Learning process of causes, consequences and solutions to climate change of undergraduate students without background in the subject

ABSTRACT

Tec21 is an educational model launched in August 2019 by Tecnologico de Monterrey, in Mexico. As part of students' Exploration stage elective course choices, the School of Engineering and Sciences offered, during the Fall 2020 term, a 5-week course on the topic of Causes, Consequences and Solutions to Climate Change (DS1002B), aimed at students 1) with no previous background or stated interest on the subject and 2) registered in a different school. The objective of this work was to assess the understanding and attitude of non-engineering, second-year undergraduate students toward the climate change crisis after taking the course DS1002B, in which students learn about the basic science of climate change science and acquire the following skills 1) calculation of greenhouse gases emission inventories, 2) decision making of climate change mitigation and/or adaptation actions, and 3) reflect about the importance of creating awareness about climate change and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Due to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, the course was implemented online with the participation of270 students divided in 4 groups 2 Regular-small-local (RSL) groups and 2 Elite- massive-national (EMN) groups, which differed in the number of attending professors, number of students, students' location, and language of instruction. The learning process was assessed in terms of attitude, confidence and source credibility. One of the main findings was that the number of students and language had no impact on learning motivation and attitude towards climate change. Also, a better understanding of the target audience will allow for increased engagement, perception and motivation, leading to more well-rounded future decision makers. © 2021 IEEE.