Durham College
AC-7: Incentives for Developing Courses

Siemens has offered Durham College a $12, 500 grant and the college has also offered $10k in-kind support for faculty to design, build and market sustainability learning modules and a video about sustainability for the development of GNED courses.

Faculty were invited to submit proposals for the grant funding available. Chosen faculty proposals will be supported internally through faculty Swf release time and the funding will go towards the creation of course development.

attached is the call for proposal Below is an example from a winning proposal from faculty member Julie Walker: Project Overview To live sustainably requires an understanding of the impact of an individual, organization, community, or country’s lifestyle, and then projecting the continuation of these practices, indefinitely, into the future. Sustainability, as a mental calculation exercise, results in no impact on Earth. Understanding sustainability is to recognize that it is a verb, a conscious mindset embedded in every decision, resulting in action. This proposal is put forward by General Education professors in the School of Interdisciplinary Studies, with the support of the Sustainability Office and CAFÉ, to create video and learning materials to introduce the concept of sustainability as both a mindset and an action, taken at an individual level, to ensure uncompromised people, processes, and environments for future generations. It is intended to support faculty and students in recognizing sustainability on campus and in the greater community, with the goal to practice a sustainability mindset in everyday decision making. These educational tools also provide a platform for Durham College and Siemens to showcase their campus partnership and sustainability project. In addition, an opportunity is provided to highlight Durham College’s sustainability awards. This supports students in identifying sustainability as a core value of the college. Alignment of personal and organization values is a key component to brand loyalty. Synergies will be recognized as Durham College provides sustainability leadership from a top-down perspective, while students support, initiate, and enact sustainable initiatives from the bottom-up. What will the project include? Video • What is sustainability? • How does Durham College create a sustainable campus environment? o Showcase Durham College’s awards and initiatives • How does Durham College contribute to our greater community’s sustainability initiatives? o Showcase Durham College’s partnerships and projects • How can students contribute to a sustainable campus, community, and lifestyle? Learning Materials • Learning Tools (learning module, classroom conversation starters, assignment ideas, DC resources links, on-line resources links) • Action Tools (challenges, footprint calculator links, volunteer opportunities, campus clubs)