University of Minnesota, Duluth
AC-7: Incentives for Developing Courses

The IonE Educators cohort program aims to incubate and encourage innovative teaching in sustainability and environmental education. IonE recognizes four to six educators per year. As individuals and a cohort, these educators advance best practices in sustainability instruction and curriculum development. IonE Educators are tenure-track faculty and instructional staff, including adjunct faculty when appropriate. During the 15-month fellowship, IonE Educators pursue individual, "focal" projects around effective pedagogy and curriculum development aimed at improving an existing course or developing new courses and educational experiences, as well as a collective project to disseminate those innovations to the broader university and Minnesota community. Projects may address university instruction, education for the general public, or K-12 education. All projects champion the need for diverse perspectives in solving today’s complex sustainability challenges.

In addition to the professional development cohort experience to facilitate course (or content) development, IonE Educators receive support from a dedicated graduate research assistant who helps them in their focal project. They also receive counsel from IonE staff in communications, event planning and technology, and from staff with the University Libraries and the Center for Educational Innovation, in order to achieve their goals in the development and implementation of their focal project. The cohort is supported to meet quarterly throughout their 15-month fellowship term to learn from each other, share resources and refine project ideas, and to participate in a collective project. A dedicated budget allocation supports professional development, local travel, and costs associated with a collective project.