eeCourse: Climate Literacy

Description: 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 California-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.

Timing: This roughly 8-week course takes approximately 15 hours to complete. The course runs from August 20 through October 15, 2025. This is our first time offering this course in California and we anticipate we will offer more sessions in the future. 

Format: This is an asynchronous online course, with an optional live session over Zoom to discuss content application to your teaching with other course participants.

• All activities must be completed independently on your own time/schedule within the 8-week timeframe. 

• We will provide a suggested timeline and periodic reminders to encourage the timely completion of assignments. While we want to be flexible, we also want these learning experiences to be meaningful and we think timely and periodic work in the course will benefit participants more than trying to complete coursework at the last minute.

• Coursework includes watching videos, reading articles, posting on public forums and Padlet boards, and writing/recording personal reflections.

• The course is managed through Moodle - participants will be sent an invitation to access the course on the start date. 

The course is moderated by Jasjeet Dhanota, AEOE's Communications and Relationships Manager.

One graduate unit is available upon completion of the course (the unit costs $79 and is purchased separately from University of San Diego). Note that you must also submit a certificate of competition in order to receive your transcript.