Topic paragraph edit
Topic choice = Gaia U Latina/ERES = Although heavily intermingled these 2 things are slightly different e.g. Gaia U Latina is more about the education and is less hands on whilst ERES offers the hands on experience. ERES works with Gaia U Latina but they are not the same. They helped in the formation of leadership in Gaia U Latina.
I chose this topic because I'm particularly interested about Chile (and other countries in South America); I have a couple close family friends living there and thought it would make it more applicable. Additionally the ecoversities are such a cool idea and they weren't even something I knew about prior. I'm really curious about how exactly the learning takes place, the curriculum they have, is all study based around the natural sciences and conservation, the economics behind it (is it self-sufficient, how much do they students pay -if at all), is it something we could adopt in the UK (although I would imagine it would have to be slightly different due to the climates). I would also be curious about the mental health side of things; traditional universities have links to poor mental health in students, would that be the same?
The above topic was too specific so I was unable to find much information specifically on Gaia U Latina, thus instead I will be doing the boarder Gaia University. This is not localised to any one region and so I will try to look for sources from multiple regions. There is very little information provided on language but it seems dominated by English and Spanish so will show a particular focus on England, NZ, USA, and the continent of South America.
Annotated Bibliography edit
Many of these are from the websites for the institutions and others are peer-reviewed articled in reference to my topic. Some were found in connection to the link on the excel sheet others were from google scholar as none of the other journal databases had sources on this particular topic?
https://ecoversities.org/ecoversity/gaia-u-latina-eres/ (This is the link from the excel sheet- The Ecoversities alliance = this consists of around 100 ecoversities who seek to change the way we learn. The climate crisis is coming to a head and in order to promote sustainability they believe that higher education is a good area to start the change. There aims are in boosting environmental conscientiousness, promoting diverse and radical ways of thinking, amercing culture and personal experience into the ways we learn. This is a primary source directly from the initiatives website so is a good source of information When writing the article I will have a short section on what ecoersities are and will refer to the ecoversity alliance as ERES is a part of it. Although no longer doing ERES this link is still relevant and is mentioned briefly. This source is not scholarly but is still of good quality, they do have vested interest but not of the manipulative kind so their information is trustworthy.
https://proyectosregenerativos.org/somos/ (ERES = translates to you are. This is an initiative in Latin America that aims to provide learning in regenerative ways. This is a wider scheme - like a smaller version of the ecoversities alliance and has helped to establish places like the Gaia U Latina. Their focus is on regeneration and the ways in which not only can humans have a neutral effect on earth but they can also have a positive one. Watched some of the videos - they don't translate were helpful but i may have mistranslated some bits due to relying on spanish i barely speak. Wasn't very useful tbh.
https://gaiauniversity.org/about-us/ (This is the link to their about us page which is very helpful!) This is their actual website - a lot of the descriptive information for the article comes from here. Analytical information comes from other sources.
https://www.proquest.com/docview/222899985/abstract/F12CAF78FD8420FPQ/1?accountid=14182 = this is a scholarly journal from 2006 = it is published and thus has been peer-reviewed = it was written by the co-president of Gaia University and it provides lots of detail about how and why it was established. Terms to research as a result = Gaia education, radical routes, Global ecovillage network, permaculture diploma worknet. Revans university IMCA. Action learning.
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13504620802283100 https://diploma.permaculture.org.uk/ = not necesserily useful for my article but may be a good link to have in the wider reading section as it is an england based version and is also similar to the permaculture diploma worknet which preceded the Gaia University.
https://gaiauniversity.org/ (This is the link for the actual university) = it is an online university = they provide a couple free course as well = it is not free = I will include a section on their average prices and what they offer - they do provide scholarships for some.
https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-319-53450-3#about = Educational Alternatives in Latin America = one editor is from the UK, the other is based in Brazil.
https://www.scielo.br/j/rbpi/a/ycgGhGChkgPGk74z5M5nKxc/?lang=en = buen vivir = community living = mentioned by both eres and gaia u latina = this is an article written about ecuador = one author from ecuador, the other from Spain.
https://www.proquest.com/docview/1882648193?pq-origsite=gscholar&fromopenview=true = haven't fully read this yet but is about the transitional steps that have been undertook in the development of eco-consciousness into ecoversities and is written by someone not in affiliation with the scheme for some outsider perspective = this is in fact not going to work.
https://www.facebook.com/gaiaulatina/about_contact_and_basic_info = gaia u latina facebook = again not a good source but may be helpful as just an option for people to look at. https://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/acref/9780198821489.001.0001/acref-9780198821489-e-1777?rskey=V7pqS8&result=2109 = definition for the Gaia hypothesis https://www.proquest.com/docview/304652843/abstract/6A95049B7358457FPQ/1?accountid=14182 = scholary article = yay it had to be checked before it was published = this criticises Gaia U Latina not for its aims but its claims that it uses active learning approach.
https://imca-socrates.blogspot.com/ = imca socrates is the accreditation board for GUL but its not accredited by any government. https://web.archive.org/web/20100612214226/http://detc.org/publications/DETCNews/DETC%20News%20-%20Spring%202005.pdf = page 28 = shows when IMCA and Revans university had their accreditation removed. file:///C:/Users/jemim/Downloads/345-Article%20Text-377-1-10-20150218.pdf = page 8 https://www.jstor.org/stable/43186514?Search=yes&resultItemClick=true&searchText=evaluation+of+online+university&searchUri=%2Faction%2FdoBasicSearch%3FQuery%3Devaluation%2Bof%2Bonline%2Buniversity%26so%3Drel&ab_segments=0%2Fbasic_search_gsv2%2Fcontrol&refreqid=fastly-default%3A53d94f2c89391a006cd963e260dc6a74&seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents = inclass vs online Permaculture definitions = https://permacultureprinciples.com/ethics/fair-share/ The Minoans = https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/greeks/minoan_01.shtml
The Draft edit
Disclaimer alert = I’ve basically written it now. But my problem is always over-writing so I’ve left out some of the descriptive sections and kept in the draft the analytical sections. It wouldn’t be fair to whoever is peer reviewing this to have to read that much when the entry says 900 words. So if it feels disjointed that might be why.
Gaia University (also known as Gaia U) is an international, online ecoveristy created in 2006, by Andrew Langford and Liora Adler, with the intention of training students in leadership for ecological and social recovery of the Earth. Gaia U’s curriculum centres around the concept of ‘ecosocial regeneration’. This refers to the idea that the fusing of environmental conscientiousness with social factors (community, economics, family, spirituality, and beliefs) is essential for the successful recovery of the planet from its current state of crisis. Additionally, Gaia U offers an alternative to the traditional teaching models of higher education via the methodology of Transformational Action Learning and Research. Gaia u website
Key Term Definition Ecoversity
An alternative university focusing on environmental conscientiousness and social justice.
As a result of being an alternative form of higher education, the ecoversity is not government accredited but has found alternative accreditation in the UK and New Zealand; however, the quality of said accreditation may be questionable. As a result of the accreditation controversy, and Gaia U’s own wishes to avoid government bias, they are also not government-funded and thus require alternative means of finance. Gaia u website Ecoversity website
Gaia U
Gaia U is a global, online ecoveristy centred on the idea of ‘ecosocial regeneration’. At Gaia University an emphasis is put on unlearning damaging ecocomical, political, and societal norms. This is done through a curriculum of learning and then real-life application of theory onto the students’ chosen project. The university also aims to help students achieve buen vivir. Buen vivir (originally known as Sumak Kawsay) is a hegemonic ideology translating to English as ‘good living’. This refers to the prioritisation of community, culture, and environment. Similar to Gaia Univerity’s own concept of ‘ecosocial regeneration’.
Ecoveristy
An ecoversity is an alternative university focused on re-defining higher education into a system which prioritises environmentalism and rich human experience. The ecoversities aim to change the ‘unsutainable and unjust economic, political and social systems/mindsets that dominate the planet.’ The existence of ecoveristies not only provide students with a richer understanding of their field in a sustainable way, but also provide an exemplar for other universities on how to be more sustainable. Ecoveristies, such as Gaia University, create a framework from which other universities can model. (blue star)
Curriculum
Gaia University’s curriculum aims to provide students with knowledge on ecological conscientiousness and social justice. This is encapsulated in their philosophy of ‘ecosocial regeneration’, referring to the necessity to fuse environmental conscientiousness with social factors (community, economics, family, spirituality, and beliefs) in order to repair the planet from crisis.
Online
Gaia University’s use of online learning enables the curriculum to be open to students regardless of location, thus reaching a wider audience. In addition, Clark-Ibenez and Scott (2008) found students enjoyed the greater flexibility and anonymity provided by online classes. Learning online also helps reduce the hidden cost of higher education such as the money for transport.
However, such flexibility allows for students to fall behind in their studies more easily than if they were attending physical classes. In contrast to Clark-Ibenez and Scott’s (2008) claims, Bergstrand and Savage (2013) found students rated online classes lower than traditional classes in learning comprehension, teaching effectiveness, and overall comparison. The overall consensus of online classes is very mixed. While Tucker (2001) suggested online universities created better results, Urtlel 2008 suggested the opposite, and Means’ (2009) meta-analysis found no significant difference in results of traditional classes or online classes.
In Gaia U’s defence they do clearly state that their course will be greatly self-directed and thus it is at the discretion of the student to decide whether online learning is the best fit for them.
Methodology
Transformational Action Learning and Research
This is a combination of two theories: - Transformation Learning - Action research
Gaia U’s main methodology is called Transformational Action Learning and Research. This is a mixture of two already pre-existing methodologies: Transformative learning and action research. Simply put this encapsulates the idea of learning through personal experimentation and reflection. This is implemented through their project-based learning structure and their encouragement of self-reflection (evidenced in the project requirement for self-analysis). (Gaia U Website) more colouqial websites as well – try and find good articles describing what action research and transformation learning is. Action research has been praised as a methodology that empowers students and teaching practitioners to work collaboratively to find suitable solutions to problems and actively transform the knowledge bases of all parties involved. (The Spanish One)
However, Gaia University’s use of Active research has been criticised for not truly being active research. Thomas (2008) instead suggested that all though they supported their students well, it was not enough to provide and coordinate their degree programs in a way that aligns with the principles of action Research. Despite this, Thomas (2008) praised the use of guilds (groups of assocites/students who reflect on their work together) for their role in transformation learning.
Gaia u, wiki, the Spanish one, Thomas, and other articles on action research and transformative learning.
Accreditation
Due to being an alternative university, Gaia U is not accredited by any government. Instead they are accredited by International Management Centres (IMC) of the UK and New Zealand. This accreditation board is focused on active learning (the methodology that is used at Gaia University). This accreditation is not far-reaching, only being present in two countries. Additionally, they formerly had accreditation in the US via Revans University and IMCA Socrates®, both institutions of active learning. However, as of February, 2005 both Revan’s University and IMCA’s (International Management Centres Association) accreditation was removed by the DETC Accrediting Commission. Gaia u, Europe website, DETC newsletter.
Costs
In order to avoid the government interference/bias that arises with government funding, Gaia U is not financially supported by any government. The average yearly cost of one of their degrees is $9850. In comparison with countries’ fees for traditional university courses, this works out as not the cheapest option but also not the most expensive. The UK for example is more expensive with a figure of approximately $12,330 annually, meanwhile countries like Japan, Canada and Chile charge less than Gaia U.
However, as mentioned under the online subheading, studies have shown that the quality of online education is less than that of traditional education. Thus, making their pricing less comparable to traditional courses. In addition to this, students at Gaia U do not have the same access to physical facilities that would be provided at a traditional university.
Without government funding, the burden of paying falls on the students. For some extraordinary students full scholarships may be granted by the university. But it is more likely students will either be provided with a partial scholarship or simply be advised and supported in finding alternative means to finance their degree. In the case that a student receives a scholarship they will be expected to contribute back to Gaia University via work for the university, such as in outreach programs. Gaia u, statista, online, gaia u.
Peer Review edit
• Leaving statistic data would improve this article. You already provide the data statistic but adding more data will strengthen your arguments. • Add more visuals (images) that relate to the topic
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User_talk:Lawra1sussex
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User_talk:Madsal
Peer Review Response edit
The peer review was not very helpful as there were only 2 suggestions and they were quite vague. I did work on the 2 stated (as shown below) but more constructive criticisms would have been nice. So instead I did some self-marking = areas I need to work on were adding some wikilinks, spag errors, formatting, pictures, flow of writing, short sentences.
- I agree about finding statistics, I'm gonna have to do a deep-dive for them lol as they're quite hard to find but I will most definitely try. I may have to go for indirect stats so ones on my side point as there is very little information available on Gaia U that isn't provided by the university itself, which of course would be a slight conflict of interest. - Yes I would like to add some more pictures. Unfortunately wiki doesn't have any that work for this topic so its quite a long winded process getting them added but I will definitely be doing that.
What I have done since the peer review:
Added a few sections to help with flow and understanding
Proof read
Added one more stat but due to the lack of literature in the area it was very difficult to find anymore so I hope the ones I have included will be okay
Added pictures, I've added some pictures to make the page more interesting
Dealt with some formatting issues