Dalhousie University
AC-2: Learning Outcomes

1: College of Sustainability general sustainability learning outcomes

Multiple Literacies:
• Ability to work in and with varied formats of written expression, including academic articles, policy documents, and journalistic sources.
• Ability to assess, create and utilize visual material in support of an argument.
• Ability to manipulate diverse ideas, evaluate evidence, arguments, and conclusions.

Complexity:
• Understanding of complexity, appreciation of the “wicked problem” nature of sustainability challenges.
• Willingness to engage with immediate and timely issues of environment, sustainability, and society.
• Ability to work in ways that are both inquisitive and propositional.

Interdisciplinarity:
• Ability to synthesize and translate knowledge to varied audiences.
• Understanding of one’s own disciplinary methods, capacities and limitations, and awareness of those of other disciplines.
• Awareness of the range of evidence, analysis and synthesis used in different disciplines and fields, and an appreciation of their various strengths and limitations.

Self-awareness and engagement:
• Understanding of one’s own subjective position in the world.
• Ability to work effectively in collaborations and group situations.
• Understanding of the difference between advocacy and research, and the ability to draw relationships between advocacy and research.
• Understanding of ethical integrity in relation to academic work, research, personal conduct.

2: Sample sustainability learning outcomes of academic courses

SUST 2000.06 - Local Governance, Citizen Engagement and Sustainability
• To learn one approach to problem-based learning (PBL) as a means for exploring a complex sustainability issue and developing a unique solution or a way to address the issue based on collaboration and ideas generated by interdisciplinary teams of students.

• To develop an understanding of sustainability issues experienced at a municipal level, using Halifax as our Case Study

• To gain an understanding of the roles people play in causing/perpetuating sustainability issues and/or creating solutions for those issues as: students, voters, employers and employees in the private and/or corporate sectors, volunteers, home owners, business owners, activists, and engaged citizens.

• To learn a variety of tools that facilitate our ability to work in teams to resolve sustainability challenges at work, in our communities, and in other aspects of our lives.

SUST/ENVS 3502 - Campus as a Living Laboratory
• Define and identify key elements of environment and sustainability issues on campus
• To appropriately scope an environment and sustainability problem evaluation on campus, and understand how to work in teams to undertake it.
• Research and identify environment and sustainability issues relevant to an identified environmental problem on campus
• Develop effective research questions and strategies
• Demonstrate ability to gather data and generate evidence
• Communicate project knowledge with accuracy and credibility to a target audience.
• Develop project planning, implementation and evaluation skill