University of Maryland, College Park
IN-4: Innovation 4

To develop a new generation of energy-savvy leaders, University of Maryland (UMD) experts have developed a new curriculum that federal officials and education leaders hope will be used at colleges around the country. A unique, interdisciplinary curriculum called “Energy 101,” comprised of group projects and educational modules, is the result of the collaborative effort of UMD, the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities, the U.S. Department of Energy, and the Environment and Energy Study Institute. The new curriculum is designed to challenge college students across the country to systematically explore the science and social science issues behind sound energy decision-making and teach them to apply those skills to workplace and personal decisions. “Energy 101” is an adaptable program that can meet the specific needs of diverse higher education institutions and their student populations. The UMD pilot course— Designing a Sustainable World—is intended to provide a general education experience where the students create a meaningful design to address a critical issue in energy and/or sustainability. The course encourages students to think out of the box and apply basic design tools to map out and explore solutions. The students submit their design projects to an e-portfolio that will enable them to continue to build upon their designs well beyond the course. Developing a Sustainable World is offered in the Spring 2013 semester at UMD, and when the national curriculum is unveiled in April 2013, the course will be highlighted as a case study on how other universities may align their Energy 101 version to a curricular framework based on standards.