Dr. Jon Hooper

Thirty-Two Years of Environmental Education

Distance students in the BA Liberal Studies program have been enrolling in the online course, RECR 448 – Methods and Materials for Environmental Education – since 2002. The course has been taught on campus since 1982.

What today’s students probably don’t know is that RECR 448, during its 32-year history, has been taught by only one instructor, Dr. Jon Hooper, who created the course. During this time he has taught thousands of students how to be effective environmental educators.

In explaining why he has taught an online course for so long, Dr. Hooper tells a story about one of his students who lived in a remote area in far Northern California: “The student lived ‘off the grid.’ She had to fire up a generator in order to have electricity to run her laptop and get online. She cared deeply about her environment, yet she didn’t know about materials that exist to excite her learners about the environment. By the end of the course, she had a plethora of ideas, activities and approaches.”

Long before “sustainability” became a common word, Dr. Hooper started the course “because environmental education is ‘relevant education.’ Students get excited about learning when they know how the information applies to the real world. My class focuses on wildlife management issues, and even more specifically, on endangered species management. These issues are commonly in newspapers and on newscasts.”

Dr. Hooper’s students are expected to complete four hands-on experiences in leading children’s environmental education activities in their own communities, using activities from the Project WILD and Project Learning Tree environmental education guides. Students are taught the environmental education approach to enhancing children’s knowledge and attitudes toward the natural world.

Dr. Hooper’s educational background reflects his passion for wildlife issues. His PhD is in Ecology, with an emphasis in Wildlife Ecology and Environment Communication. He is also a Certified Wildlife Biologist. In 2013, he was honored by the National Association for Interpretation (NAI) with its Fellow Award, its highest honor. Dr. Hooper was also given the “Educator of the Year” award by NAI in 1992.