Furman University
AC-4: Applied Learning
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
3.00 / 4.00 |
Laura
Bain Associate Director of Sustainability Assessment David E. Shi Center for Sustainability |
4.1 Applied learning for sustainability program
List or sample of currently active/available applied learning or living laboratory experiences for students that address sustainability challenges:
Center for Engaged Learning: https://www.furman.edu/center-engaged-learning/
The Center for Engaged Learning provides all students with high quality, impactful, engaged learning experiences that are highly immersive, co-curricular educational opportunities.
We enhance students’ four-year pathways by facilitating, removing barriers to, encouraging critical reflection on, and tracking and assessing high-impact engaged-learning experiences.
The Shi Institute plays an active role in promoting campus as lab by providing one-pagers about various campus locations with suggested activities, a online sign-up form to help facilitate use of these spaces, and promoting use of these spaces to our Affiliate Faculty. https://www.furman.edu/sustainability/programs/campus-as-living-learning-lab/
Shi Institute Student Fellowships: The Shi Institute for Sustainable Communities strives to promote sustainable communities that are socially just and equitable, environmentally sound and resilient, and economically viable and inclusive. The institute supports dozens of student sustainability fellowships every year, which vary from summer experiences to semester-long or year-long experiences. The fellows engage in internships with local government agencies and community organizations, as well as Furman. Examples include working with the City of Greenville, local nonprofit organizations, and the university’s greenhouse gas inventory. The Institute also supports farming, and other activities to raise awareness about sustainable living.
Earth, Environment, and Sustainability Science May Experience and Study Away Programs
https://www.furman.edu/academics/earth-environmental-sciences/student-experiences/global-experience/
- The Appalachian Mountain Experience
- Exploring the Sierra Nevadas
- Experiencing the Rocky Mountains
- Fly Fishing and River Conservation
- Geology and Astronomy in Southwestern US
- Iceland MayX
- Tanzania MayX
- Guatemala MayX
- Study Away Semester in India
Greenbelt Community https://www.furman.edu/engaged-living/greenbelt-community/
The Greenbelt Engaged Living Community (cabins by the lake) is a residential living-learning community intended to foster sustainable living and lifestyle choices among the fifteen student residents. Students in the program live in one of two recently renovated, state of the art, eco-friendly cabins (The Cottage and The Cabin) that are outfitted with a variety of sustainability features including solar thermal hot water, solar tube lighting, and smart home technology for real time energy and water use monitoring. The community also has its own community garden and outdoor patio / classroom.
Focused on sustainable living and leadership, our one-year program is intended not only to promote sustainable lifestyles, but also to empower students to contribute to sustainability initiatives on campus. Residents take a one-credit course each semester to learn about and explore sustainable living, and develop, design, and implement sustainability projects on campus.
Sustainability Practicum Program: The Sustainability Science practicum program offers a unique capstone experience for our majors emphasizing sustainability solution-based research. Students will have the opportunity to conduct rigorous applied research and further develop critical analysis skills. Research analysis will be conducted in partnership with local or international organizations (nonprofit public or private) addressing a predetermined research question. Exploring topics that allow students to grapple with how to reduce environmental impact and increase social welfare designed to encourage “engaged scholarship” to prepare students for interdisciplinary team-based research in their careers.
Are three or more institutional departments or units currently supporting solutions-focused applied learning or living laboratory experiences for students?:
Are there processes or tools in place to assess the success of the applied learning projects?:
Description of the processes or tools used to assess the success of the applied learning projects:
Assessment of success varies by the type of project and overseeing department or mentorship. Typically, measurable goals and objectives are identified at the outset and assessed for completeness at the end of the project. Specific evaluations for applied learning aimed at sustainability challenges are:
Students enrolled in the Greenbelt community take a one-credit course to learn about and explore sustainable living and also undertake sustainability projects on campus. At the completion of their yearlong projects, Greenbelt groups submit a written report and give a final oral presentation to their class and instructor. In both the presentation and report students evaluate their project experience and it’s impact on campus. Students discuss barriers and obstacles faced, discuss relevant stakeholder input and data collected, and discuss what they were able to accomplish relative to their original project goal. Students also outline next steps that future Greenbelt students or other campus groups can take to build on the work of their projects.
Students who undertake a Shi Institute Fellowship: Academic year fellows present at the end of the year at Furman Engaged. During these 7-10 minute presentations students share about the impact of their fellowship by outlining their personal learning outcomes and by quantifying the effect on campus (amount of funding secured for the bike rental program for example). Students also discuss how future student fellows could build on their work in the next fellowship cycle. Fellows are also surveyed at the midpoint of their fellowship and at the end of the year to evaluate if the program is meeting their expectations and to mark progress on their fellowship goals.
Summer fellows also present at Furman Engaged via posters (using a guiding template). Students are directed to use this poster to share about the impact of their fellowship on their own learning goals and on their partnering organization. They are also asked to share how this fellowship will shape their future. Fellows are surveyed at the end of the year to evaluate if the experience met their expectations regarding learning and skill building. The partnering organizations that sponsor summer fellows are surveyed at mid-summer and end of summer to track the students progress on fellowship goals and to evaluate the impact/benefit of the program and projects for our partners.
Students enrolled in the sustainabilty practicum program are evaluated by both the faculty member overseeing the program and the campus or community partner that benefits from the proroject. The evaluation rubric states: Literature Review: It is our institutional goal to prepare you for graduate-level and professional disciplinary writing. The ability to write a literature review is a critical skillset in the sustainability sciences. You will write a literature review on a topic that is relevant to the class project. This review will be due at midterms, and you will turn in a Paper Proposal and an Annotated Bibliography as intermediate assignments. Final Report: In contrast to the literature review, which has an academic audience, your final report will have our stakeholders as the intended audience. The format, therefore, will vary depending on the aspect of the project that you have undertaken. Note that this assignment will prepare you for future work with stakeholder engagement, and as such it is a different critical writing skillset than the lit review. Final Presentation: The course will culminate in a final presentation held for both community partners and your Furman colleagues and professors. These presentations will share the findings of your research and offer solutions to the applied problems that you analyze.
Is there an online portal or equivalent vehicle that documents completed, current, and/or prospective applied learning projects?:
Description of and/or website URL for the online portal or equivalent vehicle that documents completed, current, and/or prospective applied learning projects:
Our Furman Engaged day every spring is a campus-wide showcase of our vibrant culture of Engaged Learning as students present their academic work and internships in every discipline, both inside and beyond the classroom. A hyperlinked calendar of events provides details on each project.
Furman University Scholar Exchange also includes all Furman Engaged projects: https://scholarexchange.furman.edu/
The Reporting Tool will automatically calculate the following figure:
Optional documentation
We also participate in Campus as Lab national affinity group calls to better assess and develop our programs and share our lessons learned with others.
Additional documentation for this credit:
The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.