| Overall Rating | Silver - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 49.23 |
| Liaison | Maria Dahmus |
| Submission Date | June 21, 2018 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
University of St. Thomas
AC-7: Incentives for Developing Courses
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
2.00 / 2.00 |
Elise
Amel Faculty Fellow Office of Sustainability Initiatives |
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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):
In 2017, the university institutionalized what was occasional support to become annual offerings:
a) The Office of Sustainability Initiatives offers Environmental Stewardship and Sustainability summer course development grants to integrate sustainability into courses. All part- and full-time faculty across the university are eligible to apply. Proposals are for courses to be taught the next academic year. This program has been in place for 8 years.
Outcomes: Since Spring 2015, 26 grants have been distributed to 23 faculty across 14 disciplines. 15 of the courses have been taught after successfully receiving the SUST designation.
b) A one-day workshop that examines the connections of courses across diverse academic disciplines with sustainability. We begin by asking the questions, "What is sustainability?" and "What unique contributions and perspectives do different disciplines offer to sustainability?" Next, we discuss strategies and examples to enrich students’ learning of the central concepts and skills from each course through sustainability themes. We present opportunities for integrating applied sustainability projects (ranging from a single assignment to a semester-long project) into courses through the Sustainable Communities Partnership. Faculty hear from a panel of their peers about their experiences, learn what resources are available, and meet other faculty interested in sustainability. Drs. Amel and Dahmus hold office hours the following day to work one-on-one with faculty to apply what they learn to their course(s). 15 faculty from 13 different disciplines attended.
Outcomes: 10 courses from 9 disciplines emerged from this workshop and obtained a SUST designation, 7 of which worked with city/governmental partners through our Sustainable Communities Partnership program.
c) The Curricular Innovation in Sustainability Award recognizes faculty for innovation and excellence in integrating sustainability into a single course, both through innovation in sustainability content and demonstrated student learning and engagement with sustainability.
Outcomes: Recent awardees came from Economics, English, and Communication and Journalism
A brief description of the incentives that faculty members who participate in the program(s) receive:
a) Faculty who receive the annual implementation grant receive $1,000 during the summer to reformulate their syllabus.
b) Faculty who attend the annual faculty development workshop receive between $350 - $500 to attend. Faculty are also served breakfast and lunch during the workshop.
c) Curricular Innovation in Sustainability Award recipients receive $1,000.
Optional Fields
Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
Curricular Innovation in Sustainability Award website:
https://www.stthomas.edu/osi/sustainabilityacrossthecurriculum/curricularinnovationaward/
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