Class Central is learner-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

University System of Maryland

Storytelling with Data using Socio-environmental Report Cards

University System of Maryland via edX

Overview

Imagine if you had the tools that would galvanize volunteers to protect their local river, inspire politicians to fund restoration activities, or stimulate engineers to devise ways to reduce pollution. Socio-environmental report cards synthesize data from scientists and volunteers and convert it into an image-rich format that is easily accessible to a wide stakeholder audience.

Report card grades also tap into a powerful human motivator: peer pressure. Civic leaders and community members can compare their grades with their neighbors, and we have learned that these comparisons lead to a desire for better environmental outcomes in their own backyard.

For nearly two decades, our team has worked with local river protection groups to develop comprehensive assessments of iconic ecosystems like the Chesapeake Bay (United States of America) and the Great Barrier Reef (Australia). These socio-environmental report cards have been used to catalyze improvements in ecosystem health, motive cooperative problem-solving, guide restoration efforts, and stimulate relevant research.

We can no longer be content to just study environmental or natural resource-related problems. The challenges and negative environmental impacts of climate change and other myriad environmental management issues are upon us. We need to use science to inspire real change. We’ll show you how.

Syllabus

Module 1:

  • What are Report Cards?
  • Why Report Cards?
  • Report Card Application
  • From Qualitative to Quantitative
  • Distilling Data
  • Incorporating New Indicators
  • Evaluation of Report Card Impacts

Module 2:

  • Report Card Process
  • Enabling Conditions
  • Stakeholder Analysis
  • Project Planning 1
  • Project Planning 2
  • Workshop Planning
  • Facilitation and Engagement

Module 3:

  • Identifying Values and Threats
  • Identifying Indicators
  • Indicator Qualities
  • Defining Thresholds
  • Calculating Scores and Grades
  • Gaining Stakeholder Consensus

Module 4:

  • Communication strategies
  • Communicating Results
  • Designing Report Cards
  • Stakeholder-led Approach
  • Optimizing Collaborations
  • Systems Modelling

Module 5:

  • Overcoming Barriers
  • Creating and Maintaining Momentum
  • Dynamic Problem solving
  • Examples of Great Champions
  • Adaptive Governance
  • Theory of Change

Taught by

William “Bill” Dennison, Vanessa Vargas-Nguyen and Richard Arnold

Reviews

4.8 rating, based on 15 Class Central reviews

Start your review of Storytelling with Data using Socio-environmental Report Cards

  • Anonymous
    This course provides valuable insights into a novel approach for engaging stakeholders effectively. It covers various aspects ranging from selecting indicators, collecting and analyzing data, interpreting results, recommending mitigation measures, to outlining the diverse roles of stakeholders. The development of a report card is an integrated approach that considers social, cultural, economic, and political factors to enhance the conditions or grades.
  • Anonymous
    Estoy encantada con el curso. No solo nos da consejos para elaborar las Tarjetas de reporte, sino que también nos brinda tips que pueden ser usados en otros contextos de la comunicación.
  • Anonymous
    The course content is well organized and delivered in an engaging way for the learner by having topics covered by multiple different people. The activities were relevant and diverse. I feel as though I have a strong grasp of the socio-environmental report card process, and tools to use moving forward in my prospective career of environmental community engagement. Thank you!
  • Anonymous
    Very interesting and well thought out course, and definitely left me a with a better understanding of what report cards are and how they apply to socio-environmental issues. I look forward to using this knowledge in future endeavors as well as participating in the public engagement process.
  • Anonymous
    this course was really helpful and effective. Learned a lot of things throughout the course from organizing workshops and important considerations for report. Thank you
  • Anonymous
    This course has helped me to understand more about representing facts that's backed by observation and evidence in the field, through report card.
  • Anonymous
    It was a nice and smooth continuation from the data visualisation which was explained in the previous course, developed into the data communication, report card synthesis and the stakeholder management.

    The best thing about this course was it makes you find your own topic and explore. I did not have an ongoing research topic that I was working on, but it really made me look into the web, find information and let me come up with my ideas and opinion although I am not an expert in the field. It has broadend my interests and knowledge.
  • Anonymous
    As a beta-tester of this course, I was happy to see the content not only focused on understanding and building report cards but also included detail on the backend work and the development that goes into this kind of project. Another nice aspect to highlight is that the course also gave me the chance to use my own examples and work as I was learning in different modules; the activities build off of each other and allow the student to follow along as the report card process progresses.
  • Anonymous
    This course really creates the atmosphere for application, by first walking you through the report card process step-by-step and then providing an opportunity to imagine being in the role of report card developer. The decades of experience of the instructors and the lessons learned from the case studies include invaluable, real-world experiences that then equip you with the tools to create socio-environmental report cards that can effect change.
  • Anonymous
    I really appreciated this class about Report Cards. I feel to have learnt something crucial to communicate scientific knowledge. Reports Cards are probably the best communication tool ever to observe and monitor environmental issues, and link them to human activities (economical and social), to finally agree on what route to take, together, to overcome these issues or/and restore what was broken.

    I wish one day to be part of such project.
  • Anonymous
    This course really made me feel prepared to be involved in a scientific report card project. However, at the end of some of the modules, I felt that the material didn't fully prepare me for the assessment.
  • Anonymous
    As part of the early access testing group, I highly recommend this to anyone interested in report cards or interested in how to make an impact in environmental changes.
  • Anonymous
    I liked the course, as it was very informative and provided a lot of knowledge. I have not realized, that developing such a report card is such a complex process.
  • Anonymous
    Very informative! It was very eye-opening approach to data presentation in a format that is accessible to all. Highly recommended!
  • Anonymous
    Very enjoyable. Great entry-level course for those who are interested in pivoting to such a field (like myself).

Never Stop Learning.

Get personalized course recommendations, track subjects and courses with reminders, and more.

Someone learning on their laptop while sitting on the floor.