Overall Rating Gold
Overall Score 68.21
Liaison Jeremy King
Submission Date Sept. 19, 2022

STARS v2.2

Denison University
AC-7: Incentives for Developing Courses

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.00 / 2.00 Jeremy King
Campus Sustainability Coordinator
Office of the President
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Does the institution have an ongoing program that offers incentives for academic staff in multiple disciplines or departments to develop new sustainability courses and/or incorporate sustainability into existing courses? :
Yes

A brief description of the incentive program(s):

Denison makes available a variety of professional development opportunities on a yearly basis for teaching faculty. The focus of these varies by year. In the past, some Denison teaching faculty have attended sustainability workshops sponsored through a consortium of colleges (Great Lakes Colleges Association) to which Denison belongs. https://www.glca.org/faculty/

Denison's Center for Learning & Teaching offers sustainability-themed professional development and incentives for course development. A current offering is a Faculty Learning Community program with a sustainability theme.

Denison also has the Denison Seminar Program which gives faculty the resources necessary to develop new unique courses that can and do include sustainability concepts.

Denison Seminars exemplify the best of the liberal arts, transcending the traditional boundaries of academic departments, programs and divisions, addressing interdisciplinary, extradisciplinary or integrative topics.

There are no prerequisites or other structural limitations; they carry GE credit; and the courses are designed to bring together small, diverse groups of students in a highly engaging academic experience. Many are team-taught by two faculty members from different disciplines, and most have an off-campus component.

New Courses Developed in last three years as the result of above programs:

Global Health: A Case Study of Cuba and Columbus.
https://denison.edu/academics/global-health/feature/136364

Wicked Problems: Description: The wicked problems that this seminar analyzes include, international criminal justice & accountability, changing nature of conflict, food security, poverty, global warming, and International migration. Required field trip to Belgium and Netherlands during Thanksgiving break. Enrolled students will be charged a Fee of $500 for associated course expenses. The fee will be automatically waived for students with significant financial need as determined by the Financial Aid Office.

Sustainability & Apocalypse: Description: Course examines the intersection of fiction and reality in approaches to survival through the lens of the apocalypse. Using apocalyptic fiction and lessons on sustainability, critical thinking will b possibility of future dystopias with fewer resources. Enrolled students will be charged a Fee of $200 for associated course expenses. The fee will be automatically waived for students with significant financial need as determined by the Financial Aid Office.


A brief description of the incentives that academic staff who participate in the program(s) receive:

Denison faculty are also given professional development funds each year that they can use at their discretion - this can and does include conferences and workshops related to sustainability and sustainability course development.

Often faculty receive stipends for workshops sponsored directly by the college.

Faculty who are developing Denison Seminar courses receive funding to develop the courses and attend any off-campus aspects of the course.


Website URL where information about the incentives for developing sustainability course content is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

Center For Learning & Teaching recent offering:

The CfLT invites Denison faculty members to apply for participation in our pilot Faculty Learning Community program! This program is designed to create faculty learning communities across the college to assist faculty in learning about and incorporating evidence-based ideas into their practice.

Each FLC will include up to 10 participants. FLC groups will agree on meetings, generally meeting approximately every third week throughout the semester. Attendance at group meetings and submission of a deliverable such as a revised assignment, developed activity, or other creation/revision of another teaching element at the end of the second semester is required for participation. Participants will receive a $250 stipend at the start of the FLC.

Group sizes are limited, and you may only apply to one FLC. Submissions will be reviewed by committee.

Complete details can be found here.

Would you like to include topics on sustainability in your course but don’t know where to start? This FLC will explore various ways to incorporate sustainability into your classes from an environmental, economic, or social dimension. It will also explore pathways for making meaningful co-curricular connections to learning. All disciplines and experience levels are welcome.

Meeting times: This FLC will have one meeting before the start of classes in August and five sessions throughout the fall semester.

Application deadline: Please apply here by May 24, 2022.

Have you noticed that fewer students are willing to grapple with challenging course content than before the pandemic? Or that more are struggling to meet expectations on assignments and assessments? In this FLC, we will explore ways to engage and motivate students as they take on challenging topics, ways to support them through “productive failure,” and ways to develop a sense of adventure in learning.

Meeting times: This FLC will meet monthly June through November. Summer meetings can utilize Zoom.

Application deadline: Please apply here by May 24, 2022.

Contact:
Lew Ludwig
Director, Center for Learning and Teaching
ludwigl@denison.edu
(740)-587-5638


Center For Learning & Teaching recent offering:

The CfLT invites Denison faculty members to apply for participation in our pilot Faculty Learning Community program! This program is designed to create faculty learning communities across the college to assist faculty in learning about and incorporating evidence-based ideas into their practice.

Each FLC will include up to 10 participants. FLC groups will agree on meetings, generally meeting approximately every third week throughout the semester. Attendance at group meetings and submission of a deliverable such as a revised assignment, developed activity, or other creation/revision of another teaching element at the end of the second semester is required for participation. Participants will receive a $250 stipend at the start of the FLC.

Group sizes are limited, and you may only apply to one FLC. Submissions will be reviewed by committee.

Complete details can be found here.

Would you like to include topics on sustainability in your course but don’t know where to start? This FLC will explore various ways to incorporate sustainability into your classes from an environmental, economic, or social dimension. It will also explore pathways for making meaningful co-curricular connections to learning. All disciplines and experience levels are welcome.

Meeting times: This FLC will have one meeting before the start of classes in August and five sessions throughout the fall semester.

Application deadline: Please apply here by May 24, 2022.

Have you noticed that fewer students are willing to grapple with challenging course content than before the pandemic? Or that more are struggling to meet expectations on assignments and assessments? In this FLC, we will explore ways to engage and motivate students as they take on challenging topics, ways to support them through “productive failure,” and ways to develop a sense of adventure in learning.

Meeting times: This FLC will meet monthly June through November. Summer meetings can utilize Zoom.

Application deadline: Please apply here by May 24, 2022.

Contact:
Lew Ludwig
Director, Center for Learning and Teaching
ludwigl@denison.edu
(740)-587-5638

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