete in order to schedule a time that works best.


Meet Your Course Moderator

You will have one moderator for this course, Sarah Johnson. The moderator is here to review your assignments, provide scores and feedback. You can reach Sarah at sarah@wildroseeducation.com. Read more about Sarah below:

Hello everyone!
My name is Sarah Johnson and I am thrilled to be moderating this Climate Literacy eeCourse. I designed wrote this course for CAEE and am really looking forward to sharing it with each of you. I have been focused on climate literacy education for educators for the past 5+ years focusing on the Colorado River Basin of the West, Canada and forests, and the Arctic Ocean and sea ice. 
I run a small independent education gig, Wild Rose Education where I am busy designing, teaching, and facilitating innovative environmental education learning experiences at the national and sometimes international level. I have lived in western Colorado since 2004 and currently live in Basalt, Colorado.  
A couple fun facts about me: I attended the UNFCCC COP26 (UN climate meeting) in Glasgow, Scotland in 2021, every year I grow a large vegetable garden, and I play a variety of musical instruments.
I'm looking forward to getting to know a bit about each of the students in this course and participate in this learning journey together. 
Cheers,
Sarah

Get to Know the Course

This course was partially supported by a grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 8 Environmental Education Grants. It has not been formally reviewed by EPA. The views expressed in this document are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the Agency.