Summary of Breakout Session – June 22, 2011
Enhance Interdisciplinary Environmental Education Curricula: Priority Action Items
Leaders:
David C. Gosselin
Director and Professor Environmental
Studies
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Lincoln, NE 68583-0996
Email: dgosselin2@ unl.edu
Phone: 402-472-8919
Shirley Vincent
Director of Educational Research
National Council for Science and
the Environment
Washington, DC 20036
Email: svincent@ncseonline.org
Phone: 918-629-5143
Paticipants:
Satie Airame, University of California-Santa Barbara (note: Thanks for providing notes)
Jay Bell, University of Minnesota
Arnold Bloom, University of California-Davis
Daniel Carter, Sewanee: University of the South
Jennifer Grimm, Florida International University
Heidi Harley, New College of Florida
Dave Hassenzahl, Chatham University
Monty Hempel, Redlands University
Joe Hoffman, Frostburg State University
Tom Horvath, SUNY-Oneonta
Andrew Huemmler, University of Pennsylvania
Jay Jones, University of LaVerne
Andy Jorgenson, University of Toledo
Del Levia, University of Delaware
Jean Mangun, Siena
David Miller, Island Press
Colin Orians, Tufts Unviversity
Rod Parnell, Northern Arizona University
John Perkins, NCSE
Jim Proctor, Lewis & Clark College
Jean Schaake, University of North Texas
Jeff Sinn, Winthrop
David Smith, Smith College
Bill Trumble, Unity College
Bob Turner, Colgate University
The primary objective of this session was to develop specific action items to enhance interdisciplinary
environmental education among CEDD members related to three priority areas:
1. Document effective and/or innovative practices in interdisciplinary environmental (IE) and
sustainability education in higher education that include:
• Curriculum design
• Pedagogy and Educational Research
• Assessment
2. Compile case studies from CEDD institutions related to strategies that are being used to meet the
growing demand for sustainability education and the challenges this creates for interdisciplinary
environmental education programs in higher education.
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3. Develop modules/mechanisms that provide administrators and faculty with a comprehensive overview
of sustainability to facilitate the integration of sustainability concepts and content into interdisciplinary
environmental education programs and inform the development of sustainability education programs.
• Pull together information into a series of white papers and webinars to learn from each other.
For example, Sustainability 101 for administrators, faculty, etc.
Outcomes:
The information shared by the participants supported six things
1. The focus of the action items for the Interdisciplinary Environmental Education should focus on creating
a learning community that shares resources. The resources should document affective and/or innovative
practices in interdisciplinary environmental (IE) and sustainability education in higher education. Inclusion
of interdisciplinary resources that are collaboratively developed using a framework of content and
approach to address issues will be strongly encouraged. The overall intention is to provide descriptive
resources in contrast to prescribing specific approaches because we all operate under different
circumstances and philosophies.
2. CEDD and its member administrators and faculty need to expand opportunities and leadership in the
use of pedagogies that helping students develop networking and process-oriented 21st Century skills that
they will need to be successful in their chosen area. We need to approach the academic venture from the
perspective of improving the connections between how we teach and how people learn. Opportunities
for students need to be developed through which they learn to access appropriate sources of knowledge
that are needed to address problems and challenges on which they are working
3. Interdisciplinary environmental education programs along with the expansion of sustainability
education programs and initiatives should encourage opportunities to expand the inclusion of a wide
range of academic disciplines such as psychology into the realm of environmental science, environmental
management, and environmental policy to more effectively addressing environmental challenges.
Sustainability concepts apply broadly across a variety of majors, not just within the interdisciplinary
major.
4. Assessment and accreditation are important and in many cases drive allocation of resources. At the
program level, interdisciplinary environmental and sustainability programs need to be cognizant of
accreditation standards. It was acknowledged that interdisciplinary environmental sustainability program
provides students with the content base to develop kinds of skills that provosts and presidents are
seeking in terms of all of their graduates. However, programs need to outline and define the
characteristics and skills students that there students will have when they have completed their program
and develop assessment mechanisms to demonstrate the extent to which they have met stated
expectations. If these mechanisms are put into place, it will also establish criteria to address an expressed
concern about the relationship between graduate and undergraduate programs and the goal of creating
smooth transitions between these two academic levels. An ongoing question at both the program and
course level is, what approaches can be used to validate student’s readiness to move on to the next level
of their program.
5. A CEDD Curriculum Resources Portal has been created by Andy Jorgenson on the Encyclopedia of Earth.
This portal will be the repository for resources. Roughly 25 participants in the breakout group indicated
that they would provide information to begin populating the portal. Dave Gosselin and Shirley Vincent
will send out a request for materials by mid-July 2011 with information about accessing the portal and
general instructions regarding the submission and format for resources. In mid August 2011, we will
initiate a preliminary organization of the affective and/or innovative practices in interdisciplinary
environmental (IE) and sustainability education resources using the categories: curriculum design,
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pedagogy and educational research, and assessment. As part of this compilation, case studies from CEDD
institutions will also be sought related to strategies that are being used to meet the growing demand for
sustainability education and the challenges this creates for interdisciplinary environmental education
programs in higher education.
6. By January 2011, a strategy will be developed to share information in webinars to learn from each
other.
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