Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 66.24
Liaison Justin Mog
Submission Date Feb. 27, 2019
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

University of Louisville
AC-7: Incentives for Developing Courses

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.00 / 2.00 Justin Mog
Assistant to the Provost for Sustainability Initiatives
Office of the Provost
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

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

A brief description of the program(s), including positive outcomes during the previous three years (e.g. descriptions of new courses or course content resulting from the program):

Green Threads: Sustainability across the Curriculum is an annual faculty development workshop, sponsored by Office of the Provost and organized by UofL’s Sustainability Council, which has been run since 2009. Originally inspired by Northern Arizona University's Ponderosa Project and Emory University's Piedmont Project, the intention is to infuse themes of sustainability across the curriculum in all disciplines. The workshop is open to all full- & part-time faculty as well as Graduate Teaching Assistant Academy participants from all disciplines.

A total of 71 people have participated in this workshop since inception, with 22 participating in the last three years.

Participants receive inspiration, resources, and mutual support. Incentives also include an honorarium of $500, a series of workshops and tours with local food meals, and resource materials on sustainability.

In return, Green Threads participants are required to revise an existing course or create a new course with sustainability content and must agree to: (1) Participate in the day-long workshop; (2) Read materials prior to the workshop; (3) Submit a syllabus for the revised or new course and a paragraph on the intellectual process involved; and (4) Report back to the group on progress during a Fall gathering of all Green Threads alumni.

A 2015 survey of Green Threads faculty alumni documented the following positive outcomes:
Total number of Green Threads program participants: 47
Departmental Breakdown of Participants:
Communication 2
Economics and Business 2
Psychological & Brain Sciences 2
Anthropology 3
Education 2
Social Work 1
Health & Sports Sciences 3
Law 3
Other Social Sciences 3
Biology 4
Geography & Geosciences 4
Math and Engineering 5
Humanities 6
Political Science / Urban & Public Affairs 7

Number of survey participants: 18
Number of Sustainability-Focused or Related courses taught prior to GT participation: 21
Number of Sustainability-Focused or Related courses taught after to GT participation: 36


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

Participants receive an honorarium of $500, a series of workshops and tours with local food meals, and resource materials on sustainability.


The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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