International Waters learning Exchange & Resource Network

From Source to Sea to Sustainability - Integrated Cycles in Wastewater and Nutrient Management Foundations MOOC

Online time-bound course - January 14, 2019 to April 7, 2019
In 2016, UN Environment in cooperation with Concordia University in Montreal will launch the Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) “Wicked Problems, Dynamic solutions: The Ecosystem Approach and Systems Thinking”. As a second MOOC in the series, “From Source to Sea to Sustainability” aims to focus specifically on the growing issue of wastewater and nutrient pollution and holistic, effective ways to address them. The MOOC will be disseminated through the Global Universities Partnership on Environment and Sustainability (GUPES), which is currently comprised of over 790 universities globally.

The course is available at:
http://environmentacademy.org/courses/course-v1:UNEP+ENV002+2019/info

What will you gain in this course?

    • An understanding of water and nutrient cycles and how human activity influences them
    • An appreciation of the need for management of activities that pose pollution risk to freshwater and marine and coastal ecosystems
    • A broad understanding of key actors, drivers, impacts, and challenges involved in wastewater and nutrient pollution, the establishment of satisfactory monitoring systems, the development of funding mechanisms, and the negotiation of policy
    • Awareness of the human and ecosystem health impacts of wastewater and nutrient pollution
    • An understanding of measurement techniques for nutrient use efficiency and its assessment
    • Comprehension of basic fiscal policy and funding mechanisms related to wastewater and nutrient management
    • Knowledge of both conventional and innovative recovery and re-use technologies, economic mechanisms, and government policies
    • The ability to see wastewater and nutrient problems from various scaled perspectives, from local to national to regional to international, including perspectives that consider social justice and gender issue
    • Awareness of case studies and a practical understanding of “best and worst practices” with relation to wastewater and nutrient management
    • An extensive global network with other students and professionals from around the world

Your learning environment

This course has  interviews with experts, readings, discussions,  self-assessments and one  quiz per module. A final exam will determine the final grade. 

Grading

The final exam counts for 100% of your grade for this course. A passing grade is above 75%. There are 25 questions on the final exam and you will need to answer 19 or more correctly to achieve a passing grade. Achieving a passing grade will allow you to receive a certificate of completion. 

Modules

1. The “Source to Sea” Cycle: Land-Oceans Connections

2. The Problems: Nutrient and Wastewater Pollution

3. Monitoring the Waste

4. Technologies and Best Field Practices

5. Policy, Governance, and Institutional Arrangements

6. Financial and Economic Mechanisms for Innovation

7. Case Studies of Effective Wastewater Management

8. Case Studies of Effective Nutrient Management

Course Options

Foundations:

40 hours of learning covering the basics of the scientific, economic, political, and social issues around wastewater and nutrient pollution. This consists of eight modules geared towards university students, policymakers, managers and professionals who seek to apply this information in their professions.

Advanced Certificate:

10-15 additional hours consisting of a final assignment for those who want to acquire more in-depth knowledge, insights and skills relating to the applicability of wastewater and nutrient management.

Students can obtain a certificate of participation after the completion of the Foundations component of the course, and may elect to take their studies further to obtain an Advanced Certificate.