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. 1 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, 2 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. 3