Development of environmental education materials for liberal arts and sciences education: Constructing biotope ponds and creating various microalgae and aquatic environments on a university campus

2018 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 15K12379
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Science education
• Research Institution: Kyoto University
• Principal Investigator: HATANO Kyoko 京都大学, 人間・環境学研究科, 助教 (90208520)
• Research Collaborator: NOGUCHI tetsuko ; TANAKA manabu ; OHNO risa
• Project Period (FY): 2015-04-01 – 2019-03-31
• Keywords: 環境教育 / 教材開発 / 教養教育 / ビオトープ池 / 微細藻類

Outline of Final Research Achievements

In this study, ten biotope ponds were constructed on a university campus and various microalgae and aquatic environments were created in the individual ponds. The ponds proved to be highly effective teaching materials for environmental education in liberal arts and sciences education. In their three-hour “biotope” class (one of the fourteen classes of experimental practice of biology), the first- and second-year undergraduate students carried out various experiments, observations, and analyses, and they learned a lot about natural environment and the relation between nature and microalgae. The ponds also proved to be very useful for small research group of first-year undergraduate students; through their half-year study program, the students were able to acquire highly advanced skills to perceive and analyze the change of life phenomenon in aquatic world.

Free Research Field

細胞生物学　藻類学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

身近な大学構内にビオトープ池を作ることにより、教養教育課程の学生が、微細藻類、動物プランクトン、小動物の生きている姿を観察できる場を創生でき、効率的に自然環境と生物や人間との関係を考察させる教材を完成できたことに学術的意義がある。
本研究で開発された環境学習プログラムを通じて、自然の仕組みや素晴らしさを認識できれば、専門教育課程でどの分野に進んでも、自然の保全や再生・復元を図る活動や、地球環境問題への取り組みに発展する契機となると期待できる。さまざまな分野で持続可能な社会を築くための人材育成につながることに大きな社会的意義があると考える。