Dupont, S.

Epel, D.

Fauville, G.

Hodin, J.

Miller, P.

Thorndyke, M.

Open Marine Archive

Inquiry-to-Insight (I2I): An International 
Digital Environmental Education Project 
By Géraldine Fauville, Jason Hodin, Pam Miller, Sam Dupont, David Epel, and Michael 
Thorndyke, posted on September 19th, 2010 in Articles, Education, Technology  
 
Carbon footprint calculator 
Starting with ozone depletion in the latter part of the 20
th
 century, and more recently with the 
recognition of the undeniable human contribution to climate change, many people have come 
to recognize that we can impact our environment on a planetary scale. With climate change in 
particular, any solution to this global problem necessitates behavioral changes from humans 
across the globe. Unfortunately, many are still unaware or unconvinced of the magnitude of 
the problem, are unsure of the facts and have little idea what solutions can be employed to 
make a difference. 
A recent study
1
 from the United States shows that only about four-in-ten U.S. citizens believe 
protecting the environment should be a top priority. A more worrisome result of the study is 
the decline in the percentage of respondents who believe there is solid evidence of climate 
change. 
To reverse this trend, it is of utmost importance to educate the next generation of citizens and 
policy makers to increase their awareness of these critical environmental issues and their 
commitment to confronting them. As such, education will be a critical component to any 
future in which we as work to solve our global and local environmental problems. 
Information and communication technologies (ICT) have gained substantial prominence in 
education, and may provide a powerful new tool to improve teaching and learning practices in 
environmental education in classrooms at all levels. The Inquiry-to-Insight (I2I) project
2
, a 
collaboration between Gothenburg University in Sweden and Stanford University in 
California, offers an educational program combining information and communication 
technologies (ICT), social networking Internet communities, and pedagogy directed at 
learning about and envisioning solutions to global environmental issues. I2I pairs classes from 
different countries (thus far, Sweden and the USA) within a social network, and provides 
education tools based on ICT. 
Students complete the I2I-Carbon footprint calculator
3
, directly visualizing the impact of their 
personal behaviors on the environment. Students compare the footprints of the two classes on 
the social network and debate questions such as, “What behaviors lead some students to have 
higher footprints?” and “How can I take action to decrease my contribution?” 
The I2I-Acid Ocean virtual lab
4
 is an e-learning activity where students become virtual 
scientists studying the impact of ocean acidification on sea urchin larval growth. Students 
recreate a real, up-to-date climate change experiment. They also learn important general 
scientific principles, such as the importance of sample size and numbers of replicates, and 
discuss what this research into a specific impact of climate change may mean for the future of 
our oceans. 
 
I2I Acid Ocean virtual lab 
I2I provides a virtual talk on ocean acidification
5
 for students to access. Students can follow 
the talk at their own pace, browse the presentation, and leave questions for scientists to 
answer. 
I2I also promotes group research projects where partner-school students collaborate to 
investigate a topic related to climate change and create a multimedia presentation to educate 
others via Internet postings. 
Thus far, only preliminary evaluations have been conducted regarding students’ knowledge of 
ocean acidification and on the impact of the virtual lab experience on students’ scientific 
thinking skills. In early October 2010, a more complete evaluation will be performed. 
Preliminary results indicate that the ocean acidification virtual lab has at least two positive 
effects on students. First, there is a 30% increase in their knowledge of ocean acidification 
both in Sweden and in California. Moreover, when students are asked to design an experiment 
(e.g. how would you design an experiment in order to test the impact of X on Y) they provide 
longer and more scientifically accurate answers after using the virtual lab. 
Apart from the effects shown by the evaluation of I2I, students appear to be deeply impacted 
and more aware of their responsibility in greenhouse gases emission: 
“I am going to truly start working on saving energy in my household and doing my best in 
helping our environment with the emissions. I really liked how this website showed me and 
taught me all the different ways CO2 is released into our environment.” 
Students understand the urge to work together to mitigate climate change; they understand the 
international bond that climate change forges amongst people: 
“We share more likenesses than differences with other countries with regard to 
environmental problems.” 
One of the strengths of I2I is how the project is rooted in students’ everyday life. The 
relevance of I2I has been highlighted by students: 
“What I like the most was the chance to get involved in the [climate change] problem us 
humans are facing today.” 
and teachers: 
“I like the contextualization of climate change in I2I and the chance that students have to be 
in contact with scientists! Very inspiring for them!” 
Moreover we add a human dimension with the international networking: 
“I think the collaboration between the countries was really interesting; I’ve never done 
anything like it before.” 
Other organizations dealing with 
climate change have shown a deep interest in I2I: I2I has been contacted by Greenpeace 
China to produce a Chinese version of the ocean acidification virtual lab. The European 
Program on Ocean Acidification (EPOCA) funded I2I’s French translation, and NOAA, the 
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration will include the I2I virtual lab with their 
education resources. 
In Conclusion 
Social networks pervade 21
st
 century life, but in I2I their potential is channeled to help 
students interact with scientists and peers from around the world facing the same issue: the 
current reality and future potential climate change, and the necessity of working together to 
obtain a clearer awareness of the problem, and a stronger will to mitigate it. 
I2I students dive into the world of science by participating in state-of-the-art experimentation 
on climate change not possible in the typical classroom, and by promoting contact with 
scientists who dedicate their lives to obtaining a clearer understanding of the consequences of 
climate change. 
Students leave the I2I experience with an up-to-date knowledge on climate change, a clearer 
understanding of how to think scientifically, a sharpened critical view on the ways in which 
scientific issues are discussed in their society and abroad, many new friends, a broader 
perspective on climate change and a solid foundation for taking responsible action to confront 
this challenging problem. 
Inquiry-to-insight contacts: 
Géraldine Fauville: Geraldine.fauville@loven.gu.se 
Pam Miller: pam.miller@stanford.edu 
1
 http://people-press.org/report/485/economy-top-policy-priority 
2
 http://i2i.stanford.edu/ 
3
 http://i2i.stanford.edu/NewFootprint/footprint.html 
4
 http://i2i.stanford.edu/AcidOcean/AcidOcean.htm 
5
 http://voicethread.com/?#u287989.b731558.i3869587 
 


Inquiry-to-Insight (I2I): An international digital environmental education project

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