Infusing Sustainability into
Curriculum
Curriculum Development
Workshops
“Problems cannot be solved at the same
level of awareness that created them.”
Albert Einstein
Sustainability as an approach
• Sustainability is hard to define as a thing, but
taken as an approach or a way of thinking
makes much more sense
• Sustainability is:
– Taking an interconnected holistic approach:
Environment, Equity, Economy
– Connecting today with tomorrow
– Thinking about the side effects
– Common Sense
What disciplines does this
approach apply to?
• Literature and Psychology – How do we think and
interact with the environment? (Lit and Env.
Program and Dr. Montello)
• Physics – Development of new solar technologies
(Dr. Heeger)
• Geology – Study of Climate Change (Dr. Lea)
• Women’s Studies – Use and protection of natural
resources by Women (Dr. Cremers)
• Computer Science – Service Learning Projects
(Chandra Kintz)
The Need
• The Academics and Research Working
Group of the Campus Sustainability Plan
began
– Identifying courses related to sustainability
– Identifying areas where there were few course
offerings
– Looking for new ways to encourage the
adaptation of existing courses and creation of
new ones
The Challenge
• There is no policy mechanism to require
faculty to teach on sustainability
• Importance of academic freedom
The Solution
• Incentives
• Resources
• Encouragement
The Solution
• Incentives
• Resources
• Encouragement
• Everyone loves a good problem
New opportunity
• Grant Opportunity to
support faculty
training
Geoff Chase workshop
• Ponderosa Project, Northern Arizona
University – affected more than 100 faculty
• First Curriculum Development workshop
for UCSB, June 2007 – affected 10 faculty
from UCSB and approx. 15 faculty from
other schools
Agenda
• 9:00 – 9:30
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• 9:30 – 10:15
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10:30 – 11:00
11:00 – 11:45
11:45 – 12:15
1:00 – 1:30
1:30 – 2:00
2:00 – 2:30
• 2:30 – 2:45
• 3:00 –
• 4:00 – 4:30
Workshop overview – discussion of
outcomes for the day
Brief Introductions
Sustainability – definitions
Small group discussions – what do you
teach? What do you propose to change?
What do you need?
Resource Expert I:
Small groups
Student Learning Outcomes
Student Learning Outcomes report out
Resource Expert II:
Pedagogical Strategies/Interdisciplinary
Approaches
Report back
Integrative Learning – Strategies for
Curricular Revision
Wrap up – looking ahead
Departments Involved
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Chemistry
Writing
Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology
Asian American Studies
English
Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology
Computer Science
Geography
Materials Science
Student Affairs (Freshman Seminars)
Next Steps
• Brown bag lunches
• Academics and Research Website
• Potential symposium late in the year
• Training for Trainers at Cal Poly 2008
Contact
• Katie Maynard
Sustainability Coordinator, Curriculum,
Research and Student Engagement
805-893-2003
kmaynard@geog.ucsb.edu