| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 69.67 |
| Liaison | Julie Newman |
| Submission Date | Sept. 30, 2021 |
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
IN-27: Online Sustainability Course
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
0.50 / 0.50 |
MIT
Office of Sustainability Director Office of Sustainability |
Has the institution offered a free, sustainability-focused course on the public internet in which students were enrolled within the previous three years?:
Title and a brief description of the institution’s free, online sustainability course:
Via its edX platform, MIT offers a free, online course that focuses on the application of sustainability in building design. The course title and description are below.
Sustainable Building Design
Meeting growing global energy demand, while mitigating climate change and environmental impacts, requires a large-scale transition to clean, sustainable energy systems. Students and professionals around the world must prepare for careers in this future energy landscape, gaining relevant skills and knowledge to expedite the transformation in industry, government and nongovernmental organizations, academia, and nonprofits.
The building sector represents a large percentage of overall energy consumption, and contributes 40% of the carbon emissions driving climate change. Yet buildings also offer opportunities for substantial, economical energy efficiency gains. From retrofit projects to new construction, buildings require a context-specific design process that integrates efficiency strategies and technologies.
In this course, you'll be introduced to a range of technologies and analysis techniques for designing comfortable, resource-efficient buildings.
The primary focus of this course is the study of the thermal and luminous behavior of buildings. You'll examine the basic scientific principles underlying these phenomena, and use computer-aided design software and climate data to explore the role light and energy can play in shaping architecture.
These efficiency design elements are critical to the larger challenge of producing energy for a growing population while reducing carbon emissions.
Website URL where information about the free, online sustainability course is available:
Number of individuals taking the institution’s free, online sustainability course in the most recent year offered:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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.