Renewable Energy and Resource Management

Universidad Veritas

Course Description

  • Course Name

    Renewable Energy and Resource Management

  • Host University

    Universidad Veritas

  • Location

    San José, Costa Rica

  • Area of Study

    Environmental Sustainability, Management

  • Language Level

    Taught In English

    Hours & Credits

  • Contact Hours

    60
  • Recommended U.S. Semester Credits
    4
  • Recommended U.S. Quarter Units
    6
  • Overview

    Course name: Renewable Energy and Resource Management.
    Course code: MGMT-3020
    Total contact 60
    COURSE DESCRIPTION
    This course provides an introduction to renewable energy resources and resource management, with an
    emphasis on the use of alternate energy sources such as solar, wind power, geothermal, and hydrogen. This
    course will consider society’s present needs and future energy demands, examine conventional energy sources
    and systems, including fossil fuels and then focus on alternate, renewable energy sources and how to manage
    them. We will cover the economic and social impact that both, conventional and renewable energy resources
    have on society. The students will have the opportunity to visit several projects related to hydrogen production’s
    plants, windmills and solar panels all national and multinational projects dedicated to the supply of energy.
    Course prerequisites
    None.
    Audience
    This course is structured for International Students attending the Study Abroad program at Universidad
    Veritas. However, courses are not exclusive to foreigners so a few native students could enroll in this course.
    Some of the courses are also taught in Spanish as part of our Bachelors in Sustainability Management.
    Attendance
    Students are only allowed a total of 2 nonconsecutive (back to back) absences. The student will fail the course if
    he/she has more than two absences. Students will have a 0 on any assignment evaluated in class (presentations,
    evaluations, field trips, etc.) if he/she is absent unless the student presents an official document no later than one
    week after the absence. If the student presents an authoritative report to excuse the absence, he/she must
    submit the missed assignment on that same day. An unjustified absence to a field trip will immediately mean
    losing all of the points assigned to the field trip. If an official document is presented for the field trip absence
    students will have to present a research assignment to obtain 50% of the points. The only exception to this rule
    is when two-course field sessions collide in programming. Students can then opt for doing a research assignment
    not to lose any points on the field trip they don’t attend but it must be coordinated ahead of time with the
    professors.
    Three late arrivals to class (within the first 15 minutes) are treated as one absence. If you come to class 30 minutes
    late without an official justification document, it will also count as an absence.
    Code of conduct
    Professors have the right to expel a student from the classroom should he / she:
     Is disruptive in the classroom.
    2
     Behave in a disrespectful way.
     Is under the influence of alcohol or even smell like alcohol.
     Is under the influence of any illegal drug.
     Shows hygiene problems that may disturb other students.
    Electronic devices
    The use of cell phones, smart phones, or other mobile communication devices is disruptive, and is therefore
    prohibited during class. Please turn all devices OFF and put them away when class begins. Devices may be
    used ONLY when the professor assigns a specific activity and allows the use of devices for internet search or
    recording. Those who fail to comply with the rule must leave the classroom for the remainder of the class period.
    This is a theoretical-practical course and its goal is to answer the following question:
    How to manage the use of renewable energy resources as a substitute of fossil fuels in a cost-effective and
    environmentally friendly way?
    In order to answer this question, this course will cover the following:
     Basic Microeconomic concepts and definitions.
     Environmental Problems.
     Demographic issues.
     Externalities and Market Failures.
     Investment Decisions’ process. Benefit-cost and Cost Effectiveness Analysis.
     Non-Renewable Resources
    As we advance in this course, the following skills will be encouraged:
     Analytical thinking.
     Clear and effective communication.
     Efficient use of economic and business’ tools in the decision making analysis.
     Application of ethical principles in business administration.
     Ability to integrate practical, social, economic, and environmental aspects in the analysis and resolution
    of problems related to different productive sectors, taking into account the objectives of Renewable
    energy and resource management.
     Ability to build personal criteria considering socioeconomic and environmental perspectives on the
    information available regarding controversial sustainability issues.
    3
    Values and attitudes:
     Empathy with the environment
     Teamwork and leadership
     Systemic thinking
     Logical and communicative intelligence
     Problem solving
     Learning how to learn
    Competencies, criteria and evidence
    At Veritas University competencies are reflexive and integrated actions that respond to the professional profile
    and to context issues ideally and ethically through the integration of abilities, skills and knowledge. What follows
    are the discipline and core competencies and their correspondent key competencies and evidence of learning for
    this course.
    Table 1. Disciplinary and general competencies, linked to their performance criteria and performance
    evidences for this course.
    Competencies Performance criteria
    (Sub-competences)
    Evidence of
    performance
    Disciplinary
    Integrates the fundamentals of
    the externalities of the markets
    and its impact on the efficient
    allocation of natural resources,
    to promote awareness of the
    economic, social and ethical
    repercussions of the use of
    renewable resources.
    Analyses the externalities of the
    markets considering its impact
    on the efficient allocation of
    natural resources.
    Round table.
    Individual and group
    Presentations.
    Final project.
    Identifies the economic and
    social repercussions in the
    decision-making of market’s
    equilibrium taking into account
    the inclusion of externalities.
    Round table.
    Individual and group
    Presentations.
    Final project.
    Integrates the dynamics that
    exist between the free market
    forces and the efficient
    allocation of the factors of
    production.
    Round table.
    Individual and group
    Presentations.
    4
    Competencies Performance criteria
    (Sub-competences)
    Evidence of
    performance
    Core/Generic
    Builds the necessary
    knowledge, skills and attitudes
    to learn how to communicate
    orally and in written form in the
    different disciplines that make
    up the curriculum.
    Communicate thoughts of the
    discipline orally, iconically, and
    in written form.
    Round table.
    Individual and group
    Presentations.
    Final project.
    Integrates the necessary
    knowledge, skills, and
    attitudes to learn teamwork
    and leadership techniques
    Execute teamwork and
    leadership.
    Round table.
    Individual and group
    Presentations.
    Final project.
    Integrates the necessary
    knowledge, skills and
    attitudes to learn
    interpersonal
    communication techniques
    Relate well to others. Manage
    responsibly. Listen
    attentively
    Round table.
    Individual and group
    Presentations.
    Content
    Topic 1: Introduction and Overview of Environmental Problems.
    Text book Chapter 1.
    Topic 2: Review of Microeconomic Theory.
    Text book Chapter 3.
    Topic 3: Externalities, Market Failure, and Appropriate Intervention.
    Text book Chapter 4
    Topic 4: Climate Change / Global Warming Issues
    Text book Chapter 11
    Topic 5: Investment Decisions: Benefit-cost and Cost Effectiveness Analysis and Ethical Concerns
    Text book Chapters 7
    5
    Topic 6: Reconciling Preservation and Development
    Text book Chapters 10 and 16
    Topic 7: Population Growth Issues
    Text book Chapter 13
    Topic 8: Forests.
    Text book Chapter 13.
    Topic 9: Water Resources
    Text book Chapter 6.
    Topic 10: Nonexclusively Owned: Common Property Resources; Fisheries as Well as Some Groundwater.
    Text book Chapter 6.
    Topic 11: Non-Renewable Resources
    Text book Chapters 13, 5 and 6
    Methodology
    The student will be subject to a process of “learn to learn “. By doing so they will be exposed to economics and
    business tools presented in class relevant to the course, real live experiences coming from guest speakers and
    field trips to organizations and businesses related to this course topic.
    Learning strategies
    1. Presentations:
    These aspects will always be taken into account for presentations:
    ● Preparation and content: topic relevance, knowledge assimilation, answers to classmates’ and professor
    questions, and content deepness due to evident research.
    ● Organization and style: smoothness, independence from notes and devices, speaking clarity, slides clarity and
    aesthetics, text and images balance.
    6
    ● Time limit respect: each presentation has a time limit; students will be informed about this in advance.
    ● Personal opinion: robust personal opinion reflecting serious analysis of the topic and previous research.
    ● Punctuality: presentations must be presented on the assigned date, not following this rule means a grade of
    0% on that particular presentation unless the absence or lack of assignment is properly justified.
    2. The round table
    The round table is a space dedicated to promoting oral expression techniques and research on different topics.
    The idea is that a group of students prepares a topic relevant to the course that preferably generates ideas or
    points of view equal or contradictory in order to generate new learning.
    The group of students that can be made up of 4 to 6 people who should investigate as much as possible about
    the assigned topic, sit face to face with the other groupmates in order to create a "roundtable" panel. The
    members of the group choose a person who acts as moderator and opens the round table, announces the theme
    and respective sub-themes, introduces the members of the group and indicates the order in which each member
    will expose, launches the questions already planned between the different subtopics and generates notes that
    serve as closure or conclusions; in addition, the moderator must show adequate emotional management, be
    impartial, keep the group together.
    The maximum recommended duration is 60 minutes (45 minutes of discussion between the presentation of the
    topic, sub-themes and questions launched by the moderator, and 15 minutes of closure - which is also done by
    the moderator). To make the round table, each group must be clear about the assigned topic, prepare and
    investigate about it, prepare written information and brief presentations in order to fully understand the topic
    and the respective subtopics; generate a closure with the synthesis and conclusions that emerge from the
    activity.
    3. Final project
    Each student chooses a final project in accordance to the course leaning experience. The professor will have to
    approve it.
    The final project is developed along the course, the professor guides the process and assesses the results.
    Presenting time plus questions and discussion will be 30 minutes’ maximum, depending of the amount of
    students enrolled. The final project represents 40% of total grade. Several class sessions will be dedicated to
    check and guide the project advances. Presentations must be uploaded to Canvas on deadline (before presenting.
    Field trips promote students' assimilation, reflection and the internalization of knowledge, sensitizing through
    observation and interaction. In addition, the theory addressed in class will be extensively exemplified and
    analyzed in the sites visited. This process promotes a critical thinking and put into practice the capacity to make
    decisions during the process of learning to learn.
    7
    Students will do research using class material, guest speakers’ visits and field trip to elaborate their final
    presentation. It will relate to a specific country and a specific non-exhaustible resource of energy to be utilized by
    the chosen country. This will allow students to exercise their capacities to communicate in a clear and wellarticulated
    manner.
    Students will exercise the capacity for critical thinking and oral and written expression through the presentation
    of reports and class’ discussions. There will also be two guest speakers who will discuss issues related to the
    course.
    Teaching resources
    The students will have access to VERITAS’ libraries and free access to wireless internet in order to get needed
    information. The professor will also provide readings and other sources of information that will be posted in
    VERITAS-CANVAS. All class rooms are fully equipped to assist students in theirs learning process.
    Learning evaluation:
    Indicator Grade
    A –Class participation and two Round tables 60%
    B-Final Research Project and Presentation. 40%
    Final grade: 100%

Course Disclaimer

Courses and course hours of instruction are subject to change.

Eligibility for courses may be subject to a placement exam and/or pre-requisites.

Availability of courses is based on enrollment numbers. All students should seek pre-approval for alternate courses in the event of last minute class cancellations

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