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Energy, Environment, and Everyday Life

Approx. 47 hours to complete

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Course Summary

This course explores how energy and the environment impact our lives and the world around us. Students will learn about the science behind energy production and consumption, as well as the social, economic, and environmental implications of different energy sources.

Key Learning Points

Understand the science behind energy production and consumption
Learn about the social, economic, and environmental implications of different energy sources
Explore the intersection of energy, the environment, and public policy

Learning Outcomes

Understand the science behind energy production and consumption
Analyze the social, economic, and environmental implications of different energy sources
Evaluate public policy related to energy and the environment

Prerequisites or good to have knowledge before taking this course

Basic understanding of science and environmental issues
Interest in energy production and consumption

Course Difficulty Level

Intermediate

Course Format

Online
Self-paced
Video lectures
Quizzes
Assignments

Similar Courses

Renewable Energy and Green Building Entrepreneurship
Climate Change and Public Policy

Related Education Paths

Notable People in This Field

Bill McKibben
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

Related Books

Description

For a sample of what this course will include, see the video "Energy, Environment, and Everyday Life MOOC with University of Illinois Professor David Ruzic" - http://go.citl.illinois.edu/Energy-MOOC

This course teaches you everything you need to know about energy, the environment, and at least a number of things in everyday life. It starts by talking about energy itself and where it comes from. This includes how much we have, who has it, who uses it, and what that all means. The video clips are produced in a fast-paced multimedia format during which Professor Ruzic throws in fun and demonstrations. There are multiple-choice questions to check your understanding and some more in-depth exercises to guide you deeper into the subject. After explaining the main things we use energy for – our cars and electronics! – fossil fuels are examined in detail. Want to really learn about fracking or pipelines? Watch these segments. The environmental effects of fossil fuels are taught as well. Global warming, acid rain, and geoengineering all are in this part of the course. Part of their solution is too. Renewables follow, with clips on solar, wind, hydro, geothermal, biofuels, etc. You’ll even see Professor Ruzic in a corn field and in the middle of a stream showing how you could dam it up. Finally, nuclear power is taught in detail – how it really works and what happens when it doesn’t work, as in Three Mile Island, Chernobyl, and Fukushima, as well as how we are making it today, which is shown here without political preconceptions. In this course, economics takes center stage. People will ultimately do whatever costs the least, so energy policy is most effective when it is targeted at the user’s wallet. Throughout the course there are 24 segments on “How Things Work." These guides to everyday life are tremendously varied, covering everything from fireworks to making beer to what happens backstage at a theater. The course is designed to be enjoyable as well as informative. We hope you will take a look!

Outline

Course Orientation
Course Introduction and Guidelines
Syllabus
About the Discussion Forums
Updating Your Profile
Social Media
Orientation Quiz
Demographics Survey

Week 1: How It All Starts and Ends
What Is Energy?
Nothing New under the Sun
How Things Work: Fireworks
We Are All Star Material
Disappearing Mass
How Things Work: Big Bells and Bad Beats
Measure Up
Energy Around the World
Where Does It Come From?
How Is It Used?
How Things Work: Voice Change and Sound Proofing - What Is Sound?
How Things Work: Voice Change and Sound Proofing – Getting Rid of Sound
How Things Work: Voice Change and Sound Proofing – Do Silencers Really Work
Topic 1 Practice Quiz
Topic 2 Practice Quiz
Topic 3 Practice Quiz
Week 1 Quiz

Week 2: Getting and Using the Power
What Goes Up...
What Is Temperature?
Fun and Facts with Liquid Nitrogen
How Things Work: Airport behind the Scenes
Energy from Chemistry?
Heat Engines
How Things Work: The Engine in Your Car…
Diesel Is Different
Octane and Other Numbers at the Pump
Hybrid Cars?
Electricity: What and How
Electricity: Where and When
The Smart Grid
How Things Work: Shock and Awe-some Lightning
Topic 4 Practice Quiz
Topic 5 Practice Quiz
Topic 6 Practice Quiz
Week 2 Quiz

Week 3: Why Coal Is Dirty
What Is Coal?
Coal: Who Has It, Wants It, and Uses It
What's Up with the Water?
Burning Coal through the Decades
What Goes Up in Smoke?
The University's Power (Plant)
How Things Work: A Coal (and Gas) Power Plant
Acid Rain
Trading Smoke Works
Cleaning Coal (I.e., Dropping Acid)
How Things Work: What Happens to Our Garbage
How the Greenhouse Works
Which Gasses Are Bad?
The Earth's Getting Warmer – How Do We Know?
Effects of Global Warming
How to Cool the Planet
Geoengineering – Possible? Desirable?
How Things Work: What Happens When You Flush Your Toilet?
Climate Change Assignment Introduction
Topic 7 Practice Quiz
Topic 8 Practice Quiz
Topic 9 Practice Quiz
Week 3 Quiz

Week 4: Oil and Gas – With Us Forever?
How Does Oil Form?
How Do You Find It?
How to Get It Out
How to Get Even More Out!
Refining: Crude Conversion
How Things Work: Gateway to the Heavens
Oil Producers and Consumers
Tar Sands
Pipeline Controversies
Oil Economics
How Things Work: How Does a Cell Phone Find You?
From the Well to You
How Hydraulic Fracturing (Fracking) Works
Fracking and the Environment: Myth and Reality
Who Produces and Consumes Natural Gas
Combined Cycle and Converting Coal to Run It
How Things Work: Laser Light Shows
Topic 10 Practice Quiz
Topic 11 Practice Quiz
Topic 12 Practice Quiz
Week 4 Quiz

Week 5: Renewables – What Is New under the Sun
The Magic in a Solar Cell
The Cost of Sunshine
What Is “Passive” Solar?
How Things Work: Ice Rinks
How Does a Salt Pond Work?
How Things Work: Windmills
What's in a Windmill
Blowing in the Wind
There Is Always a Cost
Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Economy
Making Moonshine
How Things Work: How Is Beer Made?
What Goes into Making Biofuels?
Economics of Biofuels
Growing Stuff to Burn
Energy from Garbage
Topic 13 Practice Quiz
Topic 14 Practice Quiz
Topic 15 Practice Quiz
Week 5 Quiz

Week 6: More Renewables and Your Radioactive World
Small-Scale Hydropower
Large-Scale Hydropower
The Power of Water
Hot Rocks
Heat for Homes?
Home Improvements!
How Things Work: Walking on Water
How Things Work: Why Is the Sky Blue?
ABCs of Radiation
The World around You
How Much Is Too Much?
What Makes Something Radioactive?
Food Irradiation
Energy from Atoms?
Nuclear Fission
What Is in a Nuclear Reactor?
The Biggest Bangs!
How Things Work: Movie Theaters in the Modern Age
Topic 16 Practice Quiz
Topic 17 Practice Quiz
Topic 18 Practice Quiz
Week 6 Quiz

Week 7: Nuclear Power Problems and Solutions
How TMI Started
How TMI Ended
What We Learned from TMI
How Things Work: What You Can Do with an MRI
Chernobyl: Worst Accident Ever
Xenon Can Be a Problem
Health Effects of Chernobyl
An Earthquake and Tsunami Hit Fukushima
How Things Work: Backstage at a Theater
Uranium from the Ground
Getting to the Good Stuff (Uranium Enrichment)
What Is Left Over (Depleted Uranium)
Economics of Nuclear Power
How Things Work: Behind the Scenes at a Football Stadium
Topic 19 Practice Quiz
Topic 20 Practice Quiz
Topic 21 Practice Quiz
Week 7 Quiz

Week 8: Our Future Is Bright!
Natural Nuclear Reactor
The Real Bad Stuff (High-Level Wastes)
Moving Nuclear Waste Around
Contaminated Things (Low-Level Wastes)
After It Is All Over (Decommissioning)
How Things Work: Grilling/Cooking
How to Be Allowed to Build
The Newest Reactors (Generation III)
Making More Than You Use (Breeder Reactors)
Dealing with the Used Fuel (Reprocessing)
Reactors of the Future (Generation IV)
How Things Work: Super Computers
How Things Work: Microwave Ovens
What Is a Plasma?
What Is Fusion and How Do You Get It to Work?
Magnetic Fusion's Progress
Inertial Confinement's Progress
What Plasmas Have to Do with Computer Chips
Topic 22 Practice Quiz
Topic 23 Practice Quiz
Topic 24 Practice Quiz
Week 8 Quiz
End of Course Survey

Summary of User Reviews

Discover how energy, environment and life are interconnected in this course. Users have praised the course for its engaging content and knowledgeable instructors. Many found the quizzes and assignments to be challenging but rewarding. However, some users noted that the course could be more comprehensive and that the discussion forums were not very active.

Pros from User Reviews

Engaging and informative content
Knowledgeable instructors
Challenging but rewarding quizzes and assignments

Cons from User Reviews

Course could be more comprehensive
Discussion forums not very active

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