Weird class... I don't know how I feel about it tbh lol. It's probably the class I got the highest mark in this term, but I also didn't watch a single lecture past the first few weeks. Most of the assignments can be done just grazing through the content. Grade is really spread out over a bunch of stuff worth a smaller amount (weekly discussion posts, 5 quizzes throughout, a group project, a term paper, 2 mind maps) no exam. Quizzes were odd and kind of why I stopped going, most of the questions are pulled directly from the textbook and stuff he's never mentioned in lecture, they are open book though. Tutorials aren't mandatory, but you'll get a bonus mark for going (have to attend 5/7? I think? to get bonus)

Lectures are... idk very straightforward climate change bad stuff. He posts his slides, but most of them just only have a picture on them with no text. Even the discussion posts for the class would ask about things that just were not mentioned at all during the lecture. The main focus for pretty much every assignment and discussion post is going to be is "What can I do?" The layout of the course is pretty much just watching the 10–15 videos he posts on avenue a week He posts the questions to keep in mind for the week, and honestly it's mostly just trying to figure out where the information he mentions in the questions even come from, bc most of the time it is not his lectures, same with some of the discussion posts. Discussion posts could get LONG, they don't just ask one question it's ...read more

Bernier seems nice enough, had trouble understanding him at first though, he does have a pretty heavy French accent.

Honestly, I kind of gave up on trying to figure out what parts I was supposed to be retaining with the lectures, 10–15 videos posted a week and textbook readings. Most of the assignments are straightforward enough that you can just do them with skimming through the textbook and lecture recordings. The quizzes do ask like hyper specific questions about stats and other stuff not mentioned in lecture, so just google them since it's open book or use command F on the textbook.

I would not recommend this course if you are looking for something fun and engaging. The content is easy to grasp, but there are also many assignment due dates to keep track of throughout the term.

The content is incredibly straightforward... as in it doesn't feel like you're learning anything new. The entire course can be summed up as "the environment is in danger because of this and that; here are some generic solutions that can be implemented to save it." The actual work can be somewhat demanding, not because it's hard but because there's a lot to do. There were weekly discussion posts to complete, bi-weekly quizzes, and multiple projects that required you to hand in drafts before the final.

I have heard many classmates say that Dr. Bernier is a but too nice. You can have a whole lecture hall full of students on day 1 but by week 2, only 10 remain in-person. He never questions it either. With the combo of lectures being streamed live and content being bland, of course students have no desire to show up. On the flip side this means that he is more than happy to chat and answer questions for those who do attend lectures.

Since this is a project and assignment heavy course, I recommend attending tutorials and lectures for the sole purpose of asking questions about your projects. With no midterm or final exam, the content is basically negligible but your marks sit in the projects. Make use of the time in-person to ask about them.

If his other courses are like this one, I would take those in a heartbeat.

Bernier was very accommodating when I wasn't able to hand in an assignment on time, so don't be afraid to ask for an extension (without penalty) before the due date. Disclaimer: I handed in all my other assignments on time and got good marks on them, so he might have recognized that and may have been accommodating for that reason. Plus, he just seems like a pretty chill and nice person.