Air pollution is a major and global concern, arising for the most part from human activities. Air pollutants can be emitted by a variety of sources or formed directly in the atmosphere. They alter the air we breathe and have clear negative effects on our health. But they also affect the Earth’s climate and have a tremendous, often underestimated, impact on our economies.
This 3-week course shares the basics of air pollution and its effects. During the first week, you will discover the major causes of outdoor and indoor air pollution. The next two weeks detail the environmental, economic and health impacts of this pollution.
Course Organization
Introduction to air pollution issues
- Gaseous air polluants
- Particulate air pollutants
Planetary issues
- Introduction to climate change
- Effect of GHG on climate
- Effects of aerosols on climate
- Photochemical smog
- Ecosystem impacts
Health and society issues
- Health impact: epidemiology
- Health impact: toxicology
- Economic impacts part 1/2
- Economic impacts part 2/2
- Social impacts
Instructional Goals
By the end of the course, you should:
- know which major chemical compounds cause outdoor and indoor air pollution
- know where these air pollutants come from
- know their impacts on indoor and outdoor environments
Assessment Methods
- Each week ends with a quiz: 90% of the overall grade. You have a limited number of attempts (2 attempts per quiz).
- As for the multiple choice questions, penalties apply to each incorrect choice up to 100% (if you check all the incorrect choices). The minimum score for a question is 0. Practice activity in week 1: 10% of the overall grade (unlimited number of attempts).
100 % = "Quiz avg"*90% + "Practice activity” * 10%.
To quality for an achievement badge, you must achieve a total grade of 70% or higher. Otherwise, if you have simply taken all the course, you will get a badge for attending it. The badge will appear in your profil page.
Support and tutoring
Technical Issues
If you have any technical problem or question, you can contact referents-pedagotheque@imt.fr. We will do our best to answer within 2 working days.
Independent Use
If you take this course on your own, forums will not be running and you will not get any answers. Nevertheless, you can use the forums to discuss topics of the course with other free users.
If you have any technical problem, you can contact
referents-pedagotheque@imt.fr. We will do our best to answer within 2 working days.
In-class course (with your teacher)
If you take this course with your teachers, they are free to use the course forums or any other means of communication. Please follow their instructions to contact them.
Nevertheless, if you have any technical problem, you can contact referents-pedagotheque@imt.fr. We will do our best to answer within 2 working days
- Designer: Gaelle GUIGON
- Designer: Véronique RIFFAULT
