Friday, January 26, 2001

U. of Idaho Students Learn How Toxic Substances Affect the Environment By JESSICA LUDWIG Title: "Principles of Environmental Toxicology" Institution: University of Idaho Instructor: Gregory Möller, a professor of food science and toxicology Course Content: The course covers environmental toxicology -- the study of the properties, effects, and detection of toxic substances in the environment. A few of the topics discussed include absorption of toxicants, carcinogenesis, mutagenesis, and risk assessment. Students also study how chemicals found in environmental contaminants are tested and regulated. Delivery: Classroom and Web (online, students can choose to watch lectures either live or on compressed video) Requirements: Students must complete two midterm examinations, one final, and two papers. Students must also submit homework assignments electronically after each lecture. The assignments are linked to the course "dashboard," a computer interface for online students that includes an embedded Real Audio and Video Player, Web-based PowerPoint slides, and links to other course materials. The first paper is about a case study of an environmental toxicant; the second paper is a review of a science book intended for a general audience. When offered: Fall semester Enrollment: 17 graduate students enrolled in the course last fall. Unusual features: Students decide the topic for one of the course's lectures, called the Socrates Award Lecture. This past semester, Christian Daughton, an expert from the Environmental Protection Agency, gave the lecture by telephone as students viewed PowerPoint slides in the classroom or over the Web. The lecture, "Pharmaceuticals and Personal-Care Products," described the possible harmful environmental effects of commonly used drugs. Instructor comment: Producing his own content for the course not only makes the subject matter more personal but also has the bonus of avoiding copyright infringement, says Mr. Möller. He contributes his own digital videos to the course, including some that he filmed at hazardous waste sites while on summer vacations with his family. "You just whip out the camera, and you've got content," he says. This is the first time Mr. Möller has taught a course on the Web, and he says he did not foresee the tremendous amount of time he would need to invest in it. He sometimes spends 30 to 40 hours preparing one 80-minute lecture. He says he makes "a conscious effort to be a little more scripted and formal" because the lectures will be on the Web for posterity. However, he says that approach can cause students to form a "disconnect with the professor," so he also tries to humanize the environment -- to "add a hot touch even though it's a cold medium" -- by employing such techniques as video scans of the classroom. Student comments: Adell K. Heneghan, who finished her master's degree in natural-resource management at the university in December, enrolled in the course as a distance-education student. Ms. Heneghan owns her own company and completed most of her degree online. "Labs would have been helpful, especially since I was new to the material, but you have to consider the opportunity and convenience," she says. Laura A. Hanson, a first-year Ph.D. student in soil sciences at Washington State University, watched compressed video lectures of the course on Tuesdays and attended in person on Thursdays. "What I really liked about it was I could go back and review it easily," she says. "I became a lot more Internet savvy. I wasn't very good about finding pertinent information before." About the Socrates lecture, she says: "That was one of my favorite parts of the class. It encouraged everyone to go out and do additional research." U.R.L.: http://www.its.uidaho.edu/etox/ Know of an especially interesting online course? Tell us about it in an e-mail message. Easy-to-print version E-mail this article

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