Advancing EE Practice | Civic Ecology Lab

Advancing Environmental Education Practice

4-week global online course

January 5–30, 2026

25 professional development hours

Cornell University certificate

For environmental, sustainability, and climate educators; conservation professionals; teachers and professors; students; volunteers and parents. You will earn a Cornell University certificate in Advanced Environmental Education through pre-recorded lectures and readings, optional live webinars, and mentoring workshops focused on course participants’ programs.

Learn with Professor Marianne Krasny (Cornell University), a leading scholar in environmental education, as you strengthen or design programs based on cutting-edge research and by building your theory of change. The course follows the Advancing Environmental Education Practice textbook (Cornell University Press), available as an open-access e-book, and helps you move beyond simple “knowledge → attitudes → behavior” models toward outcomes such as identity, efficacy, nature connectedness, sense of place, youth development, and collective action.

Why take this course?

Environmental and sustainability educators are often asked, “What difference does your program make?” This course helps you:

Articulate what success looks like for learners, communities, and ecosystems.
Understand how change happens in environmental education using theory of change and related frameworks.
Design or revise programs so that activities, outcomes, and evaluation fit together.
Demonstrate 25 hours of professional development with a Cornell University certificate that can support promotion, performance review, and career advancement.
Join a global community of practitioners committed to outcomes-based, research-informed practice.

What you will do

Using your own program or a program idea, you will:

Define and refine outcomes for individuals, organizations, communities, and ecosystems.
Create or update a theory of change for your program.
Use backward planning to align activities and learning experiences with your intended outcomes and evaluation.
Share your program in mentoring workshops and online discussions and receive feedback from Professor Krasny and peers.
Complete a short final project that summarizes your theory of change, clarifies outcomes, or outlines next steps for improving your program.

Course experience

Format – Asynchronous modules on our online platform (videos, readings, and discussion prompts) plus optional live webinars and mentoring workshops.
Mentoring workshops – Four live mentoring workshops where participants can present their environmental, sustainability, or climate education programs, discuss outcomes, and receive structured feedback. Recordings are available for those who cannot attend live.
Optional webinars – Tuesdays, 9:00–10:00 a.m. New York time, with invited speakers.
Interactive workshops – Wednesdays, 9:00–10:00 a.m. New York time, facilitated by Professor Krasny and tailored to topics identified by participants. All live meetings are recorded.
Workload – Approximately 6–7 hours per week over 3 weeks, plus about 5 hours for the final project (about 25 hours total).
Learning approach – Emphasis on social learning, reflection, and practical application. You will engage with course materials, selected chapters from the Advancing Environmental Education Practice textbook, and case examples from fellow participants around the world.

Is this course for me?

This course is designed for:

School teachers and university educators developing or revising environmental, sustainability, or climate education courses, units, and co-curricular programs.
Nonprofit, nature center, and community educators leading programs in communities, parks, zoos, aquariums, gardens, museums, and similar settings.
Conservation professionals and staff in governments, NGOs, and organizations responsible for environmental, climate, or sustainability initiatives who want clearer logic models and outcomes.
Graduate students, university students, and early-career professionals seeking a stronger outcomes-focused foundation for their practice.
Volunteers and parents who help lead or support environmental and sustainability learning in their communities.

You do not need a research background; we will use research-informed concepts in a practical, applied way.

Meet your instructor and team

Professor Marianne Krasny (Cornell University, Department of Natural Resources and the Environment) is the lead instructor. She is a widely cited scholar in environmental education and civic ecology and the author of multiple books, including the textbook used in this course.

The course is offered by the Cornell Civic Ecology Lab, with support from researchers, graduate students, and teaching assistants who help facilitate discussions, workshops, and participant support.

Credential and tuition

Participants who complete the course requirements (weekly work plus final project) will receive a Cornell University certificate in Advanced Environmental Education (PDF) documenting 25 professional development hours.

We use tiered pricing to keep the course accessible to educators worldwide while covering course development and facilitation costs. A limited number of competitive, need-based scholarships will be available.

$90 – Standard fee – Participants residing in the United States, Canada, European countries, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Mainland China, Taiwan, Australia, and New Zealand.
$20 – Reduced fee – Participants residing in all other countries.
Competitive scholarship – Apply by 11:59pm ET, December 30, 2025 (awards announced on January 3, 2026). Complete this Word document before registering for the course. You will save this file as PDF, and upload it as part of the online registration.

Questions?

Contact our course administrator at CivicEcology@cornell.edu and include “AEEP” in the subject line.

We look forward to learning with you and to supporting your efforts to design environmental education programs that create meaningful outcomes for people, communities, and the environment.