Transcript Greening the Technical Curriculum

Greening the Curriculum
Dr. Rhonda Richards
Senior VP for Academic Affairs
West Virginia University at Parkersburg
College students are flocking to
sustainability degrees, careers
By Jillian Berman, USA TODAY
Students interested in pursuing a job in sustainability now can
choose from a variety of "green" degree programs.
With an increased interest in the environment and growth in the
"green collar" job sector, colleges and universities are beginning
to incorporate sustainability into their programs.
From MBAs in sustainable-business practices to programs that give
students the technical training necessary to operate wind turbines,
students have an increasing array of options to choose from.
Topics for Discussion
 Greening the College Curriculum
 Expanding the Reach for Greening to P-12
 Funding Greening Efforts
 Greening as a Catalyst for Other Curriculum
Efforts
Approach #1
Workshops for faculty to update curriculum by retrofitting
existing courses to include greening and sustainability
concepts through artistic, cultural, historical, mathematical,
philosophical, and scientific lenses to gain a more
comprehensive understanding of the subject which is how
the University of Maryland Chesapeake Project
implements sustainability.
Approach #2
Develop projects and themes and offer activities around
the themes, such as University of New Hampshire’s four
specific initiatives which are designed around four
foundational systems of sustainability— biodiversity,
climate, food, and culture—that are pervasive across the
curriculum and throughout the college community.
Approach #3
Offer a specific course on sustainability such as
Auburn University’s “Introduction to Sustainability”
that includes topics on:
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History of Sustainability
The Next Industrial Revolution: Natural Capitalism
The Triple Bottom Line: Economics, Environment, & Equity
Human Capital
Climate Change
Scientific Process and Sustainability
Fundamental Ecological Concepts
Biodiversity
Complexity of Natural Systems
Resilience and Tipping Points
Limits of Human Engineered Systems
Approach #4
Offer a specific cluster of courses across several
disciplines that result in a certificate or concentration.
For example, at Stockton College in New Jersey the
new curriculum in Sustainability and Environmental
Policy is a collaborative initiative of the political
science and environmental science programs and is
open to students in either of the two majors. The
curriculum offers focused coursework for students
planning careers in environmental policy,
management, law, advocacy and education.
Approach #5
 Develop a broader, life long concept with hands-on
sustainability that persists after graduation, such as
Ohio University’s Kanawha Project that focuses on
inculcating environmental literacy as a behavior. The
project centers on understanding where you live in
relation to the environment as one of the most
important components of environmental literacy.
Here of examples where faculty have “greened” the
curriculum across academic disciplines at college and
universities in the forefront of campus and civic
sustainability matters.
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Auburn University (The Fall Line Project)
Emory University (The Piedmont Project)
Stockton College
(“New Jersey’s Green College”)
University of Maryland (The Chesapeake Project)
University of New Hampshire (Sustainable Learning Community)
Ohio University (The Kanawha Project)
When Should
Greening the Curriculum
Begin?
GREEN CURRICULUM MAP
Here's a "green curriculum map" to illustrate what GreenHeart's Green
Curriculum Model looks like. It shows the environmental /
sustainability focus for each age/grade level, as well as the following
essential integrating themes:
 a foundation of ecological ethics (respect, compassion, sustainability)
 the overarching focus of climate change / global warming and
renewable energy
 and a backdrop of environmental and ecosystem health
These general themes, when underlying the more specific age/grade
learnings that build on each other, together contribute to an integrated
and holistic education today that ensures a healthy future for our
students and the world they will live in.
Grades 11-12
Grades 7-10
Grades 5-6
Preschool-Grade 3
How Can You Fund Curriculum Greening?
$220,000
Division of Energy
$160,000
$250,000
$150,000
Infusion (NSF Project IGNITE)
Greening the Curriculum
could serve as a catalyst for
other infusion efforts.
During the first six months:
 Convene the Interdisciplinary Infusion Team;
 Develop specific competencies that are covered in the
Math 107/108 courses for general mathematics;
 After identifying mathematics competencies that must
be met, identify where in the welding curriculum these
competencies can be taught;
 Complete the general Math 107/108 post test for
students to take after completing the welding
curriculum with infused mathematics competencies.
During the months 6 through 12 the
objective will be to improve:
• The achievement of students in the
welding program for meeting the
mathematics competencies in the general
education core curriculum;
• The retention of students in the welding
program;
• The collaboration between faculty in the
welding and the mathematics programs.
During the months 12-18, the
objectives will be to measure:
 The program completion rate for students in the first
cohort of the IGNITE Project.
 The success rate through the scores on the Math 107/108
posttest, the MAPP mathematics subtest, the WorkKeys
Assessment, and the welding certification examination.
During months 18 through 24 the goal
will be to reflect and refine:
 The program goals and targets as a result of the data
from the first IGNITE Project cohort.
 The competencies identified for the mathematics
infusion as needed.
 The future plan for the next level of general education
infusion for technical courses and programs.