Greening CurriculumGreening Curriculum

OverviewOverview

• Delta College is committed to sustainability, including developing green curriculum

• How do we define sustainability, and how can we infuse our courses with sustainability elements?

• This session explores strategies that faculty members can use to make their courses more green

• We will share practical examples and consider future steps

• Delta College is committed to sustainability, including developing green curriculum

• How do we define sustainability, and how can we infuse our courses with sustainability elements?

• This session explores strategies that faculty members can use to make their courses more green

• We will share practical examples and consider future steps

Defining SustainabilityDefining Sustainability

• How would you define sustainability?

• What are some elements of sustainability as related to teaching/education?

• What role should we as educators play to make students aware of sustainability issues?

• How would you define sustainability?

• What are some elements of sustainability as related to teaching/education?

• What role should we as educators play to make students aware of sustainability issues?

SustainabilitySustainability

• Sustainability is to value and protect the environment and natural resources through collective learning and action

• Sustainability involves ethical choices and social justice, and implies responsible and involved citizens

• Sustainability is to value and protect the environment and natural resources through collective learning and action

• Sustainability involves ethical choices and social justice, and implies responsible and involved citizens

Role of EducatorsRole of Educators

• Help foster an awareness of sustainability issues - globally and at the local level

• Students need to understand the relevance of environmental issues such as pollution and depletion of natural resources

• They need to realize that responsible choices should be made to protect and preserve the environment and the ecosystem of which they are a part

• Help foster an awareness of sustainability issues - globally and at the local level

• Students need to understand the relevance of environmental issues such as pollution and depletion of natural resources

• They need to realize that responsible choices should be made to protect and preserve the environment and the ecosystem of which they are a part

Role of EducatorsRole of Educators

• We need to educate students about environmental issues and challenges facing society today,

• encourage them to engage in critical thinking skills,

• and inspire them to take action to help change the world for the better, both collectively and individually

• We need to educate students about environmental issues and challenges facing society today,

• encourage them to engage in critical thinking skills,

• and inspire them to take action to help change the world for the better, both collectively and individually

Infusing courses with sustainability elementsInfusing courses with

sustainability elements• How do we infuse courses with

sustainability elements?• What are some sustainability

elements that can be included?• How should we do it?

• How do we infuse courses with sustainability elements?

• What are some sustainability elements that can be included?

• How should we do it?

Infusing sustainabilityInfusing sustainability

• Sustainability crosses over all disciplines and is not limited to courses in biology, natural resources, geology or career technical education

• Sustainability elements or themes could be infused in any general education course

• This could be done in several ways and does not necessarily involve formal curriculum revision

• Sustainability crosses over all disciplines and is not limited to courses in biology, natural resources, geology or career technical education

• Sustainability elements or themes could be infused in any general education course

• This could be done in several ways and does not necessarily involve formal curriculum revision

Infusing sustainabilityInfusing sustainability

• Infuse course content• Create assignments• Use resources• Involve students in projects,

community activities or field trips• Develop learning communities• Collaborate creatively with faculty

and staff in other areas• Develop student learning outcomes

and assessments

• Infuse course content• Create assignments• Use resources• Involve students in projects,

community activities or field trips• Develop learning communities• Collaborate creatively with faculty

and staff in other areas• Develop student learning outcomes

and assessments

Infuse course contentInfuse course content

• Highlight, specify or expand course content that relates to sustainability

• American Government: environmental policies and legislation, interest groups

• Philosophy:environmental ethics• Sociology: sustainability and social

justice• Economics: economics of creating

green jobs

• Highlight, specify or expand course content that relates to sustainability

• American Government: environmental policies and legislation, interest groups

• Philosophy:environmental ethics• Sociology: sustainability and social

justice• Economics: economics of creating

green jobs

Infuse course contentInfuse course content

• History:historical development of the environmental movement in the US

• Speech or communication studies: debates about environmental issues

• Literature: reading related to sustainability

• Writing course: writing assignments about environmental topics

• History:historical development of the environmental movement in the US

• Speech or communication studies: debates about environmental issues

• Literature: reading related to sustainability

• Writing course: writing assignments about environmental topics

Create assignmentsCreate assignments

• Research topics: climate change, deforestation, overfishing, pollution and overpopulation, scarce water resources in California and the protection of the Lower Calaveras River

• Write reports, give classroom presentations, or find local environmental issues, groups, and action opportunities

• Research topics: climate change, deforestation, overfishing, pollution and overpopulation, scarce water resources in California and the protection of the Lower Calaveras River

• Write reports, give classroom presentations, or find local environmental issues, groups, and action opportunities

Use resourcesUse resources

• Instructors could show DVDs or require reading or internet research related to sustainability issues

• The library has a collection of sustainability resources from which faculty and students can draw

• Instructors could show DVDs or require reading or internet research related to sustainability issues

• The library has a collection of sustainability resources from which faculty and students can draw

Involve students in projects

Involve students in projects

• There are many opportunities for faculty and students to get involved in sustainability projects and activities

• Examples include activities around Earth Day or Arbor Day, creating a 350 event, developing a film series, participating in a campus or river cleanup or a National Parks day

• There are many opportunities for faculty and students to get involved in sustainability projects and activities

• Examples include activities around Earth Day or Arbor Day, creating a 350 event, developing a film series, participating in a campus or river cleanup or a National Parks day

Involve students in projects

Involve students in projects

• More examples include• organizing gardening and composting

workshops• promoting recycling• collecting and distributing used books or

clothes• participating in a wellness fair• presenting a debate, a water or

sustainability forum• and organizing a recycling fashion show

or art exhibition

• More examples include• organizing gardening and composting

workshops• promoting recycling• collecting and distributing used books or

clothes• participating in a wellness fair• presenting a debate, a water or

sustainability forum• and organizing a recycling fashion show

or art exhibition

Develop learning communities

Develop learning communities

• Faculty could establish learning communities around a common theme of sustainability

• They could work on joint assignments, use similar resources or participate in joint projects

• Examples include geology and geography, biology and English, or philosophy and religious studies, as well as sociology and anthropology

• Faculty could establish learning communities around a common theme of sustainability

• They could work on joint assignments, use similar resources or participate in joint projects

• Examples include geology and geography, biology and English, or philosophy and religious studies, as well as sociology and anthropology

Collaborate with othersCollaborate with others

• Faculty in career and technical education areas are interested to work with general education faculty on sustainability issues

• Areas of collaboration could include business, economics and alternative energy

• Green job creation and business plans could go hand-in-hand with career counseling of students

• Faculty in career and technical education areas are interested to work with general education faculty on sustainability issues

• Areas of collaboration could include business, economics and alternative energy

• Green job creation and business plans could go hand-in-hand with career counseling of students

Collaborate with othersCollaborate with others

• Librarians could help provide resources on green careers

• Many different people could collaborate on a green job fair on campus

• Clubs could also work together on joint activities

• Librarians could help provide resources on green careers

• Many different people could collaborate on a green job fair on campus

• Clubs could also work together on joint activities

Develop student learning outcomesDevelop student

learning outcomes• One of our institutional learning outcomes

is environmental responsibility:• Understand how to use resources

responsibly• Understand why human population growth

is an important environmental issue• Understand how natural processes and

human activities contribute to climate change

• One of our institutional learning outcomes is environmental responsibility:

• Understand how to use resources responsibly

• Understand why human population growth is an important environmental issue

• Understand how natural processes and human activities contribute to climate change

Develop student learning outcomesDevelop student

learning outcomes• Faculty members need to develop

student learning outcomes and assessment that demonstrate students’ awareness of and involvement in environmental protection

• Faculty members need to develop student learning outcomes and assessment that demonstrate students’ awareness of and involvement in environmental protection

Develop student learning outcomesDevelop student

learning outcomes• Examples of sustainability student

learning outcomes are:• The student is able to:• correctly define sustainability• describe an environmental problem in..• give concrete examples of the

environment being harmed in… • explain what actions could be taken to

protect the environment in ….

• Examples of sustainability student learning outcomes are:

• The student is able to:• correctly define sustainability• describe an environmental problem in..• give concrete examples of the

environment being harmed in… • explain what actions could be taken to

protect the environment in ….

Develop student learning outcomesDevelop student

learning outcomes• present competing arguments about a

controversial environmental issue• explain what actions could be taken to

restore valuable resources in…• explain what actions could be taken to

promote recycling/reduce pollution• develop an action plan to help restore the

Delta/protect the environment in..

• present competing arguments about a controversial environmental issue• explain what actions could be taken to

restore valuable resources in…• explain what actions could be taken to

promote recycling/reduce pollution• develop an action plan to help restore the

Delta/protect the environment in..

Future stepsFuture steps

• Green curriculum website• Examples of courses, programs• Examples of sustainability

projects• List of sustainability resources

• Green curriculum website• Examples of courses, programs• Examples of sustainability

projects• List of sustainability resources

Future stepsFuture steps

• What is next?• Any suggestions?• Should greening curriculum be

faculty driven?• How can we foster collaboration?• How can we make greening

curriculum a reality?

• What is next?• Any suggestions?• Should greening curriculum be

faculty driven?• How can we foster collaboration?• How can we make greening

curriculum a reality?