Project Number (Leave blank.
For internal purposes only)
2011 Curriculum Enhancement Grant Application
Section 1. Cover Sheet
Principal Investigator’s Name
David Goodman, PhD
Rank/Title
Assistant Professor
Email
dwgoodma@iupui.edu
School
Purdue School of Engineering and Technology,
IUPUI
Department
Electrical & Computer Engineering Technology
Phone
317-274-5381
Campus Address
ET201C
799 W Michigan St
Project Title
Sustainable Technology Certificate
Amount Requested
$15,000
Co-Principal Investigators (Please list names, rank/titles, affiliations, and email addresses)
Patricia Fox, Associate Chair Computer, Information, and Leadership Technology
Assistant Clinical Professor Organizational Leadership and Supervision,
psfox@iupui.edu
David Jan Cowan, Director and Associate Professor: Architectural Technology Program,
Director: Service Learning Initiatives, Design and Communication Technology
Department, jancowa@iupui.edu
Courses involved in the project 7
Number of students in involved courses per
academic year 144
Principal Investigator Assurance
The undersigned agrees to accept responsibility for the scientific and technical conduct of the
research project, for submission of the final report, and for ensuring that the project fulfills the
Indiana University Purdue University at Indianapolis (IUPUI) research compliance with human
subjects requirements.
(See http://researchadmin.iu.edu/HumanSubjects/IUPUI/hs_home.html)
Signature of Principal Investigator
Date
1/14/2011
IUPUI Center for Teaching and Learning
www.ctl.iupui.edu
Section 2. Abstract
Academia and industry are abuzz with the terms green and sustainable as they form the basis of many
future employment opportunities and they also address the dismal state of our attempts at the
stewardship of the Earth's environmental resources. However, few educational programs and courses
align sustainability with technology and therefore educate with an intent to develop hands-on
knowledge that would enable students to incorporate and move green education beyond recycling and
into engineered and innovative design solutions for this troubled planet.
This project addresses this concern through the creation of a hybrid/online Sustainable Technologies
Certificate that will form the foundation for a special areas interest focus within the School of
Engineering and Technology at IUPUI. It will consist of six courses that will be assessed both formatively
and summatively during the process of their phased development and delivery. The project team will
initiate this with needs assessment and will gather data during course development that will be
supplemented by pre and post assessment and evaluation related to each course in the program.
The creation of these much needed courses is intended to set the seeds for a degree program in
Sustainable Technology and to eventually make such offerings available to a wider disciplinary
population outside of Engineering and Technology.
Section 3. Key Personnel
The following faculty will be involved in the first stages of the project. As courses are further developed,
more faculty and resources will be added:
David Goodman, Assistant Professor, Engineering Technology Department, Purdue School of Engineering
and Technology, IUPUI, Project Investigator and Course Developer
Jan Cowan, Associate Professor, Design and Communication Technology Department, Purdue School of
Engineering and Technology, IUPUI, Co-PI and Course Developer
Patricia Fox, Assistant Clinical Professor and Associate Chair, Computer, Information and Leadership
Technology, Purdue School of Engineering and Technology, IUPUI, Co-PI and Course Developer
Joe Tabas, Visiting Lecturer, Engineering Technology Department, Purdue School of Engineering and
Technology, IUPUI, Course Developer
Bill White, Visiting Lecturer, Engineering Technology Department, Purdue School of Engineering and
Technology, IUPUI, Course Developer
As well, an undergraduate and graduate student assistant will be assigned to help in the formative
stages of the project.
IUPUI Center for Teaching and Learning
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Section 4. Project Description (limited to 4 pages)
Description of Course:
The certificate proposed herein is a collaborative effort between three departments (Design and Communication
Technology; Engineering Technology; and Computer, Information, and Leadership Technology Departments) in the
School of Engineering and Technology. As well, within the next year, the School of Public and Environmental Affairs
will be proposing a new undergraduate major in sustainable management and policy. In this new major they will
use three of the courses listed on our proposed certificate (Renewable Energy Technology, Green Building LEED,
and Emerging Green Technologies) (see below) for their majors. The Sustainable Technologies Certificate will also
give current students enrolled in Architectural Technology, Construction Engineering Management Technology,
Electrical Engineering Technology, Mechanical Engineering Technology and Organizational Leadership and
Supervision the ability to acquire skills in sustainability, renewable energy, sustainable design and green building.
This will provide these students with the opportunity to upgrade their undergraduate portfolio to be more
attractive to the emergent green job market. Each major faculty representing the three departments will work
with their department faculty to get the appropriate courses accepted into other department's degree programs.
We anticipate running three courses per semester with a maximum enrollment of twenty-four students per class.
The details of the proposed certificate program are as follows:
Curriculum
Students are required to successfully complete a total of 6courses (18 credit hours) to earn the certificate. No
more that 6.0 units of transfer credit can be applied towards this certificate. All students must successfully
complete all of the following required core courses:
Course Title Credit Hours
TECH 20000 Introduction to Sustainable Principles and Practices 3
TECH 30000 Renewable Energy Technologies* 3
TECH 30000 Green Building- LEED* or TECH 30000 Green Building: Project Planning and Cost Estimating 3
TECH 30000 Energy Efficiency and Auditing 3
TECH 40000 Economics and Leadership Aspects of Sustainable Technologies 3
TECH 40000 Emerging Green Technologies* 3
TOTAL HOURS 18
* SPEA required courses for the Sustainable Policy and Management Majors
Problem Statement:
In recent years, in the United States (and beyond), sustainability has gained importance in business, industry,
government, higher education, and in the general public’s consciousness. The goal of meeting today’s needs
without harming future generations’ ability to realize their potential is a hallmark of sustainable practices and
there is widespread interest from these many disciplines and sectors in developing, enhancing, and integrating
sustainable design into various products, business practices and projects. The need to equip students with the
knowledge, skills, and perspectives to make skilled contributions to sustainability initiatives has therefore never
been greater. Unfortunately, educational institutions are not meeting this demand and therein lay the problem:
American students and Indiana in particular, are lacking in the specific technical skills needed for this new and
green economy.
IUPUI remains in the forefront of this dilemma as it is lagging in course, certificate, and degree offerings in
sustainability. The School of Engineering and Technology, in this proposal, therefore offers up a certificate in
Sustainable Technologies as an immediate, cost effective solution to the problem and to also serve as a stepping
stone to a Bachelor of Science degree program in Sustainable Technologies which will eventually educate IUPUI
students in hands-on technical skills in sustainability, renewable energy, green building, and sustainable design.
IUPUI Center for Teaching and Learning
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Rationale:
The proposed certificate addresses a national need to educate graduates for careers in green jobs in renewable
energies, green building, and sustainable design. The authors of the Green Jobs Report indicated that a leading
barrier to renewable energy and energy efficiency in the U.S. is a shortage of skills and training, which this
certificate directly addresses (UNEP p47, 2008). This certificate program supports IUPUI’s mission to advance the
State of Indiana and the intellectual growth of its citizens to the highest levels nationally and internationally
through research and creative activity, teaching and learning, and civic engagement. It is aligned with the
enrollment shaping initiative of the academic action plan because this type of socially conscious topic has been
shown to attract and retain underrepresented groups (ACE p247, 2005). It is also aligned with IUPUI’s RISE
initiative; through its Senior Project and Directed Study Courses it provides opportunity for undergraduate
research opportunities. As well, it offers opportunities for study abroad at international locations (e.g., Go Green
and Global Design Students) as well as courses in international studies. Coupled with this is this degree’s link to
service and experiential education through its directed studies, hands-on approach to technology, and its potential
for internship.
Literature Review:
The literature in the area of sustainable education is rife with articles that speak to the demand for green
education to match the upcoming demands for technically competent graduates. The employment opportunities
in the emergent green era have been noted by many to be the next frontier of employment. For example, the
authors of the Green Jobs Report (Diaz, M., Nickels, G., Kautz, E., Cochran, T., 2008) found that the global work
force currently supports 300,000 workers in wind technology and approximately 170,000 in solar photovoltaic
(PV). More than 600,000 workers are employed in solar thermal development and approximately 1.2 million are
employed in developing biomass technology. Considering the increase of interest in renewable energy, the future
may see worldwide employment soar as high as 2.1 million in wind technology and 6.3 million in solar PVs by 2030,
and somewhere in the area of 12 million jobs in bio fuel related agriculture and industry. Estimates indicate strong
potential for large job creation in coming years. Installation and maintenance of solar PV and thermal systems in
particular offer the most growth.
This report alone speaks to the dire need to develop education programs within this green arena and goes on to
proclaim that a leading barrier to renewable energy and energy efficiency growth in the U.S. is the shortage of
skills and training (as noted by the U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory (2008)). These shortages will
continue to drive demand for educated workers in the new green economy, placing the burden of educating and
producing skilled workers on the world’s universities. The level of education necessary to be proficient in green
technology requires universities wishing to service their communities to expand existing degree programs or
possibly create new ones. In order to provide employees for these green jobs, engineering and technology schools
need to respond with new courses and programs that will fit industry’s need for this green change. All levels of
engineering and technology education will be needed in this new green environment. Almost every industry
imaginable will be touched by the sustainable trend. Even in the State of Indiana, a state that ranks near the
bottom in wind energy usage, a wind farm of 87 wind turbines has been developed in the northwestern section of
the state near the town of Earl Park.
In the US alone buildings consume 72% of electricity, 39% of energy, produce 38% of carbon (CO2) dioxide
emissions, use 40% of raw materials, produce 30% of waste output (136 million tons annually) and consume 14%
of potable water (US Green Building Council, 2010). Buildings have the largest potential for reduction of
greenhouse gases and energy, waste and water savings. The Green Jobs Report indicates that changes in how
buildings are designed, built and operated along with how building components are manufactured will affect job
numbers and types of employment. The built environment is changing and new technologies in green building and
design are in demand. Careers in green building will be in energy services, building operations and construction
management, construction manufacturing, and consulting. In addition, redefined jobs include green building
architects and designers who are a part of the green building sector.
Supplement to this report is the Pew Charitable Trust Report: The Clean Energy Economy: Repowering Jobs,
Businesses and Investments Across America (2009). It notes, based upon substantial research that the projected
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ten year job growth for Indiana is, for all jobs, -1.0%. However, the same period growth for clean energy economy
jobs is close to 18%. Indiana, they further state, “has a large and growing piece of America’s clean energy
economy, with more than 17,000 jobs in 2007. In fact, it is one of seven states and the District of Columbia where
total jobs fell but jobs in the clean energy economy increased between 1998 and 2007. The state’s jobs in the
Clean Energy Category grew by 78 percent in that time-no surprise, considering Indiana’s recent leaps forward in
the wind power industry. The American Wind Energy Association found that Indiana had the nation’s fastest
growth in wind power generation in 2008.”
Recognizing this outcry in the literature, this proposal has put together a series of courses that will enable
graduates to increase their portfolio in the area of renewable energy, green building, and sustainable design,
which will let them be more viable the green job market of today and tomorrow. In order to further understand
the need for this program, an overview of the current state of green education follows.
Many community colleges in the United States have jumped on the green bandwagon and are offering degrees in
various sustainable topics. IvyTech Community College in Indianapolis, for example, offers an Associates of Science
Degree in Sustainable Energy with three concentrations; Wind Energy; Home Technology Integration/ Energy
Auditing; and Renewable Energy Systems Technology. Yet, as Cortese notes (2003, p. 16): "...universities in the U.S.
have been slow to respond and despite the efforts of many individuals and groups within the formal educational
system, education for a just and sustainable world is not a high priority (McIntosh et al.2001). Indeed, it is the
people coming out of the world’s best colleges and universities that are leading us down the current unhealthy,
inequitable, and unsustainable path. Only a few architecture schools have made sustainable design a foundation of
education and practice (Glyphis 2001)."
As our educational institutions lag behind these important changes in the world economy, individuals have taken it
upon themselves to address this economy on their own. This is extremely obvious in the face of environmental
disasters, when communities often have the ability to rebuild in a more systematic, environmentally friendly
manner. In these instances it is often the private industry, especially NGO's, that take matters into their own hands
to force these changes in an expedient manner. As Cortese (2003,p.16): "The greatest evidence of the need to
transform education is the state of the world and the tremendous effort being made by thousands of
nongovernmental organizations (NGO’s) and schools in environmental and sustainability education to “fix” the
traditional educational system." Statements such as this should serve as a strong indicators that universities need
to become the future champions of education programs that teach students how to thrive in this new green
economy.
This demand is long overdue. Wright (2002, p. 2), for example, notes, that as early as 1972 The Stockholm
Declaration, Principle 19, "stated the need for environmental education from grade school to adulthood. The
rationale offered was that education would “broaden the basis for enlightened opinions and responsible conduct
by individuals, enterprises and communities in protecting and improving the environment in its full human
dimension” (UNESCO, 1972, Principle 19)." It is more than thirty years since this statement was issued and the
United States is still lagging in efforts to develop education programs in sustainability. Recognizing this, this
proposal and the certificate program outlined herein set the stage for IUPUI to be the lead institution in this topical
and important education track.
REFERENCES:
1. American Council on Education. 2005. College Student Retention: Formula for Student Success. Praeger
Publishers.
2. Cortese, A. The Critical Role of Higher Education in Creating a Sustainable Future Planning for Higher Education,
March-May 2003
3. McIntosh, M., K. Cacciola, S. Clermont, and J. Keniry. 2001. State of the Campus Environment: A National Report
Card on Environmental Performance and Sustainability in Higher Education R eston, Va.: National Wildlife
Federation. Retrieved December 1, 2002, from the World Wide Web:
www.nwf.org/campusecology/stateofthecampusenvironment.cfm.
IUPUI Center for Teaching and Learning
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4. Glyphis, J., ed. 2001. How Can the Architect Contribute to a Sustainable World? Proceedings of the Wingspread
Conference, 24–26 August, Racine, Wis. Retrieved November 30, 2002, from the World Wide Web:
www.secondnature.org/pdf/snwritings/proceedings/wingspread.pdf.
5. Wright, T. (2002). Higher Education Policy 15, 105-120 Definitions and frameworks for environmental
sustainability in higher education.
6. Diaz, M., Nickels, G., kautz, E., Cochran, T.(2008). US Metro Economies- Current and Potential Green Jobs in the
Economy.Global Insight, Inc. MA.
7. Pew Charitable Trusts (2009). The Clean Energy Economy Repowering Jobs, Interests and Investments Across
America. Pew Charitable Trusts, Washington.
8. United Nations Environmental Programme. (2008). Green Jobs: Towards decent work in a sustainable, lowcarbon world. Retrieved August 21, 2009 from www.unep.org/labour_environment/features/greenjobs.asp.
9. US Green Building Council. Retrieved January 10, 2011 from: http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/08/usbuildings-account-for-40_percent-of-energy-and-materials-use.php
Project Goals:
The goal of this proposal is to develop seven courses that will be the basis of the Sustainable Technologies
Certificate. As stated earlier, the goal is to have the certificate courses accepted into the existing technology
degree programs and eliminate outdated courses in addition to providing students with an opportunity to earn a
Certificate in Sustainable Technologies, which will assist them in their pursuit of a job or promotion in today's
green job market.
The proposal is to develop 3 courses during the summer of 2011 and offer those 3 courses in the fall of 2011. An
assessment of the 3 courses in the fall will be conducted and reviewed. Then it is proposed to develop 2 more
courses during the fall 2011 and offer those courses in the spring of 2012. An assessment of the 2 courses offered
in the spring will also be conducted and reviewed. Two more courses will be developed during the spring of 2012
and assessed. All 7 courses will be completed by June 2012. We propose to offer these courses in the summer, fall
and spring semesters.
Proposed Intervention:
The intervention in this instance is the series of courses that we intend to plant within the School of Engineering
and Technology (ET). These courses can serve as electives for students interested in developing a concentration in
the area of sustainability. By planting this seed of interest and by aligning with similar programs in SPEA we hope
to gradually develop enough interest to develop a complete degree program in sustainable technology, which,
judging by the literature reviews alone, is long overdue in Indiana and beyond.
Learning Outcomes:
At the end of the certificate program students will be able to:
 Communicate orally in one-on-one and group settings about sustainability topics.
 Critic the interrelation between the social, economic, environmental, and technical aspects of sustainability.
 Analyze technical challenges (by course), design appropriate sustainable solutions, and justify solutions in
appropriate languages to relevant audiences such as engineers, managers, financiers, and the general
public.
 Summarize books, reports, case studies about principles, practices, and theories of sustainability as well as
developing and applying sustainable solutions to local and international projects.
Numbers of Students Impacted:
It is expected to be a popular certificate based on the topic, interest from within ET and SPEA, and may draw
students from across the country due to the hybrid/on-line delivery method. Thus, due to existing resource base,
student enrollment will initially be limited to 24 students per class and 3 classes per semester, with an additional 12 class during the summer. Therefore, the total number of students impacted annually is estimated at 168-192.
IUPUI Center for Teaching and Learning
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Section 5. Evaluation/Assessment Plan
The assessment of this program will be in phases. In the very beginning (Phase One), the demand for this
proposed certificate will first be assessed by continuing to poll existing IUPUI students in the School of
Engineering Technology, the faculty and industry stakeholders. This needs assessment will serve to help
determine/substantiate and quantify the demand for this program at IUPUI that would be in excess of
what the literature notes on a grander scale. This will also supplement the data that we have already
gathered over the past three years of discussing this (formally and informally) within our School and
beyond.
Following this, the program will be formatively assessed as it is developed. For instance, after the
development of the courses (at the end of Phase One), other faculty will be assigned to evaluate and
assess course content. This will occur prior to the September and January delivery of the courses.
Students will also evaluate each course at the end and mid-points of each term. This will include an
evaluation of the teaching as well as an evaluation of the learning. Special attention will be given to
technology and how the application of green theory to technology helps to address different learning
styles (e.g. converging versus assimilating). Mid-semester evaluation will allow for improvements to be
embedded into these pilot courses as they unfold.
Due to the combination of the nature of the subject matter material, the interdisciplinary collaboration
inherent with the subject, and the fact that this program includes a professional focus, the student
learning assessment factors are critical. Specifically, this program calls for the assessment tools such as
article assessments, issue topic papers, book assessments, case studies, regional and country studies,
student participation, authentic project assessment, exercises as well as quizzes and exams.
The courses within this series will be assessed both formatively and summatively. At the end of the first
delivery of courses summative evaluation will take place. By looking at the larger group of students, the
instructional designers will be able to evaluate the learning materials and learning process and revamp
sections of the courses for the next delivery of the course. These types of assessments (formative and
summative) will take place prior to and after the launching of each course (August, December and May).
Section 6. Dissemination Plan
The key personnel plan to write articles about the certificate and the individual courses and disseminate
those to relevant conferences and journals listed below. Due to its focus, our initial conference path is
the ICEE: An International Conference on Engineering Education which is themed in the three categories
of sustainability, globalization, and education. Our initial journal path is the International Journal of
Sustainable Development and Planning, which is an interdisciplinary journal covering various
sustainability topics and education. We will also disseminate to the American Society of Engineering
Education and the Journal of Engineering Education for their national impact. Locally, we will make
presentations to our various industrial advisory boards in order to market this certificate program to our
industry stakeholders.
IUPUI Center for Teaching and Learning
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Section 7. Project Timeline
This project will unfold in phases as follows and will be organized around the concept of development
preceding delivery and that delivery will occur in incremental stages, so that assessment and evaluation
can be used to improve and alter courses that are in the developmental stages. This follows the notion
of piloting several components of the overall certificate program so that improvements can be added
quickly and problems and successes can be spotted and acted upon at a smaller scale.
Phase 1: Developmental: June 2011-August 2011
This will involve the development of three courses by three instructors (and 2 student helpers) for
launch/pilot in the Fall 2011 Term. The courses are as follows:
TECH 20000 Introduction to Sustainable Principles and Practices
TECH 30000 Renewable Energy Technologies
TECH 30000 Green Building- LEED
During this stage we will also seek out training in distance learning from IUPUI experts (CTL) (although
most faculty involved currently teach on-line courses and several have received Jump-Start grants). The
development of the courses will also be preceded by a review of best practices and successful
prototypes of sustainable/green course development. At the end of this session formative evaluation of
the courses will take place by other faculty. Each faculty member involved in the development of the
courses will also review the work of the other developers.
Phase 2: August 2011-December 2011
This phase will address the development of two more courses within the certificate program and will
launch the delivery of the three courses developed over the summer months.
More faculty may be brought on board to develop specific courses if needed. Assessment and
evaluation will also occur at the end and midpoints of this semester: student, faculty (self assessment)
and faculty (peer assessment). Mid-semester assessments will allow for improvement and corrections
during the term.
Phase 3: January 2012-June 2012
Phase three will involve the development of the remaining courses within the certificate program and
will launch the two courses developed during the Fall 2011 term.
This phase will also include final assessment: student, faculty (self assessment) and faculty (peer
assessment) as well as final reporting. To ensure the sustainability of the program industry support and
assessment will also be sought out with the intent of securing an industry sponsor for the program. This
will aid in the financial backing of the program and should serve to jumpstart the program into the
degree stage. Presentations to industrial advisory boards will also be included in order to market this
certificate program to our industry stakeholders and to announce our first graduates.
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Section 8. Budget
Category
Grant Amount
School/Dept Match
Total
Personnel
Faculty stipend
Release time
Graduate student
Undergraduate student
Other
$13,000
$
$1,000
$1,000
$
$
$12,000
$2,000
$1,000
$
$13,000
$12,000
$3,000
$2,000
$
Travel*
Air, bus, rental
Mileage
Ground transportation
Parking
Lodging
Per diem
Registration
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
Other
Books
Software
Supplies
Library needs
Equipment
Other
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
TOTALS
$15,000
$15,000
$30,000
*IU Travel Management Services rates should be used (http://www.indiana.edu/%7Etravel/)
IUPUI Center for Teaching and Learning
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Section 9. Budget Justification
Provide detailed narrative for the amounts listed in budget.
Section 10. Biographical Sketch(es)
See attachments.
Section 11. Results of Previous CTL Funding (if applicable)
Goodman, D. – Not Applicable.
Fox, P. – Not Applicable.
Cowan, D. (PI). Jump-Start XL Program, IUPUI Center For Teaching and Learning ($5,000): Summer 2007.
Cowan, D. (PI). Jump-Start Program IUPUI Center for Teaching and Learning ($5,000): Summer 2004.
One of these grants (Jump Start XL) supported our newly created Masters Degree Program in Facilities
Management. As this degree program is completely on-line, this degree track has seen the largest influx
of students in any of the Masters degree tracks in Technology. Where once this course developed from
the Jump Start grant was offered only in the Fall term, it is now being offered both in the fall and spring
due to the increase in demand for these courses.
The 2004 grant was used to develop a hybrid course in Commercial Construction. This material (reusable
learning objects) has been extremely helpful as other instructors have taken on this course. As it is a
course required of several majors it effects 20 students per term.
Section 12. Support Letter
See attachments.
IUPUI Center for Teaching and Learning
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