Bonnie McBain

Reducing the ecological footprint of urban cars

ABSTRACT This study develops the policy-making capabilities of the Ecological Footprint. The new capabilities we introduce in our Ecological Footprint model allow us to clarify policy options in the face of the increasing management complexity due to a more interconnected and uncertain world. We investigate the effectiveness of three illustrative policy options for reducing the Ecological Footprint of urban car transport: (1) improvements in efficiency/technology, (2) substitution with alternate fuel mixes, and (3) the reduction in demand by altering urban form. We investigate the success of policy options for a subnational case study jurisdiction in Australia, but in the uncertain global context. We use a resilience framework that considers critical social, economic, and environmental variables, multiple scales, and multiple possible futures. We find that delaying policy options to mitigate CO2 emissions from the transport sector will increase the risks borne by society as a result of future global uncertainty, the uncertain timing of globally coordinated action on climate change and the timing of peak oil. We also find that the success of local policy is affected by the global future which prevails. The use of the Ecological Footprint allows policy to be informed by the consequences of both CO2 emissions and increasing demand for land. The study provides a decision-making framework that allows local decision makers to make robust policy despite global uncertainty. This framework has wider applicability to other nations and/or subnational jurisdictions worldwide.

Student Experience of Oral Communication Assessment Tasks Online from a Multi-Disciplinary Trial.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the experiences of tertiary students learning oral presentation skills in a range of online and blended learning contexts across diverse disciplines. Design/methodology/approach – The research was designed as a “federation” of trials of diverse online oral communications assessment tasks (OOCATs). Tasks were set in ten courses offered across all five faculties at University of Newcastle, Australia. The authors collected and analysed data about students’ experiences of tasks they completed through an anonymous online survey. Findings – Students’ engagement with the task was extremely positive but also highly varied. This diversity of student experience can inform teaching, and in doing so, can support student equity. By understanding what students think hinders or facilitates their learning, and which students have these experiences, instructors are able to make adjustments to their teaching which address both real and perceived issues. Student experience ...

Using tensor calculus for scenario modelling

We have demonstrated the benefits of sparse tensor calculus for finite-difference techniques that are widely applied to Integrated Assessment (IA). Using a tensor toolbox for Matlab, we have developed efficient code for progressing a system of state variables connected by a large variety of interaction types. Using a small example of twenty variables across three countries, we demonstrate how the tensor formalism allows not only for compact and fast scenario modelling, but also for straightforward implementation of sensitivity and Monte-Carlo analyses, as well as Structural Decomposition Analysis. In particular, we show how sparse tensor code can be exploited in order to search for potentially important, but yet unknown relationships in the interaction network between all variables.

Building Students’ Communication Skills and Understanding of Environmental and Sustainability Issues Interactively and Cumulatively with Pecha Kucha Presentations

Communicating complex environmental challenges to diverse audiences is a key skill required of graduates from higher education in the field of sustainability. This chapter describes the use of Pecha Kucha (a highly constrained presentation format requiring exactly 20 simple, image-based slides each presented for 20 s) as a way to facilitate class discussions. Pecha Kucha presentations by all students in the class can be combined strategically to cover different aspects of an entire course to support students’ cumulative, holistic learning, in a manner similar to jigsaw and other cooperative learning strategies. Presenter-generated questions serve as prompts for subsequent discussions to encourage critical thinking and collaborative learning by both the student facilitator and her peers. The learning activity builds students’ (i) understanding of, and (ii) communication skills about, environmental and sustainability issues. After presenting and engaging in peer-to-peer discussions, students should be able to (1) research an environmental issue and use critical thinking to distil its salient, core elements and (2) communicate effectively about environmental issues through Pecha Kucha presentations and asking related open-ended questions and (3) develop a broader understanding of environmental issues through watching and discussing peers’ presentations.