This presentation recounts the experiences of Dalhousie University’s SUST 2001: Environment, Sustainability and Governance: A Global Perspective, first taught in Winter 2011, which included modules on biodiversity, food and agriculture, and environmental security. The students in the course assumed stakeholder positions and engaged in negotiations that recreated debates within the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity regarding Access and Benefit Sharing. An interactive online component was created to replicate the dynamism of real-world negotiations of Multilateral Environmental Agreements. Wiki documents allowed students to engage in collaborative writing and editing of draft proposals which were debated and submitted during plenary sessions. Wimba Classroom allowed students to interact in virtual negotiation and mediation and to upload media presentations on their positions. This presentation evaluates the effectiveness of these learning technologies in assisting students to understand the complexities of Multilateral Environmental Agreements.

1. Simulation and Sustainability-
Readiness: Leveraging E-Learning
Technology for Real-World Impact
The case of SUST 2001: Environment, Sustainability and
Governance: A Global Perspective
Rachael P. Craig, Dr. Matthew Schnurr, and Dr. Elizabeth DeSanto
Contact rpcraig@dal.ca.

2. College of Sustainability
“There's no time like the ● First in Canada,
present to change the announced in 2009.
future of our planet.” ● Transdiciplinary
● Classes are co-taught
● Provide a full credit in
a single semester
● Tutorial sessions
engage learning

3. Course Learning Objectives
● Analyse pressing issues within global
environmental politics
● Critically evaluate the governance regimes that
have emerged to regulate these issues

4. Simulated Negotiation Learning
Objectives
● Understand the complexity of negotiating
Multilateral Environmental Agreements
●Negotiation
●Lobbying
●Mediation
●Compromise

5. Blended Learning

6. Simulation Setting
● United Nations
Convention on
Biological Diversity
● Global agreement to
address biodiversity
preservation and loss
● 10th Conference of the
Parties to the
Convention

7. Simulation Setting
Images modified from source. Rightmost image: Nagoya Castle, copyright CBD Secretariat. Central image: Actor and
environmentalist Harrison Ford is present during the UN talks in Nagoya as Conservation International (CI) Vice Chairman.
Image courtesy of Haja Nirina. Rightmost image: Higashiyama Botanical Garden Hacchou Dragonfly, copyright CBD
Secretariat.

9. The 10th Conference of
Parties Meeting Convention
on Biological Diversity
● Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit
Sharing
● Fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising
from genetic resources

11. Simulation Setting
The simulated negotiation began with the re-
opening of four of the most contentious articles of
the Nagoya Protocol for debate.

12. Students Take on Stakeholder Roles
● Each student
represents one
stakeholder
● Nation States such as
Canada, France and
Malawi
● Organizations such as
Greenpeace, IFPMA,
and World Bank

13. Rules of Procedure
Adapted from the rules of Procedure that
govern the meetings of the Convention on
Biological Diversity.

14. Conduct and Decorum
Students are
encouraged to be
factually accurate in
the representation of
their chosen
stakeholder, including
dressing the part.

15. Blended Learning

16. Learning Progression
● Progression of
skills and ideas
● Building up to
Plenary

17. Evaluation
● 5% participation in
Plenary, Working
Groups and online
● 15% position paper
assignment

18. Self Paced Learning
● Position Paper “I really have to
● Research commend you, I
would not be able to
● Required Reading do what you did.”
● Understanding how to Student representing
role play their Kenya to the United
stakeholder States and Canada

19. Face to Face Learning
● Plenary
● (Lectures)

20. Face to Face Learning
● Lobbying
● placards
● Dissent
● “seeds of dissent”

21. Face to Face Learning
● Working Groups
● (Tutorials)

22. Guest Speaker, John Scott
● Programme Officer
for Traditional
Knowledge
● Key organizer
● Insight into real world
negotiations
● Role of coalitions and
personality in political
outcomes

23. Online Collaborative Learning
● OWL Website

24. Online Collaborative Learning
● OWL Website

25. Online Collaborative Learning
● Wimba Live Classroom

26. Online Collaborative Learning
● Discussion Forums
● Stakeholder Discussion
– form coalitions
– acts of dissent
– organize meetings

27. Online Collaborative Learning
● Discussion Forums
● Simulation: Comments and Inquiries
– sharing OOC information
– general questions

28. Online Collaborative Learning
● Campus Pack Wiki
● an editable website
● students post amendments, revisions and
comments to the policy under debate
● in plenary, working groups, and independently

29. Online Collaborative Learning
● Campus Pack Wiki

30. What students have to say,
“I did not realize how particular [international
negotiations] are, especially with wording.”
“It was important to realize how annoying it is to
negotiate for long periods about seemingly
benign parts of different articles.”
“I learned that negotiating international policies
can be very frustrating because everyone has
different opinions, economic status, incentives
and abilities.”

31. Course Learning Objectives
●Analyse the complexities of global issues in
environmental politics
●Understand how environmental policies are
formed
●Develop research and writing skills

32. Simulated Negotiation Learning
Objectives
● Understand the complexity of negotiating
Multilateral Environmental Agreements
●Negotiation
●Lobbying
●Mediation
●Compromise

33. What students have to say,
“I feel as though the simulation succeeded in
wrapping up all of the different components of
the class.”
“I learned about forging alliances, and finding
like-minded groups of people to form coalitions.
I also learned to discuss articles with those who
may not share similar views to reach a
consensus.”

34. Real World Impact
● Focus on finding outlets to create change
● Contacted local MPs

35. Self Paced Learning & Face to Face
Learning
● Future directions
● Stakeholder representation
– pairs rather than individuals
● Additional training
– policy writing
– researching stakeholders
● New timeline
– starts early, runs full semester

36. Online Collaborative Learning
● Future directions
● Camtasia Relay
● Wimba Classroom
– emphasis on student-generated media
● Campus Pack Wiki
– simplify policy text
– consider alternative wiki software
● Incorporate new technology. Suggestions?

37. Evaluation
● Future directions
● 5% participation in
Plenary, Working
Groups and online
– Increase participation
grade
● 15% position paper
assignments

38. Image Permissions and Credits
CBD Images courtesy of Hiraj Narina and the
CBD Secretariat as noted.
All other images are property of the SUST2001
staff.