How are College and University
Faculty Teaching about Climate Change?
A Study from Puget Sound, Washington
Jean MacGregor, Director
Curriculum for the Bioregion
• A public service initiative of The Evergreen State College,
established in 1985;
• Works as a faculty development and curriculum
development initiative across both two- and four-year
institutions in Washington and beyond;
• Serves as the national resource center for curricular
learning communities;
• Modest operating funding comes from the state legislature
through Evergreen’s budget; special initiatives are grantfunded. One of these initiatives is…
The Washington Center’s
“Curriculum for the Bioregion” initiative
Our mission:
To better prepare undergraduates to live
in a world where the complex issues of
sustainability -- environmental quality,
community health and wellbeing, and
social equity and justice -- are
paramount.
30 institutions in the Puget Sound bioregion are
the most involved but we have held workshops
across the state of Washington.
We have engaged 1100+ faculty at 60+ colleges
and universities in Washington, Oregon, Idaho and
BC.
Our animating questions regarding
teaching for a sustainable future
• How do we prepare students to live in the “century of
the environment?”
• How do we not only foster sustainability literacy, but
also create a culture of responsibility, action-taking,
and leadership?
• How do we undertake this with integrity in each of
our disciplines?
Curriculum for the Bioregion:
putting learning in place:
We need to
learn to adopt
sustainable
behaviors
here, where we
live, work,
and play.
There is an
urgent need
to understand
the local places
and systems upon
which the
quality of
our lives depend.
Encounters with
pressing issues
and “big ideas,”
especially with
local applications,
can have lasting
meaning.
The Curriculum for the
Bioregion Strategy:
Linking and Building
Communities of Educators
http://bioregion.evergreen.edu
Teaching “Big
Ideas” in the
Disciplines and
in
Sustainability
Learning
Communities in
and out of the
Classroom
Interinstitutional
Faculty
Learning
Communities
1) Integrating
sustainability
into and across
the disciplines
Communities
of Educators
3) Cultivating
promising
pedagogies for
teaching
sustainability
Developing
Healthy Food
Systems
Teaching Cases
Reflective and
Contemplative
Practices
Faculty
Learning
Communities
on Individual
Campuses
Restoring
Puget Sound
2) Engaging
faculty and
students with
pressing issues
in the bioregion
and with the
individuals and
organizations
working on
them
Protecting
Biodiversity
Environmental
Health and
Environmental
Justice
Addressing
Climate Change
Faculty Learning
Communities
Summer field courses,
with follow-up meetings to share
teaching and curriculum ideas
Pictured here:
“Sound Learning Communities”
Why a climate change project?
• Longstanding interest in energy systems
• Assisted with early development of CAMEL
• Climate change infuses every conversation about sustainability
• Faculty participating in “C4B” tell us they want to strengthen
their climate change teaching.
Inquiry and Planning Phase
We wanted to learn:
• Who is teaching about climate change?
• What are they emphasizing?
• Are they engaging students in community-based service
and/or research?
• Are there faculty/curriculum development initiatives
already underway with respect to climate change?
• Are they doing climate-change research, especially in this
region?
• Are they interested in joining a faculty learning community
on teaching climate solutions?
Online Survey – Spring, 2013
• 15 questions, 3 of which were name/contact
information
• Posted on “Survey Monkey” for about 3 months
• Our campus liaisons encouraged their colleagues to
complete the survey, via email messages and
reminders. Some liaisons were excellent about
follow-up; others, not so much.
Survey Participation
• 383 individuals began the survey
• 309 answered every question
• 347 responses were judged complete enough to
include in the overall analysis
• 78% indicated they were teaching about CC now.
• 22% indicated they weren’t teaching about CC.
Campuses with most Participation
Four – year campuses
The Evergreen State College
Two-year campuses
Edmonds Community College
58
Western Washington University Centralia College
24
Pacific Lutheran University
Highline Community College
19
Seattle University
Pierce College
18
17
16
15
15
Disciplinary Affiliations of Respondents
Where does climate change appear
in college/university classes?
• Climate change and associated issues are being
taught at a wide array of classes at all levels
(Introductory courses, general education courses,
study in the major)
• In over 60 disciplines and interdisciplinary subjects.
• Predictably this topic is taught the most extensively
in science or applied science classes at both the
introductory and advanced level
Top 10 areas where climate change
is being taught:
• Climate change – entire courses or LC programs –
(heavily skewed by LC programs, and interdisciplinary colleges)
• Biology - mostly introductory/gen ed courses
• Ecology – mostly upper division courses
• Sustainability courses - mostly upper division courses
• Environmental studies courses - mostly introductory/gen ed
• Chemistry - mostly introductory/gen ed courses
• Geology - mostly introductory/gen ed courses
• Environmental science - mostly introductory/gen ed courses
• Geography - mostly introductory/gen ed courses
• Energy studies - mostly upper division or prof/tech courses
Climate change is also being taught
in such courses as:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
English Composition – writing courses
Anthropology
Philosophy
Sociology
Health
Psychology
Native American Studies
However, 69% of the 508 reported courses were in
the STEM disciplines.
Faculty members in different academic
fields emphasize different topics
in their climate-change teaching.
For each topic, rate the degree of emphasis you give it
in any of your courses, using the following scale:
0 – I give this no emphasis at all in any of my courses
1 – I make mention of this but not in any depth in any of my
courses
2 – I give this modest emphasis in at least one or more of my
courses
3- I give this significant emphasis in at least one or more of my
courses
The topics were:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
Science of the phenomenon of recent, anthropogenic CC
Science of the predicted impacts of CC
Ecological and/or carbon footprints
Mitigation strategies
The climate policy process
Geo-engineering solutions
Energy issues and alternatives
Adaptation strategies- ways to increase resilience
Social justice issues
Moral dimensions of CC
Climate change denial
CC communications including discourse in the media
Responses by the business community to CC
Differing emotional responses to CC
Collective responses and social movements
What individuals can and are doing now…
Responses coming from the arts and humanities
Science of the phenomenon of recent,
anthropogenic climate change
0
STEM
Interdisciplinary
Prof Tech Faculty
Arts & Humanities
Social Science
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
Science of the predicted impacts
of climate change/climate disruption
0
STEM
Interdisciplinary
Prof Tech Faculty
Social Science
Arts & Humanities
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
Mitigation strategies (controlling/ reducing
greenhouse gas emissions, policy initiatives
such as carbon-trading, carbon taxes)
0
Social Science
Arts & Humanities
Prof Tech Faculty
STEM
Interdisciplinary
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
Adaptation: ways individuals, organizations, and
communities are acting to increase resilience of
natural systems
and human communities
0
Arts & Humanities
Prof Tech Faculty
Social Science
Interdisciplinary
STEM
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
The climate policy process (international, national, tribal,
state/provincial, municipal)
0
Social Science
Prof Tech Faculty
Interdisciplinary
STEM
Arts and Humanities
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
Collective responses and social movements
associated with climate change
0
Arts & Humanities
Social Science
Interdisciplinary
STEM
Prof Tech Faculty
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
Climate change communications and discourse
about climate change in the media
0
Social Science
Arts & Humanities
Interdisciplinary
STEM
Prof Tech Faculty
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
Examining differing emotional responses
to climate change…exploring apathy,
despair, hope, and resolve
0
Arts & Humanities
Interdisciplinary
Social Science
Prof Tech Faculty
STEM
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
Community-based learning
or Service-learning
Only 23% of community college faculty and only 30%
of four-year college faculty answered the question.
Only tiny numbers lead field trips or direct
community-based research on CC/energy related
topics, or direct/require students to engage in
service-learning opportunities.
Institutional Curricular Initiatives?
A very small number of faculty development or
curriculum development initiatives related to
climate change are occurring on these campuses,
even though 19 out of the 30 campuses are
signatories to the American College and University
Presidents Climate Commitment, which requires
campuses “to carry out broad-scale climate change
education and sustainability-across-the-curriculum
initiatives.”
Examples of initiatives:
• The Evergreen State College - two TEDx events on climate
change in past two years; and a faculty position in “Climate
Justice” and will hire for that position this year;
• University of Washington Bothell - a new undergraduate
degree program in Climate Science and Policy;
• Whatcom Community College has, since 2010, required a
course in sustainability for all its AA degree graduates;
• At Western Washington University, Fairhaven College
will devote a themed quarter to climate change in Winter
Quarter, 2014, in partnership with the Whatcom Museum.
Reflections…
When debriefing the survey results with my C4B
Steering Committee (representing 18 of these
campuses),
• There was a lot of silence. “Why?” I asked.
– Feelings of guilt.
– “I’m not doing enough in my classes.”
– Feeling personally overwhelmed by the magnitude of the
issue.
Reflections, continued
• “ So few students understand the science, I have to start from scratch.
It takes all the time I have to teach them the science.” (Geoscientist,
now a Science Dean)
• “Typically one fourth of my students think CC is a hoax perpetrated
by Al Gore and company.” (Geoscientist)
• “We scientists are hesitant to get into policy issues because that would
be perceived as advocacy.” (Biologist)
• “Jean, we just teach out the literature.” (Environmental Scientist)
• “Our teaching ‘windows’ are limited—and small. How can we enable
faculty to widen their window with respect to CC?” (Dean of the
Library)
“Climate Solutions” Project Plans
Summer field courses in different regions of Puget
Sound, with follow-up “faculty learning
community” gatherings. They would feature:
- What local governments, tribes, businesses, and non-profit
organizations are doing with respect to adaptation and
mitigation.
- Sharing of teaching ideas, with a special emphasis on CC
communication, education, and leadership.
- Ways to foster agency and resolve on the part of our
students, and ourselves.
Questions and Feedback?
Jean MacGregor
macgjean@evergreen.edu
www.bioregion.evergreen.edu
High tide event in Olympia, 2013