University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
AC-7: Incentives for Developing Courses

In December of 2016, UTRGV became one of thirteen centers nationally to be chosen to participate in the AASHE "The Centers for Sustainability Across the Curriculum" program. From 40 applicants, UTRGV's selection was grounded by its successful Project Sin Fronteras - Project without Borders (PSF) program in operation since 2014. The Office for Sustainability (OFS) has managed this initiative in coordination with the Office of the Provost for Academic Affairs. PSF is a transformational platform that infuses sustainability concepts and practices into the UTRGV curriculum and systems. Since its inception, 55 faculty from eight colleges have provided over 300 sustainability courses (including a Master of Science (MS) in Agricultural, Environmental, and Sustainability Sciences (AESS)) influencing more than 5,100 UTRGV students. Alumni of the PFS workshops report significant changes in pedagogy where student participation is essential to sustainability. Providing students with opportunities to contribute directly to causes, which raises awareness and engages in conversation about sustainability, is key to instilling those SF/SR values in students and demands a commitment on the educators’ behalf to active, problem-solving pedagogies. Newly designed assignments immerse students in investigative and reflective activities with the surrounding natural world and human-constructed environment, often pointing toward innovation and change.

Integrating sustainability’ into a course means adapting both content and pedagogy to create a learning experience that is more interdisciplinary, experiential, and focused on authentic problem-solving. How can instructors juggle all of these demands without abandoning disciplinary expertise when designing a syllabus from scratch? This hands-on, fast-paced workshop allows participants to develop a transdisciplinary framing of sustainability relevant to their discipline, and (re)design an existing or planned syllabus using a guided, hands-on process. Through this process, participants will walk away with a course makeover or a firm blueprint for completing one(depending on the scale of their course redesign), and an instructional design booklet with support tools and frameworks developed by Creative Change Educational Solutions. Networking is an incentive; International faculty, and faculty from across the nation, are invited to join local, state, national, and global participants, providing international experiences while opening a range of collaborative and networking opportunities for all. Participation across all academic disciplines is encouraged. The cost for registration ($500 USD) is waived for UTRGV faculty, and includes two full days of training, instructional materials, activities, and food (continental breakfast, lunch, and afternoon snacks).