Criteria I

Approved Instructional Workshops - 70 Hours

Criteria I Workshops provide educators with the basic knowledge, skills and abilities needed to deliver high-quality environmental education programs to children and adults. They are "train-the-trainer" workshops designed for the professional development of environmental educators who work in both non-formal and formal educational settings and who offer a wide range of programming for all grade levels and for adults. Criteria I workshops go beyond the instruction of nature or science content knowledge and provide participants with teaching skills, methods and resources for educating the public in the classroom, in the outdoors and in nonformal settings such as nature centers, parks and museums.

The following list of workshops and courses has been reviewed and approved by the Environmental Education Certification Committee for completing eligibility criteria for instructional workshops. Although approval of workshops does not hinge on a balanced presentation of alternative points of view, workshop sponsors should, in their presentations, promote informed, objective decision-making. Candidates for North Carolina Environmental Education Certification should consider a variety of experiences that will broaden their range as environmental educators.

A total of 70 hours of instructional workshops is required. Remember that Criteria I workshops must be at least 6 hours long. Shorter or "sampler" versions of these workshops do not count as Criteria I, but may be used in other criteria. 

Can facilitator trainings count for Criteria I workshop credit? A program enrollee may count the facilitator trainings for approved Criteria I electives (workshops that train educators to teach Project WET, PLT, FLP, LEP, etc. to others) for Criteria I Instructional Workshop credit, but cannot also count the corresponding Criteria I workshop as Criteria I. For example, you cannot take the LEP workshop for Criteria I, and then also take the LEP Facilitator Workshop and count it as Criteria I as well. Facilitator workshops can also be used for continuing education credit. 

Two Required Criteria I Workshops

1. Basics of Environmental Education. Office of Environmental Education and Public Affairs (10 hours)
An independent Study Course. This workshop is a prerequisite for anyone taking the Methods of Environmental Education. Coursework must be submitted and approved before enrolling in Methods of Teaching EE. Follow this link to the course materials

2. Methods of Teaching Environmental Education. A 10-hour workshop offered three to five times a year at locations around the state. All upcoming dates will be posted on the Office EE Calendar and to the NC-EE Listserv.

Approved Elective Criteria I Workshops

The remaining 50 hours of Criteria I credit can be earned by taking any of the workshops from this list of approved workshops.

See the complete list of Approved Elective Criteria I Workshops

Please submit your documentation of participating in each workshop on a signed EE Form, or submit a photocopy of the workshop certificate and submit it with your EE Form.

Note: Elective Criteria I Workshop sponsors are affiliated with an established environmental education facility, organization or agency. Facilitators of Criteria I Workshops model professional standards in the field of environmental education as defined by the North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE). NAAEE's Guidelines for the Preparation and Professional Development of Environmental Educators are used as a framework for evaluating workshops submitted for consideration for Criteria I status.

To be eligible for consideration as a Criteria I Workshop, agencies/organizations (sponsors) must submit their workshop by completing the Instructional Workshop Sponsor Information Packet. Contact the office to find out how to sponsor a workshop.