Open-access ‘Research Methods for a Better World’ Course Materials

Posted by Environmental Studies and Sciences (ESS) Forum on January 13, 2026

Over the past semester, Anne Toomey, PhD (Associate Professor, Environmental Studies and Science, Pace University, NYC) has piloted and refined a set of open-access materials for a course tentatively (and, hopefully boldly) titled Research Methods for a Better World. The goal of the course is to help students develop research skills that prioritize real-world impact from the very beginning of the scientific process—not just at the end. The course draws on the books Science with Impact: How to Engage People, Change Practice, and Influence Policy, and A Tapestry of Values: An Introduction to Values in Science.

The updated draft syllabus, lecture slides, class activities, and anonymous student evaluations from the fall offering are available in this Google folder.

Versions of this course are already being taught at NYU, Stanford University, and Northeastern University. Instructors who used any of these materials in their teaching last semester are warmly encouraged to add brief details about their course to the folder, including what was used, what worked well, and what they would change. Sharing these experiences will help build a community resource and support collective learning.

Questions, suggestions, and ideas are also welcome—especially examples of how others are integrating ethics, values, and choices into research methods courses. Contact Anne Toomey at atoomey@pace.edu.