dynalearn environmental science curriculum requirements

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2009/07/31 2009/08/09 University o f Brasilia (FUB) Version 06 (final) PU (public) Paulo Salles, Pedro Assumpção Costa e Silva, Isabella Gontijo de Sá, Richard Noble, Andreas Zitek, Yordan Uzunov, and Davi Mioduser.

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D6.1

DynaLearn environmental science curriculum requirements

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231526 DynaLearn DynaLearn - Engaging and informed tools for learning conceptual system knowledge February 1st, 2009 36 Months FP7-ICT-2007-3 Collaborative project (STREP)

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Abstract

ThisDeliverableprovidesthebackgroundandplanningtowardsthedefinitionoftherequirementsforthedevelopmentofanEnvironmentalSciencecurriculuminwhichconceptual modelling and the new DynaLearn software can be used to enhancelearningofsecondaryschoolandundergraduatestudents.

Acknowledgements

Wewould liketothanktheUniversityofBrasíliaandthepartnersoftheproject fortheir contributions during the discussions and preparation of this Deliverable,particularlytoBertBredeweg,RichardNobleandAndreasZitek.

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Document History

Version Modification(s) Date Author(s)

01 Firstversion 2009/07/17 Salles,SilvaandSá

02 Secondversion 2009/07/27 Salles,SilvaandSá,withcontributionsfromNoble

03 Thirdversion 2009/07/29Salles, Silva and Sá, with contributions from NobleandZitek,andNoble’sreview

04 Forthversion 2009/07/31Salles, Silva and Sá, with contributions from Noble,Uzunov,MiouserandZitek,andNoble’sreview

05 Finalversion 2009/08/03Salles,Silva,Sá,withcontributionsfromNoble,Zitek,Uzunov,MioduserandBredeweg’sreview

06 Layoutoptimisation 2009/08/09 Bredeweg

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Contents

Abstract ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________2

Acknowledgements ________________________________________________________________________________________________2

DocumentHistory __________________________________________________________________________________________________3

Contents_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________4

1.Introduction ______________________________________________________________________________________________________6

2.DynaLearnsoftwareimplementation __________________________________________________________________________7

2.1.Conceptualmodellingenvironment ___________________________________________________________________7

2.1.1.Conceptmap _____________________________________________________________________________________7

2.1.2.Basiccausalmodel _______________________________________________________________________________8

2.1.3.Basiccausalmodelwithstate‐graph ___________________________________________________________8

2.1.4.Causaldifferentiation ___________________________________________________________________________8

2.1.5.Conditionalknowledge _________________________________________________________________________9

2.1.6.Genericandreusableknowledge_______________________________________________________________9

2.1.7.Metadata__________________________________________________________________________________________9

2.2.Virtualcharacters ________________________________________________________________________________________9

2.3.Semantictechnology___________________________________________________________________________________ 10

3.Analisysofexistingcurriculaonenvironmentalscience ___________________________________________________ 11

3.1.EUdirectivesforscienceeducation___________________________________________________________________ 11

3.2.Existingcurriculainenvironmentalscienceatthenationallevel _________________________________ 11

3.2.1.Environmentalscienceatsecondaryeducationallevel_____________________________________ 12

3.2.2.Environmentalscienceattheuniversitylevel_______________________________________________ 13

3.3.Educationalgoalstobeachievedinenvironmentalscience _______________________________________ 13

3.3.1.Contentspecificgoals__________________________________________________________________________ 14

3.3.2.Genericlearninggoals_________________________________________________________________________ 14

3.4.OrganisingtheDynaLearnenvironmentalsciencecurriculum____________________________________ 16

4.Criteriaforselectingthemestobeaddressedinthecurriculum __________________________________________ 18

4.1.Relevanceforenvironmentalscience ________________________________________________________________ 18

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4.1.1.Earthsystemsandresources __________________________________________________________________ 18

4.1.2.Thelivingworld _______________________________________________________________________________ 19

4.1.3.Humanpopulation ____________________________________________________________________________ 20

4.1.4.Landandwateruse____________________________________________________________________________ 21

4.1.5.Energyresourcesandconsumption __________________________________________________________ 22

4.1.6.Pollution________________________________________________________________________________________ 24

4.1.7.Globalchanges _________________________________________________________________________________ 25

4.2.Thelocalcontext _______________________________________________________________________________________ 26

4.2.1.BOKU____________________________________________________________________________________________ 26

4.2.2.CLGE ____________________________________________________________________________________________ 27

4.2.3.FUB______________________________________________________________________________________________ 28

4.2.4.TAU______________________________________________________________________________________________ 28

4.2.5.UH _______________________________________________________________________________________________ 29

4.3.LearningenhancementbyusingDynaLearntools __________________________________________________ 29

4.3.1.Earthsystemsandresources:Ecologicalservices(FUB) ____________________________________ 29

4.3.2.GlobalChanges:Consumerism(FUB) ________________________________________________________ 31

5.Detaileddescriptionoftheselectedtopics___________________________________________________________________ 33

5.1.TopicstobedevelopedinWP6 ______________________________________________________________________ 33

5.1.1.Topicsonearthsystemandresources________________________________________________________ 33

5.1.2.Topicsonthelivingworld ____________________________________________________________________ 34

5.1.3.Topicsonhumanpopulation_________________________________________________________________ 35

5.1.4.Topicsonlandandwateruse ________________________________________________________________ 37

5.1.5.Topicsonenergyresourcesandconsumption ______________________________________________ 38

5.1.6.Topicsonpollution____________________________________________________________________________ 40

5.1.7.Topicsonglobalchanges ______________________________________________________________________ 41

6.Discussionandfinalremarks _________________________________________________________________________________ 43

References ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 45

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1. Introduction

ThisDeliverablepresentsasetofthemesforthedevelopmentofcurriculaandcontentsonEnvironmentalscience,tobeusedasatestbedforthesoftwareproducedintheDynaLearnproject.Infact,educationinthe concepts of Environmental science shapes students' capacity for understanding the interactionsbetween humansand the naturalworld.This domainofknowledge exploresecosystems,communities,andpopulations livinginarangeofenvironments(water,landandatmosphere)andthephysicalandchemicalfactorsthatinfluencethem.Inadditiontothesenaturalphenomena,Environmentalscienceandmanagement disciplines consider the influence on the living world of man‐made abstract systems,embedded in things such as society, institutions, legislation, governance, public policies, economy,religion,scienceandtechnologyandartamongstothers.

TheEnvironmentalsciencecurriculumcreatedfortheDynaLearnprojectisbasedonsevenmainthemes: Earthsystemsandresources,Thelivingworld,Humanpopulation,LandandwaterUse,Energyresourcesandconsumption,Pollution,andGlobalchanges.ThisdocumentdescribeskeycontentandobjectivesofEnvironmentalsciencecurricula implemented in institutionsofthefiveprojectpartnercountries.FromthisthetopicstobeexploredinDynaLearncurriculawereselected.Morethan600topicsrelatedtothemain themesmentioned above were identified during this initial phase, after which the topics werefilteredto70coretopics,withtentopicspermaintheme.

Thetopicswereselected inordertofulfilthefollowingrequirements:therelevanceforEnvironmentalscience curricula, providing a comprehensive coverage of interesting issues; the adequacy to eachpartner’seducationalcontext,inwhichspecificinterestsandpeculiaritiesshouldbeconsideredinorderto frame the educational activities developed by the project; the potential to create opportunities forlearningenhancementusingtheDynaLearnsoftwaretools. Accordingly, preliminaryeducationalgoalswere defined along with the themes in order to characterise the set of themes as possible pieces ofcurricula.

TobeeffectiveEnvironmentalscienceeducationshouldfocusoncertainpoints:understandingscientificconcepts and innovations; the applicationof scientificknowledge to everyday life; the developmentofproblemsolvingskills;thecapacityfordecision‐makingandargumentation‐building;andstrengtheningthe capacity for elaborating proposals for creating a sustainable world. These aspects could be betterdevelopedbyadoptingaviewonthecurriculumasifitisorganisedinawebofthemes,sothatmultiplelearningroutesmaybefollowed,accordingtothelearner’sneedsandinterests[21].

Fromthisperspective,theEnvironmentalsciencecurriculummaybebrokenintomultipleshortcurriculathatmaybeexploredwiththesupportofqualitativemodelswithincreasingcomplexity[32].Giventheevaluation results obtained in the NaturNet‐Redime (STREP project co‐funded by the EuropeanCommissionwithin the Sixth Framework Programme (2002‐2006), contract no. 004074), about usingqualitative reasoning models for communicating scientific concepts in educational contexts [6], it isexpected that this approach will enhance self‐regulation and stimulate learners' participation on thedecisionmakingabouttheirownlearningprocess.Thenextphasesoftheproject(Tasks6.2,7.1and7.2)willintegratethesefeaturesintothelearning‐by‐modellingapproachadoptedinDynaLearnproject.

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2. DynaLearn software implementation

The DynaLearn software is designed to support learners in different ways, exploring opportunitiesduringeducationalactivitiesguidedbyateacheror for learnerstoworkontheirown.TheDynaLearnsoftware consists of three integrated facilities: the conceptual modelling (CM) environment, thepedagogicalagents("VirtualCharacters",VC)andthesemantictechnology(ST).TechnicalaspectsofthesoftwarearedescribedindeliverableD2.1,andwillbeonlysummarisedhere.

The DynaLearnmodelling software isbuilt around theGarp3 software [5]. The technical terminologyusedinthissectionisexplainedinthesekeyreferences.TheGarp3softwareincludesentities,quantity,magnitudes,derivatives,quantityspace,modelfragmentandothers.Thesemodellingprimitivesareusedtoexplainhowthenewuse‐levelsproposedfortheDynaLearnsoftwarewillwork.Detailedexamplesofhowtobuildqualitativemodels,andthereforehowtousethesemodellingprimitives,arediscussed in[4].

2.1. Conceptual modelling environment

TheCMenvironmentistheworkbenchinwhichthelearnerwilldevelopqualitativereasoningmodels.TheDynaLearnsoftwarewillhavesixuselevelsasfollows:

1.Conceptmap

2.Basiccausalmodel

3.Basiccausalmodelwithstate‐graph

4.Causaldifferentiation

5.Conditionalknowledge

6.Genericandreusableknowledge

Metamodelinformation

These use‐levelsallow learners tobuildmodelsat different levelsofcomplexity,using a progressivelyincreasingnumberofmodellingprimitivesineachnewuse‐level.Anyuse‐levelmaybeeitherthestartingpointformorecomplexmodels,tobebuiltprogressively inhigheruse‐levels,oritmayalsobethefinalgoal of the modelling/educational activity. In this way, educational activities within the DynaLearnsoftwaremayaddressconceptsandtopicsatdifferentlevelsofcomplexity,dependingontheeducationalgoalsorsettings.Ateacherhasagreatdealofflexibility,asthesoftwaremayberegulatedforthewholegrouptousejustonelevelduringspecificactivities,orchangebetweenlevelsinotheractivities.Insomecases,learnersmaybestimulatedtoexploredifferentlevels,expressingideaswithincreasingamountsofdetailandcomplexity.

2.1.1. Concept map

Conceptmaps are widely recognised inmany domains as a valuable tool for communication of ideas,creatingconsensusorplanningmodelsoressays.Thisuse‐levelcanbeseenasthesimplestentrylevelformodellingactivities,assuggestedinthecurrentframeworkforbuildingQRmodels[7].

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2.1.2. Basic causal model

Thisisalsoaverysimpleuse‐level,usefulintheinitialstagesofthelearningprocess.Itdealswithentitiesandquantities;thesehaveonlyderivativevalues,andtheinfluencesareidentifiedonlybyanarrowandthesigns+and–.Thereisnosuchanotionof(physical,biologicalorsocial)process[14].SimulationsinthisleveltypicallyshowinformationsuchasthatifquantityAisincreasing,thenquantityBisincreasing,Cisdecreasingandsoon.Thisuse‐levelmaybeveryvaluablefromtheeducationalperspective.Ofcourse,forbeginners,itmaybethestartingpointforanymodellingactivityasthisuse‐levelwouldmakeitclearwhat should be expected in every possible behaviour path, including possible ambiguity in potentialbehaviours.Ambiguityisalsoanimportantissueinqualitativemodels,acriticalthingtolearnatanearlystageinconceptualmodelling.Thisuse‐levelmayalsobeusedasthefinalgoalofthemodellingactivity.For example, dealing with very complex problems this might be the unique approach to study thedynamicsofcomplexsystems.

2.1.3. Basic causal model with state-graph

Asinprevioususe‐levels,entitiesandquantitiesare included inthemodellingspace;allthequantitieshavevaluesforderivatives(increasing,stableordecreasing)butoneormorequantitieshavevaluesforthequalitativemagnitudes(e.g.conceptssuchassmall,belowthenormal,greaterthanthethreshold,etc.).Thenotionofquantityspace,anorderedsetofmagnitudeswithallthepossiblequalitativevaluesaquantitymayassume,isintroduced.Withthequantitieshavingdifferentmagnitudevalues,simulationsinthisuse‐levelproducebehaviourswithsequentialstatesandstatetransitionswherequantitieschangemagnitude.Only arrows with the signs + and – indicate the type of influence. The simulation typically showsinformationsuchasthat if quantityA is increasing, thenquantityB is increasing, and thevalueofC ischangingfromsmalltomedium,frommediumtolargeandsoon.

This use‐levelmaybe used for valuable educational activities exploring the dynamicsof the system. Itprovides more semantics to the model for describing the system behaviour by combining changes inmagnitudes and derivatives. From previous studies it is known that identification of possible (orimportant) qualitative values for each quantity, whichmeans also to identify qualitative states for thevariablesand,byextension,forthewholesystem,isnotaneasytask[33].Infact,thedefinitionofquantityspaces is one of the most important aspects of qualitative reasoning modelling. This is because thevocabularyrequiredtoexpressqualitativestatesandtodescribethesystembehaviourheavilydependsonthe quantity space definition. Also the notions of state and state transition (and the conditions fortransitionstooccur)areimportantaspectsforunderstandingthesystembehaviour.Itisexpectedthatthisuse‐levelwillbecomeoneofthemostusedbyteachersandstudentsintheDynaLearnsoftware.

2.1.4. Causal differentiation

In this use‐level even more tools and definitions are added to the model‐building environment,particularly to express the notion of process.Among them,direct influences (I+ and I–) andqualitativeproportionalities (P+ and P–), modelling primitives that express causal relations and mathematicalfunctions required to calculate the values of the quantities during simulations, are added. In fact,mathematical interactions betweenmagnitudes and derivatives of the quantities (such as A + B = C)becomepossibleinthisuse‐level.Educationalactivitiesinthisleveltypicallyexplorethenotionofprocess,asamechanismthatcausesthesystemtochange.Theconceptof"rates"asmeasuresofchangewithinaperiodoftime isthebasis forunderstandingdynamics,andthere isagreatopportunitytoexplorethisconcept after the progression from the second use‐level (expanding processes from the basic causalmodel).

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2.1.5. Conditional knowledge

In this use‐level, models can be read as "IF – THEN" statements, and it is possible to represent theconditionsandconsequences in dynamicsystems. Conditions forprocessestostartand tostop, and forchanges topropagate throughout thesystem,viacausalchains, are atthecentreof the learning issuesexplored at this use‐level. Though some statements may be always true, without any condition to besatisfied, itmaywellhappenthatduringthesimulation,somestatementsthatweretruewillno longerapply, whereas othersmay become applicable and specific processes or proportionalities will becomeactive. The idea of representing conditions and consequences is very rich, and provides reality to themodel. From the educational point of view, this is an important step towards understanding thefunctioning of complex systems. In fact, conditional relations explore integration between systemelements,andexpandthenotionthateventhingsthatarenotcausallyrelatedmayhaveimportantroleonthedynamicsofthesystem.

2.1.6. Generic and reusable knowledge

HeretheconceptualmodellingenvironmenthasthesamefacilitiesasthecurrentversionofGarp3 [5].Models consist of a library of model fragments and a set of scenarios from which simulation starts.Combinationsofreusableknowledgecontained in themodel fragmentsareusedtocreateeachstateofbehaviour during the simulation, an approach known as compositional modelling [14]. In this way,different,andevenopposite,viewsonthesametopicmaycoexistinthelibraryofmodelfragments,andtheknowledgecapturedcanbereusedtocreatemorecomplexrepresentationsofthesystem.Thisuse‐level differs in many aspects compared to the previous use‐levels. The use of generic and reusableknowledge allows for working with towards higher‐level educational goals, such as formulating andrepresenting hypothesestoexplain howasystemworks, and providing representations foralternativehypothesesandcomparingthem.Thisuse‐levelwillprobablyonlybeusedbyadvancedlearners,usersthatareabletomaketherequiredabstractions inordertocreatecomplexqualitativemodels,usingtheprevioususe‐levelsonlyinspecificcircumstances(forexample,intryingsomemodellingapproachesorcommunicatingideaswhileplanningmodelbuilding).

2.1.7. Metadata

In addition to these use‐levels, the conceptual modelling environment contains tools for annotatingmodels and for describingmetadata. Thesemetadatamay contain core information such as themodeldescription and the educational goals. Also references to the motivational texts (from newspapers,magazines,technicalliterature)usedtopresenttheknowledgeexploredinthemodelshouldbeincludedin the metadata. The model description should be made prior to starting the modelling process andshouldmake reference to the use‐level adopted. The metadata should then be updated when a newversionsofamodeliscreatedorwhenthemodelisfinished.Additionalinformationaboutthemodeller,date of model preparation and references to similar models will provide a capacity for models to bearchivedandreused.Thiswillcreatepotentialforexchangeofmodelsandeducationalmaterialswithinacommunityofqualitativeandconceptualmodellersineducation.

2.2. Virtual characters

DynaLearnwillimplementvirtualcharactersintothelearningenvironmenttoactasagentstoengageandmotivatethestudentduringamodellingexercise.Thesevirtualcharactersmaytakeonadiversityofroles

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in education, including virtual teachers, advisors, learning companions and autonomous actors [2].Empirical evidence has shown that pedagogical agents may engage learners and improve theirperceptionofthe learning task ([19]; [23]). Theymayreduce negative affectivestatesof learnersandpromotemotivation,engagementandself‐confidence.

OneofthechallengesforDynaLearnistodesignacoordinatedsetofagentsthatcollaborativelyprovideadded value to the conceptual modelling workbench as instruments for an engaging communicativeinteraction,usingacoordinationofpointinggesturesandspeech,andarichrepertoireofverbalandnon‐verbal behaviours. Particularly, different characters shouldbe approachable for the learners toconveydifferent kinds of ‘knowledge’ (e.g. general help, explaining the knowledge captured in a particularmodel,takingaquiz,learningcompanions,feedbackonmodelerrors,teachableagents,etc.,asdefinedintheDescriptionofWork,p.10).

TheDynaLearnprojectwillexploremultipleagentsthatmaytakeonmultipleroles,dependingonthepedagogicalobjectivetobeachieved.ThefunctionalitiesofthemaincharactersintheDynaLearnsoftwarewillprovidelearnerswithbasichelpandfeedback.Learnersmaydevelopeducationalteachableagentstoteach their peers. Other agents could play the role of a learning companion, a collaborator that fosterlearners' progress. The virtual characters will compare differentmodels, pointing out similarities anddifferences,andotherswillprovidequestionsforlearnerstoanswer

Communicationbetweenthevirtualcharactersandlearnerswillrequireasetofdialoguesandtemplatesfordeliveringeducationalcontentandforaskingquestionsandgivinganswers.Theagents’facesdisplayemotions and somegestures thatwill complete thecommunicationskills. The presentationof dialoguetemplateswilluseanarrativeplanner.InspirationforpresentingthecurriculumcomesfromAutoTutorteachingtactics[15].

The teaching tacticsused inAutoTutorstartwith the agentaskingquestionsand presenting problems.TheseareoftheWhy?How?Whatif?Whatisthedifference?typesofquestions.Next,theagentevaluatesmeaning and correctness of learners' answers and gives feedback to the students. Some hintsmay beprovidedduringtheinteraction,forexamplephrasestopromptforspecificinformation;togiveadditionalinformationthatismissing;tocorrectbugsandmisconceptions.

2.3. Semantic technology

SemantictechnologywillbeusedintheDynaLearnsoftwaretocreateontologiesbasedonthetermsfoundin conceptual models. These ontologies may be useful to compare the model vocabulary to existingvocabulary inexternalresourcesandupdatethem,ifneeded.Theoperationofthesemantictechnologyrequires the organisation of a concept into an existing taxonomy. This task includes term grounding(normalisationaccordingtoexternalresources),termintegration(tocheckifatermexistsinanontology),to check if it is consistent with it (that is, the term relations also exist in the ontology). Finally, afterexpandingtheontologybyincludingnewterms/relations,themodelintegrationoccurs(groundingandintegratingallthetermsusedinthemodelinthevocabulary).

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3. Analisys of existing curricula on environmental science

This section presents an overview of the environmental science curricula in secondary and tertiaryeducationallevels,intheinstitutionsrepresentedwithintheDynaLearnconsortium.

3.1. EU directives for science education

Duetothestrongincreaseofhumanpressuresontheenvironment,theconservationandrestorationofournaturalenvironmentandthedevelopmentofsustainablestrategiesonboth,alocalandagloballevel,form central contemporary scientific, social and political issues. The high contemporary need for anadequate Environmental science education for a sustainable development has consequently beenrecognisedglobally(UN‐DecadeofEducationforaSustainableDevelopment)1.OnanEuropeanleveltheEurydice network2 systematically captures the organisation of education across the Europeanmemberstates,andalsofocusesonthewaysEnvironmentalsciencearecurrentlytaughtandisidentifyinghowtomakeEnvironmentalscienceeducationmoreefficientandinteresting[13].

Currently,environmentaleducationinprimaryandsecondaryschoolsystemsismainlyembeddedacrossdifferentsubjectareas,inparticulargeographyandnaturalsciences(notablybiology)whereas insomecountriesaninterdisciplinarythematicapproachisused[35].Unfortunately,thecontentandpedagogyassociatedwithsuchcurriculaareincreasinglyfailingtoengageyoungpeoplewiththefurtherstudyofscience3[27].Theseauthorsthereforerecommend,basedonanextensiveanalysisofscienceeducationinEurope, it is essential for improving student engagement to develop and to extend theways inwhichscienceistaught.TheDynaLearnprojectaimstocontributetothattargetbytheproductionofinteractivesoftwareandmodelsonbasicandcontemporaryEnvironmentalscienceissues.

3.2. Existing curricula in environmental science at the national level

Asasubject,Environmentalscienceencompassesawiderangeofscientificdisciplinesthatshouldtobebrought together inorder todevelop understanding aboutEarthsystemsandresources, and themanyinteractions among its physical, chemical,biological, social, economic and cultural components.AssuchEnvironmentalscienceprovidesanintegrated,quantitative,andinterdisciplinaryapproachtothestudyofenvironmentalsystems.TheDynaLearnprojectaimstobringneweducationaltoolstoEnvironmentalScienceeducationatthesecondaryandtohighereducationallevels.Aspartofthisanewcomprehensivecurriculumneedstobedevelopedtointegratealltheessentialtopics,themesandeducationalgoalsforadvancing Environmental science education. Therefore, a study of current curricula for secondaryeducationandundergraduateuniversitylevelsthataddressEnvironmentalScienceissuesforthepartnercountries/institutions was undertaken to identify existing expectations and requirements for theDynaLearncurricula.Thiswasdoneatboththesecondary(Section3.2.1)anduniversityeducationlevels(Section 3.2.2) to identify resources that may be utilised during development of topics, model andeducationalobjectives.

1http://portal.unesco.org/education/en/ev.php‐URL_ID=27234&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html

2http://eacea.ec.europa.eu/eurydice

3http://www.pollen‐europa.net/pollen_dev/Images_Editor/Nuffield%20report.pdf

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3.2.1. Environmental science at secondary educational level

Elements of Environmental science are present in all educational levels in the partner countries. InBulgaria,forexample,therearesystematiclessonsinprimaryschoolconcerningnaturalresourceswithemphasisonbiodiversityand natureconservation.Thepupils learnaboutunityand diversityof livingworld (mainbiomes,typical ecosystems,popular/representativeorganisms)andmain threatsthatmancan cause to during its own and social/economic life. However, in most of the partner countriesEnvironmentalScience istaughtasacomponentofmoretraditionalsubjecttitlessuchasthebiologicalandphysicalsciencesatthesecondarylevel.Therefore,inmostcaseselementsofEnvironmentalsciencearetraditionallypartoftheknowledgelearnedunderthenaturalsciencescurricula,whichalsoincludephysics, chemistry and geography. In fact, notions of agriculture,mining ofmineral resources, energyproduction by combustion of fossil fuel, oil and fuel production, some industrial processes andmanufacturingof various goods, and environmental pollution effectson nature and human health aresubjectsinalltextbooksusedinsecondaryeducationlevel.

InAustriathemain themesoftheDynaLearncurriculum(suchasEarthSystemsandResources,LivingWorld,etc.)atthesecondaryschoollevelarefoundinsubjectssuchasBiology,Geography,EconomicsandEnvironmental Sciences. Additionally, some topics are also included in History and Social Studies,Chemistry,Household EconomicsandFoodSupply.Human‐nature and economics‐nature relationshipsforman importantcontentofthemainschoolsubjects.Meanwhile, inBrazil theEnvironmentalsciencethemesare included in thesubjectsofBiologyandGeography.OftenEnvironmentalscience issuesareexplored in interdisciplinary projects, a cornerstone of modern Brazilian secondary education levelpedagogy. A similar situation is found in Bulgaria where all the main themes are distributed in thefundamental natural disciplines (Physics, Chemistry and Biology). In Israel, environmental issues arebeingaddressedprimarilyintheGeographycurriculumofthesecondaryeducationlevel.Twoofthemainconcepts in the curriculum are mankind‐environment issues and environmental management andconservation. The pedagogical rational is to develop and cultivate the students' higherorder thinkingskills while they actively construct their knowledge. Simultaneously, the curriculum also strives todeveloptheirsocialandenvironmentsvalues(e.g."caring,awarenessandresponsibilitytomaintaintheenvironmentwhileshowingactiveinvolvement").

IntheUKSecondary leveleducation from11to16 iscoveredbythedifferentnationalcurriculaofthemembercountries(England,Scotland,WalesandNorthernIreland).Fromtheageof14to16yearsoldstudentsaretaughtwithinthecontextoftheGeneralCertificateofSecondaryEducation(GCSEs).AtthisstageEnvironmentalsciencethemesarecoveredwithin traditionalsubjectssuchasgeographyandthebiologicalandphysicalsciences.Educationisnotcompulsoryaftertheageof16yearsintheUKandalleducationafterthis istermedTertiaryEducation. Inmostcasesthis is intheformofALevels(GeneralCertificate of Education, GCEs) potentially followed by an honours degree at a University or similarFurtherEducationestablishments. AnAlevelqualificationconsistsofadvancedsubsidiary(AS)andA2units.TheASisastand‐alonequalificationandisworthhalfafullAlevelqualification.Itnormallyconsistsoftwounits (assessed atthestandard expected fora learner halfway through anA levelcourse) thattogether contribute 50 per cent towards the full A level. The A2 is the second half of a full A levelqualification.Itnormallyconsistsoftwounits(assessedatthestandardexpectedforalearnerattheendofafullAlevelcourse)thattogetherareworth50percentofthefullAlevelqualification.

AtthislevelthereisnonationalcurriculaforthecoursesandcurriculaandcontentaresetbyanumberofdifferentexaminationbodiesthatcanofferaccreditedAlevelqualifications.InmostcasestheseAlevelsstill follow traditional topics such as geography, biology, physics, chemistry and geology. In all thesesubjects thecurricula covers topics relevant toEnvironmental science, and although the actual contentmaydifferamongthedifferentexamboards,thegeneralthemesinEnvironmentalscienceremainsimilar.Currently only one examination group (AQA) offers a specialised course in Environmental Studies.

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WithinthiscoursethetwoASunitsare"TheLivingEnvironment"and"ThePhysicalEnvironment"thatcovertheessentialconceptsrelatingtothebioticandphysicalcomponentsoftheenvironmentandtheirimportance, and relation, to human activities and resources. In the A2 units, "Energy Resources andEnvironmental Pollution" and "Biological Resources and Sustainability", the future problems of andsustainabilityofphysicalandbioticresourcesarestudied(AQA2007).

Theexistingsecondaryandtertiaryqualificationsineachofthepartnercountrieshavedetailedcurriculadocumentsdescribingcontents,conceptsandlearningobjectivesimportanttothecourse.TheseresourceswillbeutilisedduringthedevelopmentoftheDynaLearncurriculaforEnvironmentalSciencetoensurethatthecontentcanbeusedtoaddressthemostappropriatelearningobjectivesandoutcomeswherethemodelsaretobedeliveredatasecondaryeducationlevel.

3.2.2. Environmental science at the university level

Withrespecttothetermsofundergraduate levels,FUBhasavery interestingcompositionofthetopics.The majority of the concepts came from correlated areas and courses as Biology, Agronomy, Geology,Veterinary,Geography, PoliticScience andothers. Itwas interesting toobserve thatthe allofthemainseven topics adopted in DynaLearn curricula were found in a myriad of Institutes and Departments,ranging from Ecology to Civil Engineering, for example. University of Brasilia, as other Brazilianuniversities, offer post‐graduate courses on Environmental science, or have topics of it distributed inBiology,Geography,Chemistry,andForestrycourses.

In Austria, Environmental science education at an undergraduate university level is taught within avarietyofBachelor'sprograms,likeLandscapeArchitectureandPlanning,EnvironmentandBioresourcesManagementandEnvironmentalengineering,BiologyandEnvironmentalprotectionandGeographyandEnvironmental System Sciences. A comprehensive overview of Bachelor’s programs on AustrianUniversitiesshowsthatEnvironmentalscienceisanimportantcontentofthecurriculum.

InBulgaria,mostofthebasicDynaLearnenvironmentaltopicsarerepresentedinthecurrentcurriculaofecologicalandenvironmentaleducationofstudentsbothinBachelor,butespeciallyinMastersProgramsoftheUniversityofSofia. TheBulgarianAcademyofSciences isgranted toeducate PhD‐studentsonly,includinginEnvironmentalscience,butthecurriculaarespecific/individual.

In higher education (at TAU), environmental issues are being addressed primarily at Porter School ofEnvironmental Studies (PSES). PSES promotes new areas of interdisciplinary environmental research,introducesnovelenvironmentalteachingprogramsandplacesenvironmentalissuesontheacademicandpublic agenda. InUK, a number of universities provide Environmental science contents distributed inundergraduateandgraduatecourses.

3.3. Educational goals to be achieved in environmental science

Defining appropriate educational goalsandoutcomesareakeystep todeveloping usefulcurricula foreducationatboththesecondaryanduniversitylevel.Thestudyofexistingcurriculaidentifiedthattheseeducationalgoalsandlearningoutcomesaregenerallywelldefinedforexistingcoursesatbothsecondaryanduniversitylevel.Theseobjectivesandgoalsareoftendefinedintermsofbothspecifictopicgoalsandgenericlearninggoals.Examplesofcurrentnationalcurriculagoalsandlearningoutcomesaredetailedbelow.

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3.3.1. Content specific goals

In general the topics and themes delivered in programmescovering Environmental science aimat thedevelopmentofanunderstandingoftheinterrelatednessofhumansandtheirsocialandpoliticalsystemswithnature.Therefore,anunderstandingofnaturalprocessesandtheeffectsofhumanactivitiesontheenvironment form an important content. "Human‐nature" and "nature‐economics" relationships are ofhighrelevance.Other important issuesareenergyuse,tourismandagricultureandtheireffectsontheenvironment,theeffectsofglobalchangeonlivingconditionsandtheenvironmentandthesustainableuseoflimitedresources.Thebasisforunderstandingtheeffectsofhumanbehaviourontheenvironmentisformedbylearningaboutnaturalenvironmentalandecologicalfactorsandprocessesactingonalocalandglobalenvironment.

At the University undergraduate level the current curricula on Environmental science aim at thedevelopmentofsectoral(domainspecific)skills,andofotherinterdisciplinaryskills,environmentalskills,social and reflexive skills, economicskills, technicalskills, jurisprudential skills and languageskills. Ofspecial interest fortheDynaLearnproject isthe intendeddevelopmentof interdisciplinaryandspatial(environmental) skills like interdisciplinary and cooperative working, identification ofinterconnections/cross‐links, cross‐linked thinking and acting, integration of different paradigms andpointsofview,feelingresponsiblefortheenvironment,globalthinking‐localacting,identificationoftheconflictsof environment, economyand society (and science), identificationof the landscape as habitat,sustainablemanagementandsustainableuseofresourcesandenvironmentallyfriendlyeconomy.

3.3.2. Generic learning goals

Definitionofgenericlearninggoalsandoutcomesisnowcommonpracticefordevelopmentofcurricula.GiventhistheDynaLearnprojectwillframethetopicsandcontentdevelopedtoachievecontent‐specificgoalswithinsuitablegenericlearninggoals.ExamplesofgenericlearninggoalsfromBrazilandtheUKaregivenbelow.

AlthoughintheUKthereisnonationalcurriculumforALevelstandardcourses,andcoursesaredefinedbytherelevantexaminationgroups,therearenationalguidelinesandstandardsforthe learninggoalsandobjectivesatthislevel.InadditiontothespecificlearninggoalspublishedinthecurriculaforspecificALevelcoursestherearenationaldescriptionsofthegenericlearningobjectivesandstandardsrequiredat the AS and A2 levels. The Qualifications and CurriculumAuthority (QCA) defined the assessmentobjectivesforALevelBiologyas:

1. Knowledgeandunderstandingofscienceandofhowscienceworks.Candidatesshouldbeableto:

a. recognise,recallandshowunderstandingofscientificknowledge;

b. select,organiseandcommunicaterelevantinformationinavarietyofforms.

2. Applicationofknowledgeand understandingofscienceandofhowscienceworks.Candidatesshouldbeableto:

a. analyseandevaluatescientificknowledgeandprocesses;

b. applyscientificknowledgeandprocessestounfamiliarsituationsincludingthoserelatedtoissues;

c. assessthevalidity,reliabilityandcredibilityofscientificinformation.

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3. Howscienceworks.Candidatesshouldbeableto:

a. demonstrate and describe ethical, safe and skilful practical techniques and processes,selectingappropriatequalitativeandquantitativemethods;

b. make,recordandcommunicatereliableandvalidobservationsandmeasurementswithappropriateprecisionandaccuracy;

c. analyse, interpret, explain and evaluate themethodology, results and impact of theirownandothers’experimentalandinvestigativeactivitiesinavarietyofways.

In addition to these general assessment objectives the subject‐specific curricula identify learningobjectivesandoutcomesintermsoftheknowledgeandskillsdeliveredateachlevel.

UniversitycoursesandmodulesintheUKarealsonowprescribedincourseprospectusesandcurriculawith detailed aims, programme outcomes in terms of knowledge and understanding, together withintellectual,practicalandtransferableskillsthatwillbedeveloped.AttheUniversityofHulleachcourseprogrammeandspecificmodulecurriculadetailstheparticularlearningandteachingmethodsthatareapplicableandthelearningoutcomes(knowledgeandunderstanding,intellectualskillsandtransferableskills)thateachwilldeliver.

In Brazil, nationwide educational goals to be achieved with the curricula in secondary schools arepresented in the National Curriculum Parameters (PCN). Here, the goal is not only to address theknowledgepresentedinthedisciplines,buttoalsouseitasmeanstodevelopcognitiveCompetenciesandAbilities.Thesecompetenciesandabilitiesarelistedbelow.

• Abilities:

o Comprehendthemultisignificationofthelanguage;

o Identify central and peripheric information, presented in different languages, and itsinteractions;

o Inter‐relateobjectsofknowledgeindifferentareas;

o Organisestrategiesofactionandselectmethods;

o Selectexplicativemodels,formulatehypothesisandpredictresults;

o Elaborate cohesive and coherent texts, with thematic progression and compatiblestructuring;

o Applyadequatemethodstotheanalysisandresolutionofproblems;

o Formulateandarticulateargumentsappropriately;

o Makeinferences(inductive,deductiveandanalogical);

o Criticallyanalysethesolutionfoundtoaproblem‐situation;

o Confrontpossiblesolutionstoaproblem‐situation;

o Judgetheadequacyoftechnical,social,ethic,andpoliticoptionsinthedecisiontaking.

• Competencies:

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o Dominate the Portuguese Language, basic knowledge of a foreign language (English,FrenchorSpanish)anddominatedifferentlanguages:mathematic,artistic,scientific,etc;

o Comprehensionof natural phenomena, of technological and intellectual productionofthecultural,artistic,politicsandsocialmanifestations,aswellofthephilosophic,historic,andgeographicprocesses,identifyingarticulations,interestsandvaluesinvolved;

o Decisiontakingwhenconfrontingaproblem‐situation;

o Constructionofconsistentargumentation;

o Elaboration of proposals of intervention in the reality, demonstrating ethics andcitizenship,consideringthesocio‐culturaldiversityasinherenttothehumanconditionintimeandspace.

Both these "content‐specific" and "generic‐learning" types of educational and assessment goals can beused tohelp formulate the goalstobeused atthe differentuse‐levelswithin theDynaLearn toolsandcurricula.Duringthedevelopmentoftopicsandmodelseducationalgoalswillbedefineddependingontheuse‐levelsthataremostapplicabletotheeducationalcontextinwhichtheDynaLearnapproachwillbeused.

3.4. Organising the DynaLearn environmental science curriculum

GiventhediversenatureoftopicsthatarerelevanttoEnvironmentalsciencecurricula,togetherwiththepotentialapplicationoftheDynaLearnforself‐motivatedandself‐directedlearning,thestructureoftheDynaLearncurriculacanbeviewedasaweboftopicsratherthanalinearsequenceoftopics.Takingthis"webof topics" perspective, the DynaLearn softwarecan provideopportunities for students to exploreinteresting knowledge in any number of different sequences created according to the users' needs orinterests.However, default routescan alsobe defined andwillbesuggested tobeginners. In thiscase,modelsprovidedbyprojectexpertswillbeorganisedaccordingtothefollowinggeneralprinciples:(a)fromsimpletocomplex issues; (b) frompractical (observationsorexperiments)totheoreticalaspectsofthedomain;(c)fromfundamentaltoperipherythemes[17].

IntheDynaLearnproject,theseprincipleswillbeappliedtoassignmentsthatexplorecomponentsfirst,suchassinglemodelfragments,andthenspecificstatesinbehaviours,inwhichdifferentmodelfragmentsarecombined torepresentqualitatively distinctstatesofthesystem.Havingstudied isolatedstates, theuserscouldthefurtherexplorebehaviourpathsinsimulations, inwhichthesequencesofstateswouldrepresenttypicalbehavioursofthesystem.

Withineachtopicoramongdifferenttopicsofthecurriculum,contentscanbeorganisedindifferentways.Following [17], DynaLearn will adopt three ways to create sequences of contents: those related toconcepts,toscientificinvestigations,andsequencesthatexplorehowknowledgeistobeused.

Insequences related toconcepts, thecontent followsthe logicofknowledgeorganisation.Forexample,topicson availabilityof natural resources and humanpopulation growth precede topics related to theworldcarryingcapacity.InDynaLearnthiscanbedonebyestablishingcorrelationsbetweenthemodelsavailableintherepository,orbetweenmodelfragmentsorspecificsimulations.

Sequencesrelatedtoinvestigationsarethosethattrytoreconstructthesomeidealisedmethodologyusedby scientists. For example, these sequences would explore observations, hypotheses formulation,hypothesestestingandtheoryformulation.Thisapproachtocurricularsequencingisofspecial interestfor this project given thatDynaLearn tools formodelling excel in supporting learners in representing

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alternative hypotheses about a particular issue. Also learners can compare the results obtained indifferent simulations to test if each hypothesis is true. Having pre‐selected simulations and adequatebibliographical support, learners may combine a set of hypotheses and formulate qualitative theoriesaboutspecificdomains.

Finally,insequencesrelatedtohowknowledgeistobeused,organisationofcontentdependsheavilyonthe context. For example, in topics related to energy and global changes, learners could first exploreconceptsinvolvedintheuseoffossilfuelsforindustrialproduction,transportation,consumptionofgoodsand CO2 release to the atmosphere during all these activities. This knowledge can be further used toexplain themes related to global warming and the consequences for the climate, natural ecosystems,agriculturalproductionandhumanwellbeing.

The DynaLearncurriculawill identify suitable pathways and sequences forstudents tomovebetweenexploringdifferenttopicsandthemes.Pre‐requisiteandsimilartopicsandthemeswillbeidentifiedforeachmodelandtopicdeveloped.Itisanticipatedthatthisisanareawherethesemantictechnologywillprovideavenuesforstudentstoexploresimilartopicsandcreatelearningsequences.

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4. Criteria for selecting themes to be addressed in the curriculum

Humansliveintwoworlds,anaturalone,constitutedbyplants,animals,microorganisms,soil,air,water,thatprecedeusandofwhichmanispartof.Theotherworldwascreatedbyhumanculture,andincludesinstitutions,religion,education,scienceandtechnology,legislation,andsoon[12].Integratingthesetwoworlds is essential for sustainability. Understanding how the integration works is the main goal ofEnvironmental science studies. This section presents an overview of a generic Environmental sciencecurriculum,basedon the sevenmain themes defined in the DoW.After thoroughly reviewing existingcurriculaandthecontextprovidedbyeachDynaLearnpartner,thethemeswereselectedinaccordancetothefollowingrequirements:relevancefortheEnvironmentalscience;adequacytothelocalcontextofthepartnerwho isgoingtodevelopmodelcontentsandeducationalmaterial;andpotential formotivatingthe useof the learning tools available in the DynaLearn software. Eachof these three requirements isexaminedbelow.

4.1. Relevance for environmental science

Inthissection,theselectedtopicsarepresentedinaccordancetotheirrelevancetoEnvironmentalsciencecurricula,takingthegeneralDynaLearncurriculumbasedontheseventhemesasthebasis.Insection5thesetopicsareassociatedtoeducationalgoalstobeachievedwiththesupportoftheDynaLearnsoftware(section2).ThetopicsselectedforfurtherdevelopmentwiththeDynaLearntoolsareunderlined.

4.1.1. Earth systems and resources

InEnvironmentalsciencecurricula,theEarthisseenaspartofthelivingsystemsandthesourceformanyofvitalresources,bothforbiologicalprocessesand fortheeconomicbasisofhumansocieties.TherearemanyopportunitiesforDynaLearntoolstobeusedinEnvironmentalsciencecurricula,exploringmarinesystems,continentalsystems,whichincludebothlandandfreshwatersystems,andtheirinteractionwiththeatmosphere.

Earthsystemsaremouldedbyanumberofnaturaldrivingforces.Climatefactorsareamongthestrongestones and as such are an essential component of any Environmental science studies. Extreme naturalphenomenaasearthquakes,tsunamis,volcaniceruptionsand floods,havecausedbigchangesonEarthsystems.Infact,theEarthisadynamicandconstantlychangingsystem.Naturalprocessesformingriverinelandscapesandhabitatsconstituteinterestingtopicsforenvironmentalcurricula.

Mankind has explored the Earth's crust for more than a millennium, searching for minerals used inseveral man‐made products, such as iron, copper, aluminium, oil, plastics, synthetic fabric and so on.Mining and drilling have been an essential human activity, though often results in social andenvironmentaldevastation.

A clear knowledge of nutrient availability and cycling, such as the Carbon, Nitrogen, Phosphorus andSulphurbiogeochemicalcycles is fundamentaltounderstandingthe importanceoftheearthsystemstothe living world and to human societies [26]. Besides a general view on these cycles, the DynaLearnproject will pay special attention to the water cycle, as it has important connectionswith all the vitalprocessesinthebiosphere,andtotheeconomicaspectsofhumansociety.Floodeventsinrivercatchmentareas deserve special attention in Environmental science curricula as they paradoxically contribute tocreatewealthycivilizations,suchastheEgyptiansocietythatflourishedaroundthefertilemarginsofthe

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Nile,andtocausesomeoftheworstnaturaldisasters,suchasthefloodofYangtzeRiver, inChina,thatkilled37millionpeoplein1931[12].

Understanding which processes create and maintain natural habitat dynamics forms the basis ofsustainablehabitatmanagement,whichhasbecomeacentralissueforthepreservationofmanywildlifespecies,inordertoavoidthelossofhabitatortoassureitsabilitytoregenerate.Thisisnotatrivialtaskasforsomespeciesitmayrequireunderstandingthethermaldynamicsinfreshwaterbodies,andforothers,theiradaptationtoenvironmentalstress.This lasttopicprovidesopportunitiestoexplore fundamentalprocessessuchasdiffusion,osmosisandactivetransport.Thistopicalsoprovidesopportunitiesformodelsthatexplorethebasicmechanismofmasstransport,forexample,inthepassageofwaterthroughaplant,andtheeffectsofthesizeoftheorganortheorganism,andtheeffectofthesurfacearea(membranes)ongasexchange.

Tomaintain, or to enhance, habitat it is necessary to control of succession, cull or remove undesirablespecies, provide suitable conditions and create of biological corridors to link habitats [30]. Finally,management of habitatmaybe related to the continuity of human activities. The concept of ecologicalservicesmaywell illustratetheseideas–bioticandabioticnaturalprocesses,suchasnutrientcycleandpollination,areessentialbothforspecificeconomicsystemsandthewholelifetokeepgoing[22].

4.1.2. The living world

Lifehasbeenevolvingforsome4billionyears,andanumberofevolutionarymechanismscontributetoliving organisms being adapted to Earth systems that are also dynamic. Knowledge on the theory ofevolution isrequired toexplain howtheseorganismsbecameadapted tothehugediversityofhabitatsprovided by the Earth systems [3]. Besides understanding evolutionary processes such as selection,adaptationandspeciation,knowledgeonfundamentalgeneticsandreproductivestrategiesisrequiredtounderstandhowbiodiversityiscreatedandmaintained[36].

Populationsconstitutethebasicorganisationallevelforenvironmentalstudies.Understandingorganisms’vital processes (natalityandmortality), theirmovements (immigration and emigration), environmentalfactors that regulate their growth processes, their reproductive strategies (r and K) and densitydependencyareimportantaspectstobeexploredbyinacurriculumforEnvironmentalscience.

Thestudyofcommunities,thebioticcomponentofanecosystem,alsooffersinterestingopportunitiesforDynaLearn toolstomakeadifference in science education.Species interactions,such ascompetitionorpositiveand negativesymbiosis involvingtwoormorepopulations,are importantprocessesthatshapecommunitystructure.Marineecosystems,bymeansoftheirimportanceforthefutureofthegloballivingsystems, and bycurrent concern for their protection,will be used as a specific context for someof theDynaLearncurriculumandconceptualmodellingcontentonspeciesinteractions.

Community‐specificfeatures,suchasspeciesdiversity,disturbance,resilience,complexityandsuccession([3];[36]),alsoprovideimportantissuesforanEnvironmentalsciencecurriculum.Twoexampleswillbedeveloped in the DynaLearn project. Decomposition provides a good opportunity for exploring theinterdependenceoflivingthings.Thestudyoftherolesandinteractionofdecomposersanddetritivoresindecompositionandrecyclingnutrientsshowsthatspeciesinterdependenceoftenrequiresconservationofcommunitiesofspeciesratherthanindividualspecies.

Thesecondexamplereferstoawell‐establishedconceptinecologicaltheory.Therivercontinuumconceptexplorescombinationsofabioticandbioticfactorsthatcreatedifferentconditionsintheupperpartoftheriver,thenthemiddlepartandfinallyattheend,themouthoftheriver,thatareoccupiedbydifferentcommunities,eachadaptedbythelocalconditions.

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HumaninducedtransformationstoEarthsystemshavebroughtmanyofthemtoverycloseofthecollapse.As an answer to this situation, conservation biology has been developed and included some relevantconcepts,suchasmoderntheoriesof islandbiogeography,thegeneticsandthesurvivalofendangeredspecies,metapopulationsandhabitatfragmentation([29];[20]).

4.1.3. Human population

Finding adequate habitat and resources in the Earth Systems and learning how to explore the LivingWorldtoobtain food,medicinesandrawmaterials,thehumanspeciescouldgrow.DespiteMalthusianpredictionsaboutthelimitsforgrowth,thehumanpopulationincreasedto1billioninthebeginningofthe19thcentury,reached3billioninthemiddleofthe20thcenturyandnowitisgreaterthan6billionpeople.Today,onaverage,everysecond4‐5childrenarebornand2otherpeoplediesomewhereontheEarth.

Ofcourse,thislargepopulationisconsumingincreasingamountsofresources,andproducingincreasingamountsofwaste.TheEarth’scapacitytofeedhumansandtometabolisetheirresidues isnowactuallybeingchallenged.StudiesaboutthedynamicsofhumanpopulationsareincludedineverycurriculumofEnvironmental science. Humans have to learn how to combine natural factors and their needs andexpectationsforthefuture.

HumanpopulationgrowthisofspecialinterestforEnvironmentalsciencestudies.Itisthemajordrivingforce behind anthropogenic changes in Earth systems. Decisions on how many children to have areinfluencedbymanyfactors,suchasfoodsecurity,housing,culture,religion,socialservicesandsoon[22].Understanding the social aspects of human population growth is an essential requirement for theDynaLearn project. The Curriculum and contents developed within DynaLearn will explore these asimportantfactorsthatmaycontributetosustainability.

Accordingly,educationisviewedasthemainforcethatmayshapethefuture,andassuchputsinfluenceonalltherestofhumanfeatures.Relationshipsbetweenhealthandtheenvironmentareofgreatinterest,astheybringaboutanumberofmodernissues,suchasthedefinitionofprioritiesforpublicpolices,theidentification of new diseases, and the use of scientificknowledge and innovation capacity to exploreEarthsystemsandresources,forexample,biotechnologicalexploitationofmarineorganismstocreatenewproductsandprocessestobeusedinmedicineandagriculture.

Afterthousandsofyearsduringwhichhumanpopulationsweremostlyrural,inrecentyearsurbanisationbecameamain issue,tothepointatwhichmodernman isessentiallyanurbanite. AccordingtotheUNPopulationFund(UNFPA),since2008theworldhasreachedaninvisiblebutmomentousmilestone:forthefirsttimeinhistory,morethanhalfitshumanpopulation,3.3billionpeople,islivinginurbanareas4.Tentativeofchangingthemodernmandwellingwiththeprinciplesofthegreenarchitecture,meaningsustainablehousing,inthesensethatenergyandresourcesexpenditurearereducedandoptimised.

WhileresourcesarebecomingscarceandtheEarth’scarryingcapacityapproaches,thereisatendencytodevelop and to apply environmental oriented legislation in order to discipline organisation andfunctioningofcompanies,institutionsandthegovernmentandtoprotecttheenvironmentandthefuturegenerations. Environmental education isalsopartofthis effort, and the 3R’sprinciple (reduce, reuse,recycle)illustrateshowhumanbehaviourhastochangeforasustainableworld[11].

Lookingforsustainabilityintheeconomy,tourismandrecreationareamongthemostprizedalternativesforeconomicdevelopment.Infact,naturalriverlandscapesarehighlyvaluedwithregardtotourismand

4http://web.unfpa.org/swp/2007/english/introduction.html

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recreation.Theseaspectsofriverine landscapeswillalsobeconsideredasacomponentofasustainabledevelopment of river catchments, and furthermore will provide insight into the human perception ofriverinelandscapes.

Recognising the importance of education, health and economy, the UN developed the HumanDevelopmentIndex5(HDI),asanindicatorofhumandevelopment.HDIcombinesnormalisedmeasuresoflifeexpectancy,literacy,educationalattainment,andGDPpercapitaforcountriesworldwide.Itisclaimedasastandardmeansofmeasuringhumandevelopment—aconceptthat,accordingtotheUnitedNationsDevelopment Program (UNDP), refers to the process of widening the options of persons, giving themgreater opportunities for education, health care, income, employment, etc. The basic use of HDI is tomeasureacountry's(oraregions’orthecities‘)development6.

4.1.4. Land and water use

InthecontextofgrowinghumanpopulationandexploitationofEarthsystemsandresources,itismorethan expected that conflicting interests would clash when the land is to be used. The curricula andcontent developed in DynaLearn will also explore the causes of land‐use conflicts. In fact, conflictsinvolvingcompeting, adjacentormultiple land uses areoften held responsible for environmental andsocial damages. For example, the expansion of urban areas requires transport development, such asnew/enlargedroads,portsandairports.Oftentheseexamplesoflandoccupationcorrespondtonaturalorrural areas reduction, and sometimes with population displacement. Methods of resolving land‐useconflicts include legislativemethods, the use of Environmental ImpactAssessment (EIA) techniques toensurethatenvironmentalimpactsareconsideredintheplanningprocess.Economicmethodsbasedonpricingmechanisms and cost benefit analysis are also commonly used. Land‐use zoning, that includesspacezoningandtimezoningprovidespecificmeasuresandtechniquesforconflictresolution.

Besidesthat,increasinghumanpopulationrequiresthedevelopmentofagriculturaltechniquesthatmayincreasefoodproduction.Problemsarisewhenfoodproductionisobtainedatthecostofreducing landcoveredbynaturalvegetation,whichprotectsbiodiversityand providesecologicalservices,orbyusingtoxicsubstancesthatmaypollutesoilandwaterresources[36].Intensiveagriculturereferstotheuseoftechniquesheavilybasedontechnologicalproductsandnon‐intensivelabour.Thisapproachisrootedinthe 1950’s so called Green Revolution, which is based on the use of machinery, chemical fertilisers,pesticides,intensiveirrigationand,morerecently,ofgeneticallymodifiedorganisms([8];[16]).

Although the Green Revolution and intensive agriculture significantly increased productivity,paradoxicallyfamineandmalnourishmentstillaffectmillionsofpeopleinthepoorestcountries.Infact,twoaspectsmaycontributetoexplainthebadresults.Actually,lowproductivityisnotthemaincauseoffamineandmalnourishment,butproblemsinthefooddistribution–whileobesityanddiseasesrelatedtothe excess of certain types of food are affecting increasing numbersof people in developed countries,Africanpopulationsarestarving[34].Also,techniquesusedinintensiveagriculturehadproventocauseenvironmentaldamagesthatmaycreateunsustainablesituations[37].

Recentlythereisagrowinginterestinagro‐ecologicalsystems,agenericapproachthatisstronglyrelatedto organic farming, biological pest control, sustainable management of soil and water uses, and theapplication of indigenous knowledge as possible alternatives that assures food security and highproductivity inbiodiversityfriendlyagriculture7.Complementarytothesepoints istheuseofbiological

5http://hdr.undp.org/en/humandev/hdi/

6http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_Development_Index

7http://www.cnr.berkeley.edu/~agroeco3/principles_and_strategies.html

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pestcontrol,asanalternativetochemicalpesticides,asthesesyntheticproductsaffectanumberofnon‐targetspecies,contributetothedevelopmentofpests’resistanceandmayaffecthumanhealth[28].

Alternative agricultural approaches may also contribute to reduce two of the main environmentalproblems in many countries, deforestation and erosion. Deforestation contributes to climate changes,resultsinbiodiversityloss,maycauseseriousdamagetoecologicalservicesandcontributestoerosion,soillossandtransportofsedimentstowaterbodies[38].Stimulatedbyagrowingcultureofcorporategreedandconsumerism, and supportedbyspurious interestsof local governments, the last areascoveredbyrainforestsarebeingreplacedbypasture,livestockandsoyabeansplantations[18].

Erosion is an important natural process that is part of both soil formation and soil loss [22]. Erosionprocessesarerelatedtothedepositrichalluvialsiltinriverbottoms,resultinginarichsoiladequateforpeople to farm it. In someplaces, erosionoccursvery rapidly, resulting in deep gullies,createdwherewaterscoursawaythesoiland,attheextremecondition,mayleadtodesertification.Thetotalannualsoillossfromcroplandsisestimatedin25billionmetrictons.Also,itisestimatedabouttwicethatmuchsoilislostfromrangelands,forestsandurbanconstructionsites[12].

Water use is heavily affected by land use changes and constitutes another problem with potentiallydifficult solutions.Flood protectionmeasuresmaycause alterationof the rivermorphology and lossofnaturalfloodplains,whichinturnmayproduceeffectsonwaterandnutrientretention,bothimportantecological services of natural floodplains.Water issues should be generally tackled by considering thecatchment area as the most important territorial unit. Key issues for understanding the meaning ofintegrated plans for management of catchment areas are, besides an understanding of the naturalprocessesbeing activewithin aspecificcatchment, theneedsand interestsof local human populationsand stakeholders. To achieve an integrated management, a strong integration of different scientificdisciplinesandastructuredwayofintegratingthelocalpopulationanddifferentstakeholdergroupsareneeded.

Irrigationistheonlysolutionforfoodandrawmaterialsproductioninaridzonesoftheworld.However,this techniquemaycause the salination of the soil, hampering further useof the land for agriculturalpurposes.Drinkingwatersupplyisalsoagreatconcerninmanyaridareas,andanumberoftechniqueshave been developed for this goal. Other uses of water resources include transportation, dilution ofeffluents,energyproductionandfisheriesareamongthemostimportantusesofthewater,butchangesinlandusemayprovokenegativeeffectsandhamperitsuse[12].

4.1.5. Energy resources and consumption

FromtheperspectiveoftheenergyrequiredbytheLivingworld,greenplantsplayacentralrole:theygetenergydirectlyfromtheSun,bymeansofthephotosynthesis.Thisisaprocessthatconvertslight,aformofdiffuseenergy,intohigh‐qualitychemicalenergy,whichcanbestoredintosugarmolecules(biomass)forposterioruse.Inaddition,photosynthesisremovesCO2fromtheatmosphereand,afteraseriesofchemicalreactionsthatalsoinvolveswaterintheinteriorofthechloroplast,releasesO2backtotheair.Theenergyconvertedintobiomassviaphotosynthesiscorrespondsto1‐2%ofthesunlightfallingonplants,andthisiswhatrepresentsthebaseforalmostallthebiologicalenergy8usedbytheLivingworld[12].

Theprocessofreleasingtheenergystoredinbiomassbylivingorganismsisknownascellularrespiration.Aerobicrespirationisaprocessverymuchsimilartophotosynthesis,butoperatinginoppositedirection.Aseriesofchemicalreactionsintheinteriorofmitochondriareleasestheenergystoredinchemicalbondsof

8 Exceptions are the chemosynthetic organisms, inwhich specific reactions involvinghydrogen sulphide (H2S) orhydrogen gas (H2)provideenergyforthesynthesisoforganiccompounds[12].

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sugarmoleculesisreleasedandcapturedinchemicalbondsofothertypesofmolecules,whichinturncanbestoredagainforimmediateuseincellmetabolism.Duringtheprocess,aerobicrespirationdegradesthesugarmoleculeuptothesameinitialmolecules,whileconsumesO2andreleasesCO2intotheatmosphere.Aslightly different typeof respiration (anaerobic respiration) does notuseO2 andstopsbeforeall theavailable energy inmolecule of sugar is released. Anaerobic respirationmay produce alcohol orotherintermediatecompound,whichcanbe furtherusedasasourceofenergy (seebelow).Thiswayanicebalance between photosynthesis and respiration is established: the two sets of reactions absorb andreleaseO2andCO2whileenergyisstoredtemporarilyinchemicalbonds.

Greenplants(whichforthepurposesofthepresentworkincludealgaeandsomespeciesofbacteria)areabletoperformbothphotosynthesisandrespiration,andarecalledautotrophs;animals, fungiandtherestofmicroorganismsareonlyabletodorespiration,andarecalledheterotrophs.Thisclassificationisthe basis for the ecological classification of organisms respectively as producers and consumers, andexplain thebasicstructureof foodchainsand foodwebs: producersproducebiomass(and in doingsostoreenergyandnutrients)whichisusedbyconsumerstoproducetheirownbiomass(andindoingsoalsostore and use energy andcreate different combinationsof nutrients) and finally a special classofconsumers, the decomposers, degradeorganicmatter into itssimplest formsandrelease nutrients, thatbecome available again for the green plants. Note that the energy cannot be available again for theproducerstostartagaintheprocess,arestrictionthatisexplainedbythethermodynamiclaws.Theresultisacombinationofnutrientcyclingandenergyflowviathefoodweb[26].

AllEnvironmentalsciencecurriculaexplorethebalancebetweenphotosynthesisandrespiration.Infact,atthecommunity level,the totalphotosynthesisandcorrespondingaccumulationoforganicmaterialatthe level of producers represents the primary production and the storageofbiomass at higher trophiclevelsisthecommunity’ssecondaryproduction.

The DynaLearn projectcurricula and contentsmove forward exploringother sourcesof energy,whichultimatelyareoftenusesofsolarenergybymankind.Depositsoforganicmaterialthatareextractedfromthegroundandarecapableofbeingburntforfuel,chieflyoil,coalandgas,areknownasfossilfuels[1].These have been the main sources of energy since the Industrial Revolution, and because of thegreenhouseemissions,societyisnowlookingforalternativesourcesofenergy.

Hydropower energy is widely used as source of energy; it is considered to be “clean”, as the carbonreleasedbyhydropowerplantsisnegligible.However,theseplantsoftenrequirelargedams,createdbyfloodinglargeareasofforestorruralareas.Theconsequences,humanpopulationdisplacement,habitatandbiodiversityloss,andoftenthedisappearanceofsitesofculturalvalue,areobjectoffiercediscussions.Wind isalsoseenascleanenergy,as it involvestransformationofthewind forceintomechanicenergyand further into electricity. In this case, objections towind as a source of energy are based on prices,negativeeffectsonthefauna,noiseandlandscapevisualpollution.

Recentlytheuseofbiomassasasustainablesourceofenergy isgrowing.Thiscanbedone in differentways.Forexample,usingenergeticforestsbothforrestorationofdegradedareasandassourceofwood,vegetalcoalandcellulose,andobtainingbiofuelsfromenergeticcrops,suchascornandsugarcane.Inthiscase the bio‐fuel is alcohol obtained from anaerobic respiration of the sugar contained in the crops.Objectionstotheuseofcornarebasedonpricesandontheuseofatraditionalfood,sourceofproteins,mineralsandcarbohydratesofhighquality,foralessnobleusage.Theplantationapproachtosugarcaneproduction results in a number of environmental problems that include soil and water pollution bypesticides and residuesof alcohol production, and bydeforestationof large areasof natural forests indevelopingcountries(Brazilbeingthebiggestexample).OtheralternativesourcesofenergysuchassolarenergyandhydrogencellsmayalsobeincludedintheDynaLearncurriculaforthesakeofcomparisontotheabovementionedsourcesofenergy.

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4.1.6. Pollution

Pollution,asweknowit,becameanissueaftertheIndustrialRevolution.Factoriesandtheconsumptionofcoalandotherfossilfuelsproducedairpollution, industrialchemicaldischargesanduntreatedhumanwaste.AremarkablecatastrophiceventwasthegreatsmoginLondonin1952,whichkilledatleast8000people.Thismassiveeventpromptedsomeofthefirstmajormodernenvironmentallegislation,TheCleanAirActof1956.Sincethen,anumberofdisastersinvolvingdifferenttypesofpollutionhaveoccurred.Forexample, toxic waste (20000 ton of dioxin accumulated in Niagara Falls, NY, 1947‐1978); oil spills(1.6million barrels released from the Amoco Cadiz cargo, 1978) and release of radioactive material(accident in a nuclear plant in Chernobyl, 1986). The world's worst industrial disaster happened inBhopal,1984,when42tonnesofagasusedforpesticideproductionwerereleasedexposingmorethan500000people,killing8000‐10000within72hours,andanestimatedamountof25000peoplesofar9.

However, although these events has triggered awareness in the population and a broad set ofenvironmental legislation, everyday a hugequantityof pollutants is released in virtually all the Earthsystemsthreateningthewholebiosphere.ThetopicsselectedfortheDynaLearncurriculaandcontentswill provide anoverviewof themain typesof pollution affecting themajortypesofenvironment.Themarine environment is a highly diverse ecosystem, consisting of various sub‐ecosystems, from rockyorsandy shores to deep waters, each characterised by diverse physical and chemical conditions and bytypical biological communities. Studies about the chemistry and physics of marine environments mayhighlightsomemechanismsunderwhichthesesystemsevolvedinnaturalconditions,andhowtheyarenowadaysbeingthreatenedbyman‐madeactivities.

Fundamental knowledge on diffusion and osmosis10 is required to understand how some pollutantsdisperseintheenvironment,particularlydispersalinwaterandair,andhowtheyaffect,consideringthatmoleculesofpollutantsmayhavetocrossthecellmembrane inordertodirectly interfereonbiologicalprocesses. Such knowledge is also required to better describe the dynamic aspects of dispersion anddistributionofbothconservativeandnon‐conservativepollutants.Conservativepollutantsarethosethatremainunchangedwhilepassingthroughtreatmentprocesses,thatis,theirconcentrationdonotchangewithtime.Heavymetals,suchascadmiumand lead, areconservativepollutants.Thistypeofpollutantmay be removed by the treatment processes, retained in the plant's sludge ormay leave in the planteffluent.Non‐conservativepollutantsarebiodegradablecompounds,suchasorganicmaterials,andtheirconcentration varies with time. In both cases, these two themes are interesting by their effects on thebiodiversityoncommunitystructure,andonecologicalservices.

Allthespeciesarelimitedinwheretheycanlive,limitedbytheprevailingbioticandabioticconditionsknown as their tolerance limits [12]. Limitations are due to physiological stress due to inappropriatelevels of some critical environmental factor (light, moisture, temperature, specific nutrients, pH),competitor or predator species. Sometimes the requirements and tolerances of species are usefulindicatorsofspecificenvironmentalconditions,sothatthepresenceorabsenceofsuchspeciesindicatessomethingaboutthecommunityortheecosystem.Lichensaretheclassicalexampleofspeciesindicators,because they are sensitive to sulphur dioxide. If lichens disappear, it is possible to infer that sulphurdioxideisaboveacertainconcentration[12].

DynaLearntopicsincludeorganicwaterpollutioncausedbysewage,industryandagricultureresidues;airpollutioncausedbygreenhousegases,sulphurdioxide,nitrogencompounds,particulatematerial,andairtoxin;andtheeffectsofsoilpollutioncausedbysolid,toxicandhazardouswaste.Thecurriculumandcontentswill include the conditionsof pollutants production, their effectson the environment and on 9http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pollution

10http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osmosis

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human health and what are the requirements for pollution mitigation. Restoration is also of greatimportanceforEnvironmentalscience,andacaseofriverrehabilitationwillprovidetheopportunityofamultipleviewonthecausesandconsequencesofpollution.

4.1.7. Global changes

As globalisation advances in creating a global society, so do human actions in creating globalenvironmentalproblems.Atmosphericoxygenandozoneandtheprotectionoftheozonelayerprovideagood example of how adequate legislation, international cooperation and technological advancesmayreduce environmental problems at a planetary scale. Atmospheric ozone is produced by thephotochemicaldissociationofoxygen(O2)resultingfromabsorptionofultravioletsolarradiationtoformatoms of oxygen (O). These atoms collide with molecular oxygen (O2), which in turn absorbs solarradiation.Thisway,theozonelayerlimitstheamountofultravioletradiationreachingthegroundsurface[1].

Ithasbeenshownthatseveralgroupsofchemicalsubstancescontainingeitherchlorineorbromineusedinindustryplayaroleinozonedepletion.TheMontrealProtocolonSubstancesThatDepletetheOzoneLayer isan internationaltreatydesignedtoprotecttheozone layerbyphasingouttheproductionofanumberofsubstancesbelievedtoberesponsibleforozonedepletion.Itenteredintoforcein1989,andiftherulesaresuccessful,theozonelayerisexpectedtorecoverby2050.Duetoitswidespreadadoptionandimplementationithasbeenhailedasanexampleofexceptionalinternationalcooperation,perhapsthesinglemostsuccessfulinternationalagreementtodate.

Howdointernationalagreementsandtreatiesonenvironmentalissuesandcooperationforsustainabilitywork? In a way, such agreements establish a plan to solve specific environmental problems. To besuccessful, they certainly establish regulations for the actions each part shall undertake in favour ofcommongoals.Theconsequencesofthetreatiesbecomingintoforcemayaffectpublicpoliciesandcausebehaviour changes. Some of these international efforts would require more than agreements.International cooperation for sustainability is more than ever a condition to solve global problems.Qualificationofhumanresources,technologydevelopmentandtransferandprojectsfinancingaresomeareasthatmayestablishthecommongroundforcooperation[12].FortheDynaLearnprojectgoals, it isinteresting to follow up the international agreements with a representation of possible changes ininternal affairs and public policies. Natural and human factors have significant influence on climatechanges effectson river catchments, especially those related to hydrology,water temperature land useand energy production.Dependingon the localsituation different restoration/resilience/developmentscenariosforriverinelandscapesandaquaticecosystemservicesarepossible.

AftertheMontrealProtocolsuccesssimilartreatiestocontroltheemissionofgreenhousegasesarebeingdiscussed, in order to face threats from the so‐called climate changes. The DynaLearn curricula andcontentswillexploredifferentaspectsofthisglobalproblem:globalwarming,droughtandoceaneffects.Climatechangeandtheconsequencesontemperaturesinmarine,freshwaterandlandenvironmentsiscertainly an elucidating topic for the consequences of global warming. Among the expected effects,increasing sea levels, changes in biological communities affecting species withmore restrict tolerancelimits,changesintheproductivityofcropspecies,theexpansioninthedistributionareaofsomediseasevectors. Climate change and freshwater shortage and scarcity address issues of great impact, such ashuman population migratory movements, loss in agriculture and livestock, decreasing economicproduction,increasingincidenceofdiseases.Biologicalproblemsrelatedtoadaptationstoclimatechangein marine ecosystems will show interesting aspects of species interactions, habitat use and trophicstructureinmarinecommunitiesinresponsetoabioticfactors.

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Invasivespeciestransportedbyshipsallovertheworldbecameanimportantprobleminmanycountries.Ballast water discharge typically contains a variety of biological materials, including plants, animals,viruses, andbacteria. Thesematerialsoften include non‐native, nuisance, exoticspecies thatcancauseextensiveecologicalandeconomicdamagetoaquaticecosystems.DynaLearnmaterialswillexploreboththeecologicalandtheeconomicaspectsofinvasivespecies.

Finally, an approach to human behaviour will focus on reducing the pressure on energy andenvironmental resources by changing the consumption standards, in order to achieve sustainablestandardsgoodsandservicesproductionandconsumption.Thisthemewillresultinalargediversityoftopics,asconsumerismisassociatedtomarket forces,whichdonotrelatetoaresourcesavingeconomy.Also,inorderto“decarbonise”themodernsocietyagreatdealofsolutionstoreducethegreenhousegasesemissionsarebeingproposed.Infact,thistopicaddressesbothhowtoremoveCO2fromtheair,andhowtomovetoalowcarbonsociety.Thislasttopicwouldrequirealternativesourcesofenergy(wind,solar),stopdeforestationandplanttreestorecoverdegradedland,usebikesandpublictransportation,producelesswasteandsoon.

4.2. The local context

Anoverviewoftherealityofeachpartnerispresentedinthissection.Itshowshowtheselectedtopicsarerelatedtothepartners’realityandexpertise,andtheyarepreparedforthenextroundofactivitiesinDynaLearn,whichinvolvesthepreparationofthemodelsandlessonsonthetopicsselected.

4.2.1. BOKU

RelevantissuesforanintegrativeunderstandingofmainprocessesofriverinelandscapesformthemaincontentofthecurriculataughtattheInstituteofHydrobiologyandAquaticEcosystemManagement(IHG).The institutecoversan interdisciplinary teamofscientists fromthe rangesbiology, ecology, geography,history, landscapeecologyandplanning,andagriculturalengineering.Themain focusofresearchandeducationis‘AppliedRunningWatersEcology’withworkinggroupsonfishecology,riverinelandscapesandbenthicriverecology.Theseworkinggroupsencompassbothaquaticandterrestrial habitatsalongwith theirbiocoenoses, including anthropogenicstructuresand land‐uses.Thespectrumofactivitiesofthe IHG ranges from detailed studies of individual running water habitats or sections small‐scaleassessment’) to the comprehensive evaluation of the functional ecological, societal and economicinterrelationships in entire watersheds (‘large‐scale assessment’). The selection of topics and modelsexploredbytheBOKUwasbasedontheirrelevanceforexistinguppersecondaryenvironmentalsciencecurricula inAustriaandUniversityundergraduate levelcurriculaattheBOKUandontheirpotentialtoenhancelearningandunderstandingofgeneralaspectsoftheenvironmentwithaspecialfocusonrivercatchments.Basedontheexpertiseofthe IHGthe followingkey issues intrinsically linkedtothesevenmaintopicstobecoveredbytheDynaLearncurriculum(Fig.1)were identifiedasa frameworkforthedefinitionofthespecifiedmodelstobedevelopedfortheDynaLearnworkbench:

• Developmentofdifferentmorphologicalrivertypesandtheeffectsofriverregulation/landuse.

• Differentrestoration/resilience/developmentscenariosforriverinelandscapes.

• Aquaticecosystemservicesandtheiraffectionbydifferenthumanpressures.

Fig.1showstherelationshipsoftheidentifiedkeyissuesforasustainablecatchmenttothemaintopicstobecoveredwithintheDynaLearnproject.

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Figure1:KeyissuesidentifiedforthedevelopmentofthecurriculumonsustainablecatchmentmanagementinrelationtothemaintopicstobecoveredwithintheDynaLearnproject.

4.2.2. CLGE

Sharingthegeneralviewthatthesciencecurriculaaresubjecttoaworryingdeclineandthenumberofstudentsisfalling(lessstudentstakesciencecurriculaandmoredropout)forthelastdecade,undertheDynaLearnprojecttheCLGE‐teamisaimingtodevelopenvironmentalcurriculaforcreatingcapacitiesoflearnerstounderstandand interprettheunityand diversityofecological/environmentalentitiesandprocesses,pressuresandimpacts,situationsandstates,andtodeveloptheirownsocial/civilpositionand(pro)activebehavioursupportivetothesocietal,environmentalandnaturesustainability.

WithinWP6theactivitiesoftheCLGE‐teamwillbedevelopingoflearningcurriculafortwomostcommoncategoriesofwaterbodies–riversand lakes,whicharethemainsourceofwaterresourcesforhumans(EarthSystems&Resources).Riversandlakesarenotsimplyvolumes,whichcontainwater,buttheyareanenvironmentfortremendousbiologicaldiversityofaquaticecosystems(LivingWorld)inthesametime,and use to provide humans with various ecosystem services. Humans and their societies (Humanpopulation) explore commonly the water as a renewable resource (Energy resources & consumption)losing side of fragility of aquatic ecosystems and threatening the capacity of water bodies to providefurther these services (Land & Water Use) by polluting the waters (Pollution) and/or changing thenaturalwatercircles(GlobalChanges).

Basedontheirownexpertise,theCLGE‐teamwilldevelopsimilarcurriculafortwomostcommontypesofwater bodies – rivers and lakes, including their riparian/fringing communities. The basin/watershedapproach isaccepted asbasic/fundamentalone.Afterconstructing the physical andbiological (leadingspecies, communities, trophic structure,mass/energy flows, etc.) elements/entities of two categories ofwaterbodies,similarprocesseswillbestudiesincomparisonwithriverandlakeecosystems.Developingsuchmodel curricula, the CLGE‐teamwill teach students of unity, similarity and differences betweenentities and processes in rivers and lakes, of responsible environmental variables and ecologicalcommunitiesfortheirrunningand/orpreservation,thusprovidingthemwithknowledgehowtomanageenvironmental situations/states in order to ensure sustainable development of both naturalenvironment/resourcesandprosperityofhumansociety.

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4.2.3. FUB

TheUniversityofBrasiliawascreated in 1961, soon after theBrasilia foundation,with themissionofbecoming involved with the problems of the Central Brazil. Accordingly, this region has undergonesignificant changes over the past 50 years. Agriculture focussed on bio‐fuel, livestock production andgrains to export point out for the need of sugar cane, pastures and soya. In this context it is clear thenecessityofbetterunderstandthemeaningoftheecologicalservicesandtheprinciplesofconservationbiology.FUBisalsoinvolvedwithimportantnationalandinternationalquestions,includingbiodiversitymanagement,water resourcesmanagement, deforestation, erosion,consumerism,controlofgreenhouseemissions,andalternativesourcesofenergy.FourinstitutionsatFUBareatthefrontlineofEnvironmentalscience:InstituteofBiologicalSciences,Forestry,GeographyandtheCentreforSustainableDevelopment.

FUB also holds a number of programs aiming at to strength the secondary educational level, whichincludes initial and continuous training secondary school teachers, curricula discussions and thedevelopmentof educational projects.Finally, FUB holds expertise inqualitative reasoningmodels andusesineducationalsettings,includingsupportforlearnerswithspecialneeds(deaf).FUBexpectationsonDynaLearnproductsrelyonflexiblesoftwareandasetofmodels,withdifferentlevelsofcomplexity,anda methodology for building models. The combination of these products would facilitate the use ofDynaLearnintheclassroom,bothinsecondaryandtertiaryeducationallevels.

4.2.4. TAU

The combination of environmental research, policy analysis and cooperative endeavoursmakes TAU aqualified partner deeply involved in developing viable solutions to the fundamental environmentalproblemsconfrontingtheMediterraneanBasin11.EnvironmentalissuesarebeingaddressedprimarilyatThePorterSchoolofEnvironmentalStudies (PSES).ThePSESpromotesnewareasof interdisciplinaryenvironmental research, introduces novel environmental teaching programsand placesenvironmentalissues on the academic and public agenda. These interdisciplinary studies include areas such astechnologyandclimatechange,globalwarmingandrenewableenergy,epidemiologyandsustainability.

Assuch,ofthemarineenvironmentisofgreatimportanceforTAU,asitprovidesbiologicalandphysicalresourcesforthewholecountry.StudiesinmarinebiologyatTAUincludecoralandartificialreefs'sandyand rocky shores, sea grassbeds, benthos and pelagic zones. Besides that, the local context shows thestrong relevance of understanding environmental problems related to climate stress, water resourcesshortage,greenarchitecture,agricultureandsoilexploitation,andsustainabledevelopment.

SeveralecosystemsthatarefoundinIsraelwillbestudiedduringtheDynaLearnproject.Theseincludeterrestrial: includingcoastalsandcliffs,sand dunes,and islands;marine: includingcoral andartificialreefs'sandyandrockyshores,seagrassbeds,benthosandpelagiczones.Besidesthatseveralecologicalprocesseswillbestudiedineachecosystem.Forexample,ecologicalsuccessionprocesses,invasivespeciesand migration, species population ecology, prey‐predator interactions, food chain, and competition.Understandingtheprocessesaffectingtheseecosystemswillteachstudentsoftheirimportanceandwillassiststudentsinplanningconservationstrategiesforthem.

11http://www.environment.tau.ac.il/Eng/

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4.2.5. UH

The Hull International Fisheries Institute is a specialist research group within the Department ofBiological Sciences at the University of Hull. The Institute and Department offer courses at the pre‐certificate(foundationlevelequivalenttoAlevel),undergraduateandpost‐graduate(masters)level.TheInstitute has vast experience in research, consultancy, education and training in the fields of fisheriesscience,aquaticresourceplanningandmanagementandenvironmentalassessmentandmanagement.InadditiontothisexpertisetheDepartmentofBiologyalsohasexpertise inaquaticecologyandresourcemanagement,evolutionarybiology,cellularprocessesandaquaticecophysiology.

WithintheUniversityofHullEnvironmentalScienceiscoveredbydegreeprogrammesinboththeBiologyandGeographydepartments.WithinBiologicalSciencesundergraduatehonoursdegreesareoffered inthethemesofBiology,AquaticZoologyandMarineandFreshwaterBiology.Atpost‐graduatelevelcoursesareoffered inadiverserangeofthemescoveringAquaticConservation,AquaticResourcePlanningandManagement, Biodiversity and Conservation, Aquatic Science and Management, Fisheries Science andFisheriesPolicyandPlanning. Withinthesedegreeprogrammestopicsarecovered inamodularbasis.Withinthesemodulesstudentsmovefromstudyingthemainbiological/ecologicalprinciplestobuildingonthatknowledgewiththecontextoftopicssuchasresourcemanagement,threatsandremediesintheaquaticenvironment,freshwaterfisheriesandconservationandothermodulescontainingenvironmentalandappliedbiological/ecologicalthemes.

WithinthiscontextUHwilllooktodevelopmodelsandcontentthatcanbeusedtoexplorefundamentalbiologicalandecologicalconcepts,ofuseatAlevel,pre‐certificateandearlyundergraduatelevels,whichcan then be expanded to consider topics of fisheries resources and other similar advanced topics atadvancedundergraduatelevels.

4.3. Learning enhancement by using DynaLearn tools

Inthissection,opportunitiesforexploringenvironmentalcurriculawithDynaLearntoolsarediscussed.Twoexamplesarepresentedbelow,ecologicalservicesandconsumerism,inordertogiveanideaofhowtheworkwillbedevelopedwithinall thethemes.Thebasicstructurestartswith the presentationofamotivational text, followed by an explanation on the importance of the topic for environment sciencecurricula,the importanceforthe learnersgiventheir localcontext,theeducationalgoalstobeachievedand the expected use of the DynaLearn tools, namely the conceptual modelling environment, thepedagogicalagentsandthesemantictechnology.

Itisimportanttonotethatanyofthetopicsselectedherecouldberepresentedineachofthesixuse‐levelsavailable in the conceptual modelling environment. Also, the interaction with learners will use thefunctionalities provided by the pedagogical agents and the semantic technology, briefly presented insection2,anddiscussedindepthinthedeliverableD2.1.

4.3.1. Earth systems and resources: Ecological services (FUB)

Initialexplanationabouttheselectedtopic

“Mankindbenefitsfromamultitudeofresourcesandprocessesthataresuppliedbynaturalecosystems.Collectively, these benefits are known as ecosystem services and include products like clean drinkingwater and processes such as the decomposition of wastes. Ecosystem services are distinct from otherecosystemproductsandfunctionsbecausethereishumandemandforthesenaturalassets.Servicescanbe

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subdividedintofivecategories:provisioningsuchastheproductionoffoodandwater;regulating,suchasthecontrolofclimateanddisease;supporting,suchasnutrientcyclesandcroppollination;cultural,suchas spiritual and recreational benefits; and preserving, which includes guarding against uncertaintythroughthemaintenanceofdiversity.”

(fromwikipedia)

ThetopicimportancefortheEnvironmentalsciencecurriculum

Understanding the interconnectionbetweeneconomicsystemsand naturalsystemsand processes isanimportantstepforsocietytoreducedeforestation,erosion,biodiversityandnaturalresourcesloss.Infact,economistsusedto focusonly inthecapitalandtheworking forcewhilepreparingplans foreconomicdevelopment,andtoconsiderenvironmentalfactorsasexternalities[10].Thissituationhaschangedinthe last 30 years and Environmental science courses seek to establish and make clear the relationsbetweenecologicalservicesandthewholeeconomy.

Thetopicimportanceforthelocalcontext

ThisisasensitivetopicforBrazilasthecountry’seconomyhasincreasedsignificantlyinthelast70years,atthecostofdegradationofthenaturalcapitalandthesacrificeofecologicalservices.Deforestation,forexample,whileopeningnewareasforfarming,andthereforetofoodandrawmaterialsproduction,hascontributedtoincreasingGHGemissions,erosion,deteriorationofwaterresourcesandbiodiversityloss.

Educationalgoals:usingthetopiccontentstoexplorecompetencesandabilities

Ecologicalservicesraiseanumberofproblemstobesolvedthatmightcontributetothedevelopmentofanumberoflearners'cognitiveabilities.Forexample,givenasituationrelatedtotheeconomicexploitationofanareacoveredbynaturalvegetationandassociatededucationalmaterial,theuseofqualitativemodelsmayhelpthestudenttocriticallyanalysethesituationandpointoutpositiveandnegativeaspectsofthedeforestationonthebasisofecologicalservices.

DynaLearntools:usingCM,VCandSTtosupportcommunicationwiththelearner

In this context, DynaLearn tools may be useful in many ways. An example of how this topic may bedeveloped is presented as follows. The use‐level 3 (basic causal model and the state graph) in theconceptual modelling environment allows for creating simple models that establish causal relationsbetweendeforestationandotherenvironmentalfactors:

deforestationsoilerosionwaterresourcesloss;

deforestationhabitatlossspeciesextinction;

deforestationfragmentsofvegetationnumberoflocalpopulations.

Havingdonemodelsaboutthesetopics,theteacherproposesanassignmentinwhichthefirstcausalchainisfurtherdevelopedinlevels4and5oftheCMenvironment,inordertocreatemodelsexploringdetailsof the relationbetween forest, soil andwater.Using the semantic technology, DynaLearn classifies themodelsandestablishesarelationbetweenontologiesthatincludetheentitiesforest,soilandwater,andrefinesitdoingataxonomicreasoningandfinallymakingtheconnectionbetweentheforest–soil–watersystemandanumberofecologicalservices.

The pedagogical agentsmediate thecommunicationbetween theDynaLearnsoftware and the learner.Theyplaydifferentroles,before,duringandafterthenmodellingprocess.Oneoftheserolesistoprovidefeedback to learners, with recommendations about how to improve themodel in levels 4 (identifying

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processes)and5(establishingconditionsforprocessestostartandtostop).Asasortoffinalhomework,learnersmayteachanagentthisknowledgeaboutecologicalservicesandusetheagenttoexplaintootherlearnerstheimportanceofforestconservation.

4.3.2. Global Changes: Consumerism (FUB)

“Consumerism has strong links with theWestern world, but is in fact an international phenomenon.Peoplespurchasinggoodsandconsumingmaterialsinexcessoftheirbasicneeds(subjective)isasoldasthe first civilisations (see Ancient Egypt, Babylon and Ancient Rome, for example). A great turn inconsumerismarrivedjustbeforetheIndustrialRevolution.Whilebeforethenormhadbeenthescarcityofresources,industrialrevolutionscreatedanunusualsituation:forthefirsttimeinhistoryproductswereavailableinoutstandingquantities,atoutstandinglylowprices,beingthusavailabletovirtuallyeveryone.Andsobegantheeraofmassconsumption,theonlyerawheretheconceptofconsumerismisapplicable.It's still good to keep in mind that since consumerism began, various individuals and groups haveconsciously sought an alternative lifestyle, such as the "simple living", "eco‐conscious”, and "buy local"movements.” (fromwikipedia)

Consumerismisarelevanttopicfortheenvironmentsciencecurriculum,asitrefersto‘bad’behaviourofthe consumer, who is not aware of the problems production and consumption are causing to theenvironment.Thesearenotneglectableproblems,asthepopulationisalreadybigandisstillincreasing,veryaggressiveandseductiveadvertisementspublishedinwellpaidmediapushestheconsumertobuysuperfluousgoodsandcausestheexpenditureofwater,energyandnaturalresourcesandthedisposalofeffluentsandsolidresiduestoveryhigh levels. In fact,changing theconsumerbehaviour isoneofthegoalsinanyEnvironmentalsciencecurriculum.

Consumerism is also a relevant problem in Brazil and other developing countries, as expanding themarketisacornerstonefortheeconomicdevelopmentparadigmadoptedinthesecountries.Againsttheindustry goals, the media and governmental policies, environmental education seeks to reduce theconsumption levels. Qualitative models and modelling have a great potential for exploring theconsequences of consumerism, by presenting and comparing the current situation and possiblealternatives.

Motivationforacollaborativeeducationalprojectaboutconsumerismcouldbedonewithadvertisementmaterial, newspaper and magazine texts discussing consumerism, and statistics about environmentalresourcesusedtoproducesomegoodsandservices.Educationalmaterialassociatedtothismaterialmayincludeactivitiesaimingatcriticallycomparingpossiblesolutionsforaproblem.Forexample,accordingto[12; p.572],the impactofconsumerismmaybereducedbypurchasing less(askyourselfwhetheryoureallyneedmorestuff),reduceexcesspackaging(buyitemswithminimalpackingandcarryreusablebagswhen shopping), avoid disposable items (use cloth napkins, handkerchiefs and towels; avoid single‐servingfoods),conserveenergy(walk,bicycle,usepublictransportation),savewater(don’tleavewaterrunningwhenwashinghands,dishesandtheteeth).

DynaLearnagentsmayhelp teacherstostartprojects,presentingthegroupof learnerstheeducationalmaterial, and including in thegroupacompanionagentalso involved in thetask.Thegroupcanthendiscuss how to start the modelling effort and decide for creating a concept map (use‐level 1 in theconceptualmodellingenvironment)aroundtheconsumerismconcept.Afterusing ittoexplorepossibleoutcomesfortheproject,thegroupcanstartwithcreatingbasiccausalmodelsinseconduse‐leveloftheCM environment. A number of possibilities can be explored, and some maybe chosen for furtherdevelopment. Accordingly, teachersmay assign to different groups the task of expanding parts of thecausalmodel and improving their representation in use‐levels 5 and 6. In thisway, the group could

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exploreinmoredetailtheprocessesassociatedtoconsumerismandnotonlyhowcausalitypropagatesinthissystem.

Thefinalproductofthisprojectmaybealibraryofmodelfragmentsassembledfrominputcomingfromallthegroups intheclassroom,exploringopposingconsumerbehavioursasfollows: the impactonenergyuseby unconsciousconsumers replacing items in their house versus consciousconsumers that use thesameitemsforlongerperiods;theproductionofsolidresiduesbyunconsciousconsumerswhobuyitemswithlotsofpackingmaterialanddisposablepacksversusconsciousconsumersthatcarrytheirownbagsandavoidsingle‐usepacks;theimpactonwaterusebyunconsciousconsumerswhodon’tcarewithlongshowersandopentapsduringtoiletversusconsciousconsumerswhocare.Agentssupportedbydifferentinternal and external ontologiesmay run a quiz competition among the students after the end of theproject.

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5. Detailed description of the selected topics

Inthissection,thetopicstobedevelopedbytheDynaLearnprojectarepresentedinmoredetail,focussingonapreliminaryviewoftheeducationalgoalstobeachieved.Itisimportanttonotethatatthisstageoftheproject, only preliminary and generic goals can be established for each theme. Of course, during themodelling process specific literature, evaluation requirements and curricula links with otherthemes/topicswillprovidebetterconditionsforrefinementoftheeducationalgoalssetatthisstage.

5.1. Topics to be developed in WP6

In this section the topics selected for development in WP6 are presented and associated to generaleducationalgoals.Eachtheme isassignedtoaDynaLearnpartner, identifiedasthetopic “leader”.Thetopicleaderwillberesponsibleforthedevelopmentofmodelsandcontentsrelatedtothattopic,andbytheintegrationofthistopicwiththeotherthemesintheEnvironmentalsciencecurriculum.

5.1.1. Topics on earth system and resources

Themes Lead Educationalgoals

Climatefactors TAU Toidentifytherelevantclimatefactorsforunderstandingthedynamicsofaspecificecosystemtakenascase‐study;

Toestablishcausalitychainsthatpropagatechangestriggeredbyclimatefactors.

Naturalprocessesformingriverinelandscapesandhabitats

BOKU Todescribenaturalprocessesshapingmorphologicalfeaturesofrivers;

Tocomparedifferenttypesofriversandverifyhowthenaturalprocesseshavework.

Mining FUB Todescribehowmininginfluencestheenvironment,givenaspecificcase‐study;

Todiscussmitigationmeasuresforthedamagecausedbymining,givenaspecificcase‐study,

Nutrientavailabilityandcycling

UH Todescribethemainnutrientcycles,withspecialattentiontostocksandprocessesofnutrienttransferamongstocks;

Toestablishtheconnectionsbetweennutrientcyclesandresourcesrequiredbyhumansocieties.

Watercycle CLGE Todescribethewatercycle,withspecialattentiontoexploitationatvulnerablepointsofthecycle;

Toidentifyspecificpointsofthewatercycleinwhichtechnologyandenvironmentaleducationmayreducevulnerabilities.

Habitatdynamics TAU Toidentifyprocessesrelevantforthecreationandmaintenanceofhabitatfeatures,necessarytoassurethesurvivalofaspecificpopulation

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orcommunity;

Tomodelhownaturalprocessesinfluencethestructureandqualityofhabitatsrequiredforaspecificpopulationorcommunityasabasistodevelopsustainablemanagementstrategies.

Thermaldynamicsinfreshwaterbodies

CLGE Todescribetheinfluenceofthermaldynamicsoffreshwaterunderthethermalinfluences;

Toidentifytheeffectsofthermalstratificationonspeciesdistributionandecologicalprocessesinstagnantwaterbodies.

Adaptationtoenvironmentalstress

UH Todescribeexamplesofpopulationorcommunityadaptationtodifferenttypesofenvironmentalstress;

Tocomparedifferentadaptationstosimilarconditionsofenvironmentalstress.

Ecologicalservices FUB Todescribehownaturalprocessesmayaffecthumanactivities;

Topresentthecausalityflowamongselectedfactorsinordertomakepredictionsandprovideexplanationsaboutaparticularphenomenainaspecificcasestudy.

5.1.2. Topics on the living world


Evolution UH To present some of the basic issues required for understandingfundamentalaspectsoftheevolutionarytheory;

To represent in qualitative models case studies that show howevolutionaryconceptsjustifytopicsinEnvironmentalscience.

Biodiversity CLGE Thedefinebiodiversityindifferentorganisationallevels(populations,species,communities);

Tomodelbasicprinciplesrequiredforrepresentingbiodiversityinthecontext of the impact of human actions, including conservationactivities.

Reproductivestrategies

CLGE To present an overview of general aspects of sexual and asexualreproductionandhowsuchgenericmodelsmightbeusedtorepresentreproductioninspecifictaxonomicgroups;

To compare different reproductive strategies in the context ofconservationactivities.

Populations BOKU To develop general models about the vital processes (natality,mortality) and populationmovements (immigration, emigration) andshow such generic models being used to represent the dynamics ofspecifictaxonomicgroups;

Toreusepopulationmodelstocreaterepresentationofmorecomplex

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interactions,suchastwopopulationmodels.

Speciesinteractions TAU Tomodelpositiveandnegativeinteractionsbetweendifferentspeciespopulations;

To use species interactions models to express relevant topics forunderstanding environmental phenomena, for example,decomposition,trophicrelations,nutrientcyclingandenergyflow.

Communityspecificfeatures

TAU Tomodel specific features of biological communities, as for examplespecies diversity, disturbance and resilience, complexity andsuccession;

Tocomparespecificfeaturesofdifferentbiologicalcommunities.

Decomposition UH Todescriberelevantaspectsofbioticandabioticinteractionsinvolvedinthedecompositionprocess;

Tocomparedecompositionratesofdifferentmaterialsunderdifferentphysicalconditions.

The river continuumconcept

BOKU Toexplainhowthestructureofaquaticcommunitiesareinfluencedbytheinternalconditionsofthewaterbodyandbyitssurroundings;

To compare environmental conditions and communities in differentpartsofariver.

Conservationbiology

FUB To model basic principles of biological conservation of differentecosystemsandtaxonomicgroups;

To demonstrate applicationsof these basic principles in case studiesspecifically designed to represent relevant topics of Environmentalsciencecurricula.

Meta‐populations FUB Torepresent thebasicconcepts related to fragmented landscape andhowasetofpopulationsinteracts.

Todemonstratehowbasicconceptsrelatedtometapopulationscanbeusedtodesignconservationpractices.

5.1.3. Topics on human population


Socialaspectsofhumanpopulationgrowth

FUB To establish the causal relations involving elements from society,culture, economy and environment related to human populationgrowth;

To demonstrate how different social aspects may influence familyplanningandpopulationgrowth.

Education BOKU To establish causal relations among relevant elements from society,culture,economyandenvironmentrelatedtotheeducation;

To demonstrate that education may improve the conditions of a

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particularsocietyinagivensituationdescribedinacasestudy.

Biotechnologicalexploitation ofmarineorganisms

TAU To establish causal relations among relevant elements from society,culture, economy and environment related to the exploitation ofmarineorganismsinbiotechnologicalapplications;

To demonstrate that biodiversity protection may improve theconditionsofaparticularsocietyinagivensituationdescribedinacasestudy.

Healthandtheenvironment

FUB To establish causal relations among human health aspects andenvironmentalfactors;

Todemonstratesituations inwhichchanges in the environmentmayimprove or make worse the health conditions of a specific humanpopulation.

Urbanisation CLGE To represent characteristic features of urban areas and show hownutrientcyclesaenergyflowsthroughthecities;

Tomodeltypicalurbanenvironmentalproblemsandpossiblesolutionsforthem.

Greenarchitecture TAU To demonstrate relevant elements that that characterisebuildings asenvironmentalfriendly;

To compare buildings built according to the principles of greenarchitectureandothersbuiltinatraditionalway.

Legislation CLGE To represent how legislation regulates the functioning ofman‐madesystems, by means of controlling the causality flow among specificquantities;

To compare the effects on the environment of having differentlegislationregulatingspecificcasestudies.

Reduce,reuse,recycle

UH Tomodelthe3Rsinordertoputtheminthecontextofenvironmentaleducationforsustainability;

To compare situations in which each of the 3 Rs may contribute toachievemoresustainableconditions.

Tourismandrecreation

BOKU To establish causal relations among relevant elements from society,culture,economyandenvironmentrelatedtothetourismindustry;

To demonstrate the viability of the tourist activity, considering givenconditionsinaparticularcasestudy.

Human DevelopmentIndex(HDI)

UH Tomodel the threemain elements of the HDI (economy, health andeducation) and how they interact to compose indicator of humandevelopment;

Toestablish relationsbetween environmental factorsand eachoftheHDIcomponents.

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5.1.4. Topics on land and water use


Land‐useconflicts CLGE To establish causal relations involved in conflicts resulting fromcompetinglandusesinaspecificcasestudy;

To compare different land‐uses in order to develop managementstrategies for sustainable exploitationof a pieceof land in a specificcasestudy.

Intensiveagriculture CLGE To characterise the main features of intensive agriculture andestablish causal relations with society, culture, economy andenvironment;

Todemonstratethe importanceofalternativesolutions to limitationsof intensive agriculture that may lead to environmental damageand/orunsustainablesituations.

Agroecologysystems UH To establish causal relations among relevant elements from society,culture, economy and environment related to the exploitation ofconsortiaofagriculture,forestandlivestock;

Tocompareproductivityandtheenvironmentalimpactofagroecologyandintensiveagriculturesystems.

Deforestation FUB To identify causal relations between society, culture, economy andenvironmentaspectsrelatedtoforestexploitation;

To compare alternative approaches to the consequences ofdeforestation.

Erosion FUB To identify causal relations between society, culture, economy andenvironmentaspectsrelatedtoerosionandsedimenttransportation;

To demonstrate possible actions that could prevent erosion, recoverdegradedsoilandtoimplementsustainablesoilmanagement.

Floodprotection BOKU Toidentifythemainelementsnecessarytoreducethedamagecausedbyfloodincatchmentareas;

To compare different solutions for flood protection given differentland‐usesinspecificcasestudies.

Integratedplansformanagementofcatchmentareas

BOKU To demonstrate how the ecosystems play a role in supporting floraand fauna,providingservicestohumansocieties,andregulatingthehumanenvironmentbymakingexplicitthecausalrelationsinvolved;

Tocomparedifferentmanagementplansofcatchmentareas inordertoestablishdifferencesandsimilaritiesbetween integratedandnon‐integratedapproaches.

Irrigation TAU Tocharacterisethemainfeaturesofirrigatedagricultureandestablishcausal relations among society, culture, economy and environmentfactors;

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To compare different approaches to irrigation with respect toproductivityandenvironmentalimpacts.

Drinkingwatersupply

TAU To describe relevant elements in natural ecosystems andman‐madesystemsandestablishcausalrelationsrelatedtowithsocietal,cultural,economic and environmental aspects of drinkable water productionandconsumption.

To compare alternative methods to obtain drinking water and tosupplyittohumanpopulationsinasustainablemanner.

Fishery UH Toidentifywhatwouldbethemostrelevantbioticandabioticfactorsforfisheryexploitationandestablishcausalrelationsinvolvingthesefactors;

To explore the ecological, social and economic aspects of freshwaterfisheriesandconservation.

5.1.5. Topics on energy resources and consumption


Photosynthesis UH To identify themost relevant factors involved in autotrophic energymetabolismandestablishcausalrelationsamongphotosynthesisandthenutrientcyclingandenergyflow;

To present an integrated view on aerobic respiration from themolecularleveltothebiosphere.

Aerobicrespiration UH To identify the most relevant factors involved in aerobic energymetabolism and to establish causal relations among them and thenutrientcyclingandenergyflow;

To present an integrated view on aerobic respiration from themolecularleveltothebiosphere.

Anaerobicrespiration TAU To identify the most relevant factors involved in anaerobic energymetabolism and to establish causal relations among them and thenutrientcyclingandenergyflow;

To demonstrate biological and industrial applications of anaerobicrespiration.

Primaryproduction TAU To identify the most relevant factors involved in the production ofbiomassbythe photosyntheticprocessand establishcausal relationsinvolvingenvironmentalfactorswithprimaryproductivity;

Torepresenthowhumanactionsandnaturaleventsmayhamperorimprove primary production and what are the consequences fornaturalsystemsandforsocial,culturalandeconomicaspectsofhumansystems.

Secondaryproduction CLGE Toidentifythemostrelevantfactorsinvolvedinstorageofbiomassat

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higher levels of the trophic structure and establish causal relationsinvolvingenvironmentalfactorswithsecondaryproductivity;

Torepresenthowhumanactionsandnaturaleventsmayhamperorimprovesecondaryproductivitiesandwhataretheconsequencesfornaturalsystemsandforsocial,culturalandeconomicaspectsofhumansystems.

Foodwebsandenergyflow

BOKU To define trophic relations among producers, consumers anddecomposers and to describe causal relations coming from society,culture, economy and the environment thatmay influence nutrientcyclesandenergyflowthroughfoodwebs;

Tocomparedifferentfoodwebsinordertopointoutrelevantfactorsthat may hamper or improve efficiency of energy transfer andaccumulationinspecificcasestudies.

Fossilfuels CLGE Toidentifythemostrelevantfactorsinvolvedintheuseoffossilfuels,and to establish causal relations among them and society, culture,economyandenvironment;

To compare fossil fuels to non‐conventional sustainable sources ofenergy with respect to socioeconomic output and environmentalimpacts.

Hydropowergeneration

BOKU To identify the most relevant factors involved in hydropowergeneration, and to establish causal relations among them and therequirementsforasustainableaction;

To compare fossil fuels to non‐conventional sustainable sources ofenergy with respect to socioeconomic output and environmentalimpacts.

Sustainable sourcesand use of energy(wind)

FUB Toidentifythemostrelevantfactorsinvolvedintheuseofwindasanenergy source, and to establish causal relations among them andsociety,culture,economyandenvironment;

To compare fossil fuels to non‐conventional sustainable sources ofenergytonon‐conventionalsustainablesourcesofenergywithrespecttosocioeconomicoutputandenvironmentalimpacts.

Sustainable sourcesand use of energy(biomass)

FUB Toidentifythemostrelevantfactorsinvolvedintheuseofbiomassasan energysource, and to establishcausal relations among themandsociety,culture,economyandenvironment;

To compare sustainable sources of energy to non‐conventionalsustainable sources of energy with respect to socioeconomic outputandenvironmentalimpacts.

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5.1.6. Topics on pollution


The chemistry andphysics of marineenvironments

TAU To identify relevant chemical and physical aspects of marineenvironmentandestablishcausalrelationsthatmayexplainchangesinstructureandbehaviourofthesesystemsduetopollution.

Tocomparepossiblesolutionstotheeffectsofpollutioneventsonthebasis of social, cultural, economic and environmental aspects inspecificcasestudies.

Diffusionandosmosis UH Toestablishcausalrelationsamongtheforcesthatdrivethemovementofmoleculeseitherornotthroughmembranes;

Tomodelandcomparedifferentsituationsinwhichthemovementofmolecules plays significant role and may explain the behaviour ofspecificsystems.

Dynamicaspectsofdispersionanddistributionofconservativepollutants

CLGE To identify environmental conditionsthatmayspeed upchanges inthe concentration of conservative pollutants and establish causalrelationsthatmayapplyinwaterresourcesmanagement;

Todemonstrateinspecificcasestudieshowtocopewithconservativepollutantscontamination in aquatic environment in order to reducepollutantconcentrationtosafelevels.

Dynamicaspectsofdispersionanddistributionofnon‐conservativepollutants

CLGE To identify environmental conditions thatmay speed up the decayprocess and consequent changes in the concentration of non‐conservativepollutantsandestablishcausalrelationsthatmayapplyinwaterresourcesmanagement;

To demonstrate in specific case studies how to cope with non‐conservative pollutants contamination in aquatic environment inordertoreducepollutantconcentrationtosafelevels.

Indicatorspecies BOKU Toidentifyadaptivefeaturesinsomeorganismsthatmakethemabletosurvivalinstressfulconditionsandtoestablishcausalrelationsthatmaybeusedinmanagementactions.

To present case studies in which species indicators are used tocharacterisepollutioneventsinspecificcasestudies.

Organicwaterpollution

BOKU To identify elements associated production and decay of organicpollution and establish causal relations that may be used formanagementactions.

To compare different actions for organic pollution mitigation withrespect to social, cultural, economic and environmental aspects inordertopointoutsustainablesolutionsinspecificcasestudies.

Airpollution TAU To identify relevant aspects of the atmosphere and establish causalrelationswithecosystemsthatmayexplainchanges instructureandbehaviourofthesesystemsduetopollution.

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Tocomparepossiblesolutionstotheeffectsofairpollutioneventsonthe basis of social, cultural, economic and environmental aspects inspecificcasestudies.

Soilpollution FUB To identifyrelevantaspectsofthesoiland establishcausalrelationswithsociety,culture,economyandenvironmentthatmayexplaintheconsequencesofsoilpollution.

To compare possible solutions to soil pollution in order to definesustainablesolutionsinspecificcasestudies.

Pollutionmitigation

FUB Toidentifymeasuresthatmaypreventorreducethedamagecausedby pollution and establish causal relations that may be used tomanagementactions;

Tocompare differentactions forpollutionmitigationwith respecttosocial,cultural,economicandenvironmentalaspectsinordertopointoutsustainablesolutionsinspecificcasestudies.

Riverrehabilitation UH To identify relevant aspects that characterise the rehabilitationprocess and establish causal relationsbetween the river and factorsthatmaydegradetheriver;

To compare alternative solutions for river rehabilitation seekingsustainabilityandtakingintoconsiderationsociety,culture,economyandenvironmentfactors.

5.1.7. Topics on global changes


Atmosphericoxygenandozone

CLGE Toestablishrelevantfactorsthatinfluencethedynamicsofproductionand consumption of oxygen and ozone in the atmosphere andestablishcausalrelationsinvolvinghumanactions;

To represent hypotheses about how human actionsmay improveormakeworsetheproductionandconsumptionofoxygenandozoneintheatmosphereinspecificcasestudies.

Climatechangeeffectsonrivercatchments

BOKU Todemonstratetheeffectsofglobalchangeonwatercycle,organisms,landuseandenergyproductionatthecatchmentlevel;

To explore alternative scenarios for restoration/ resilience/development of riverine landscapes and aquatic ecosystem servicesaccordingtothelocaleffectsofclimatechange.

Internationalagreementsandtreatiesonenvironmentalissuesandcooperationforsustainability

BOKU To establish relevant factors that describe the conditions for andresultsoflegislationandinternationalagreementsandcooperationonenvironmental issues among institutions and/ or governments forsustainabledevelopment;

To represent hypotheses about how agreements and treaties,cooperation and human actionsmay result in sustainable decision‐

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making and management of environmental issues in specific casestudies.

Greenhousegases UH To identify themain green house gases and to establish the causalrelationsamongsocietal,cultural,economicandenvironmentalfactorsthatresultinthesegases;

To compare alternative practices and structures in order to explainchoicesandmeasuresthatmayresultinreducedlevelsofgreenhousegasesemission.

Climatechangeandtheconsequencesofchangingtemperatures

UH To represent causal relations among human‐made systems, climatefactors, atmospheric temperature and the consequences oftemperaturevariationforenvironmentalissues;

Torepresenthypothesesabouthumanactionsmaymitigatetheeffectsoftemperaturevariationonnaturalandman‐madesystems.

Climatechangeandfreshwatershortageandscarcity

CLGE To represent causal relations between human‐made systems andclimatefactorsthatmayresultinfreshwatershortageandscarcity;

Todemonstratetheconsequencesoffreshwatershortageandscarcityforhuman‐madesystemsandnaturalecosystemsanddiscusshowtomitigatenegativeaspectsoftheseenvironmentalproblems.

Adaptationstoclimatechangeinmarineecosystems

TAU Toidentifyhowclimatefactorsinfluencethestructureandbehaviourof populations, communities and the whole marine ecosystem andestablishawebofcausalrelationsthatresultinadaptivetraits;

To represent hypotheses about how human actionsmay improveormake worse the climate conditions that affectmarine ecosystems inspecificcasestudies.

Ballastwaterdischarge

TAU Todescribe themechanismsofballastwater invasionsand establishcausalrelationsinvolvingthreatstolocalspeciesandecosystemsputbyalienspecies;

To represent hypotheses about how to contain the spread of exoticspeciesandreducethedamagecausedbythesespeciesinspecificcasestudies.

Consumerism FUB To identify the most relevant factors and establish causal relationsinvolved intheproductionofgoodsandservices,advertisementandconsumerism;

To compare greedy and uncontrolled consumerism to a sustainableapproachtoconsumptionwithrespecttosociety,culture,economyandenvironment.

Lowcarbonsociety FUB Todeterminebiological,socialandphysicalaspectsofhumansocietythat result in carbon emissions and to establishcausal relations thatmaybeinvolvedincontrollingthelevelofemissions.

Tocomparebiological or human‐made systemswith respect to theirstructure and behaviour and demonstrate how sustainable levels ofcarbonemissionsmaybeachievedinspecificcasestudies.

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6. Discussion and final remarks

ThisDeliverablepresents70 topicsassociatedtosevenmainthemesdefinedtobecometheDynaLearnproject curriculum. The topics were selected to fulfil the following requirements: relevance forEnvironmental science curricula; adequacy to the local context where the models, educational goals,learningmaterialsandcurriculawillbedevelopedandtested;potentialforlearningenhancementwiththetoolsdevelopedintheDynaLearnsoftware.

Preliminaryeducationalgoalsweredefinedforeachofthesetopics,andwillbeusefulasguidelines inthe next phaseof the project.For each topic amodel and lessonswillbe developed, after researchonspecific literature and refinement of the educational goals, and used in evaluation activities of theDynaLearnsoftware.

AnumberofchallengesareposedtotheDynaLearn team.Apparentlythemostdifficultchallenge istopreparethestudentsforlearningbymodelling.Infact,forthelearnertobeabletocreatemodelsinthesoftware,asetofpreliminaryactivitiesisrequired.Asetofexpertmodelsisneeded,toserveasstartingpointtostudentsthatwanttobuildupsimilarideas.Fromthispointofview,theframeworkforbuildingqualitative reasoning models [7] may be adapted to novices use, and the six use‐levels available inDynaLearnconceptualmodellingenvironment(section2.1)willbeveryuseful.Theexistenceofsimplemodels,createdbyexperts,exploringbasicknowledgewillcompletetheinitialmaterialforthemodellingactivities.

The70 topicspresented inthisDeliverablewere identifiedascomprehensiveenoughtoaddressbasicknowledge in Environmental science. Of course, someof themmay lookquite complex,but the ideaofcreating simple models that may be combined into more complex ones, an approach known ascompositionalmodelling[14],assurestheWP6expertswillgetrightlevelforsimplerepresentationsofcomplexideas.

TheclosestexperiencetoDynaLearnwastheNaturNet‐Redimeproject(STREPprojectco‐fundedbytheEuropean Commission within the Sixth Framework Programme (2002‐2006), contract no. 004074).SimilaritiesmaybefoundinsomeofthethemesrelatedtosustainabilityaddressedbyNaturNet‐Redime.For example, aquatic food webs and the influence of nutrient dynamics [9], photosynthesis andrespirationinaquaticenvironment[24],waterpollution,deforestationandurbanisation[31],lifecycleoffishspecies[25]andtheroleofpublicpoliciesincatchmentmanagement[39].However,inalltheworkdoneinNaturNet‐Redimethegoalwasnotlearningbymodellingwiththesupportoftheexpertmodel.Inthisway,allthemodelsdescribedarefarmorecomplexthanwhatisexpectedfortheDynaLearnmodelsthatarebeingdesignedhere.

AccordingtotheDynaLearnprojectapproach,acurriculumcanbeseenasaweboftopics, insteadofalinearsequenceofcontents,andthisapproachopensuptonewwaysforknowledgeorganisation.Thisapproachwouldcopewiththediversityofstudents'interestsandaspirationsbyexploringopportunitiestoprovideinterdisciplinaryandcontextualisedcontents.

Students that participate on decision‐making about their curricula may become active learners, whoautonomouslyseek for learning resourcesandorganise their studies.Theywouldbenefit fromITtoolswithinterestinginterfacesandproblemstobesolved,astheydoincomputergames.Theuseofready‐to‐usemodels,thepossibilityofcombiningpartsofmodelsinordertoobtainnewmodels,andcreatingnewmodelsmayhaveagreat impacton learning.Such impactcanbegreater ifmodelusageandmodellingactivities are supported by adequate didactic material. Consequently, the DynaLearn project has thepotentialforbenefitingteachersandstudents.

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The initial steps described in thisDeliverable indicate thatknowledgeconsolidated in the DynaLearnEnvironmentalsciencecurriculum,representedintheconceptualmodellingenvironment,deliveredwiththe support of virtual agents and of semantic technology, has the potential for bringing scientificknowledgeto learners'quotidianexperienceand fortransformingthe learningbymodellingapproachtakeninDynaLearnintoanenjoyableandproductiveexperience.

DuringthenextphaseoftheDynaLearnproject,partners involved inWP6willdevelopsimplemodelsandeducational material about basic concepts in each of the 70 topics presented in this Deliverable. For eachmodel,thedeveloperwillprovideamodelmetadescription,alongwithsupportingscientificliteratureabouttheconceptsaddressed inthemodel.Associatededucationalgoalswillbedetailed,andtheuselevelsoftheconceptualmodellingenvironmentinwhichthemodelshouldbeexploredwillbeexplained.Themodelitselfwillbepresented indetails,andmodellingdecisionswillbe justified intermsof existing literatureand/orlearninggoals.LessonplanswillbepreparedinaccordancetotheguidelinesdefinedinWP7,andlinkswithothertopicsintheEnvironmentalsciencecurriculumwillbeestablished.Thismaterialwillbefurtherusedforevaluation of the DynaLearn software functionalities. Evaluation will be done in two phases. After therefinementofthemodelsandeducationalgoalsandthe improvementofmodelsandsoftwarebasedontheresultsofthe firstroundof evaluationactivities, the secondroundwillbethe final evaluationofthewholematerialproducedintheproject.DetailscanbefoundintheDescriptionofWork(DoW),WP6andWP7.

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economicfeaturesforanintegrativeandsustainabledevelopmentoftheriverinelandscapeoftheKampvalley.Naturnet‐Redime,STREPprojectco‐fundedbytheEuropeanCommissionwithintheSixthFrameworkProgramme(2002‐2006),Projectno.004074,ProjectDeliverableD6.6.2.

dynalearn environmental science curriculum requirements

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