Central Washington University
AC-2: Learning Outcomes

The Ecology and Evolution Specialization is designed for students broadly interested in basic and applied biology, natural resource management, agriculture, ecological restoration, conservation biology, disease dynamics, animal behavior, and biological research. Students following this specialization will gain experience in natural history, field research, and experimental design. Potential careers may be found in federal, state, and tribal agencies, private environmental consulting firms, research laboratories, and natural history museums. Environmental Geology- Environmental Science Program The Environmental Studies Program has the following learning outcomes: Students will possess fundamental understanding of current environmental issues; Students can describe the various perspectives that different constituencies bring to environmental issues; Students can make informed decisions (e.g., voting and other life choices) that take into account relevant environmental issues; Students will develop critical thinking skills necessary to carry out scientific research and assess and develop policy choices; Students are conversant in techniques and vocabularies of diverse environmental disciplines and can integrate knowledge from different perspectives; Students possess good oral and written communication skills; and Students have depth of knowledge in an area of specialization. Environmental and Resource Geography (GEOG specialization) The Environmental and Resource Geography specialization emphasizes concepts, methods, and applications in courses concerned with the Earth’s physical systems and its resources. The specialization is designed so that students will develop in-depth data collection and analysis skills, thorough understanding of laboratory processing and analysis methods, and comprehensive, integrated scientific knowledge of earth systems and the relationships of human societies to those systems – especially in the Pacific Northwest. Areas of particular emphasis include weather and climate change, soils and landform processes, wetland and coastal environments, natural hazards, and environmental change at multiple scales. This specialization prepares students for in-demand careers in resource management, environmental analysis, hydrology, soil science, and climatology, as well as advanced studies at the graduate level. Cultural and Environmental Resource Management Overarching program goals include qualifying students for positions in resource fields, and promoting wiser and more effective management of resources in the future. Specifically, these include the following: introduce students to a suite of resource management issues in natural, cultural, and economic contexts, and the role of a resource manager as an analyst and administrator; examine the current status and perceptions of resource management, including the definitions of natural and cultural resources as well as resource management, systems, and conservation; familiarize students with the historical background of resource management issues and conflicts, including related laws and policies; expose students to various concepts, methods, and techniques commonly used in resource management to analyze and formulate policy choices from natural, cultural, and economic perspectives; introduce students to integrated resource management with an interdisciplinary and holistic focus; raise awareness of Native American and other cultural perspectives of resource management issues; develop critical thinking, research, writing, and presentation skills in a resource management context. Integrated Energy Management Courses in the BS in IEM introduce students to energy systems and resources, while at the same time providing a comprehensive understanding for the social, political, economic and environmental processes that shape energy systems. We emphasize field learning experience and an integrative approach to energy management. Majors in IEM hone their written, verbal, and analytical communication skills as part of their interdisciplinary education. Students also learn from and collaborate with faculty members supporting the Institute for Integrated Energy Studies.

The following now only lists courses that are required for the programs. BIOL 466: Conservation Biology Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to: • Evaluate different measures of biodiversity. • Identify and assess major threats to biodiversity on a global scale. • Compare and evaluate study design, methods, and data analysis techniques for conservation biology research. • Critically evaluate conservation projects. • Apply concepts, patterns, and processes from other disciplines (e. g., ecology, genetics, physiology, evolution, geography, economics) to potential solutions for actual conservation problems Required for: • Captive Primate Care Certificate (possible elective) • B.S., Biomedical Science Specialization (Ecology Group) • B.S., Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Specialization (Ecology Group) IT 632: Sustainable IT Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to: • Demonstrate comprehension of green IT basic concepts: history, definitions, measurements, standards, tools, technologies, materials, and operations. • Apply a repeatable, accepted process to assess the carbon footprint of an organization’s IT operations. • Assess the comparative impact of materials used in the design, manufacture and reuse/recycling of IT equipment. • Develop a strategy to reduce the environmental impact of IT operations, taking into account power distribution, displays, processing units, cooling, thin clients, blade servers, virtualization, and cloud computing. • Develop a strategy to reduce the environmental impact of other organizational operations as part of deploying effective IT, taking into account telecommuting, recycling, green buildings, and organization processes. • Achieve sufficient preparation to obtain internationally recognized Green IT certification. Required for: REM 501: Introduction to Resource Management Course Objectives: 1) Introduce the practice of critical reading and engaged classroom discussion at the graduate school level. 2) Introduce the practice of scholarly research at the graduate school level, including citation styles and proper attribution of sources, and prepare students to begin their thesis research projects. 3) Introduce students to the concepts used to discuss resources (e.g., culture, ecosystem, resilience, wilderness, historic property, tragedy of the commons, treaty rights) and the manner in which those concepts are socially produced and/or legally recognized 4) Review the history of resource management ideologies and practices, especially in the US. 5) Introduce the diverse perspectives and interests of resource management issue stakeholders. 6) Examine resource management issues at several spatial and temporal scales. 7) Introduce a variety of disciplinary perspectives on resource management. 8) Discuss ethics and expected standards of professionalism. Required for: REM 502: Policy and Law in Resource Management Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to: • Discuss the historical context and evolution of environmental and resource policy in the U.S. • Describe the process of policy formation, implementation, and assessment. • Examine the form of the U.S. political and legal system in the context of cultural and natural resource management. • Differentiate between natural resource conservation policy and policies designed to prevent and mitigate resource degradation. • Differentiate key natural and cultural resource management laws and policies, including those stemming from the National Environmental Policy Act and National Historic Preservation Act. Required for: REM 506: Resource Management Colloquium Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to: • Expose students to a variety of different REM topics. • Expose students to proposal and thesis defenses. • Learn presentation skills when observing and presenting their research proposals and thesis defenses. • Engage speakers in question and answer discussions after formal presentations. Required for: REM 522: Resource Analysis Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to: • Discuss and successfully employ concepts and procedures for designing public lands and wildlife management policies, plans and projects. • Develop and specify an analytical structure and associated procedure that facilitate making objective choices about how to use (or not use) cultural and/or natural resources. • Use an analytical structure and associated procedure to develop and produce a defensible and practically useful policy recommendation for making a “real world” decision. Required for: REM 562: Issues and Conflicts in Resource Management Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to: • Discuss and defend the use of conflict management skills in resource management. • Identify and use the principles of standard conflict models. • Analyze a specific conflict situation, identifying all parties, their views and their roles. • Prepare a concise, accurate assessment of a given conflict situation or issue. • Prepare a concise, but thorough, case study of an ongoing conflict. • Improve research, writing and presentation skills.

BIOL 466 - Biology Major (108 graduates) & Environmental Studies Program Biology Specialization (3 graduates) IT 632 - IT Management Graduate Certificate (0 graduates) & ITAM MS, Information Technology Specialization (2 graduates) REM 501 - Cultural and Environmental Resource Management, MS (10 graduates) REM 502 - Cultural and Environmental Resource Management, MS (10 graduates repeat degree) REM 506 - Cultural and Environmental Resource Management, MS (10 graduates repeat degree) REM 522 - Cultural and Environmental Resource Management, MS (10 graduates repeat degree) REM 562 - Cultural and Environmental Resource Management, MS (10 graduates repeat degree)