Integrated Approaches to Sustainable Development Practice Educause 2008 Wednesday, October 29th The Global Classroom: Integrated Approaches to Sustainable Development Practice
Introductions CCNMTL Earth Institute ccnmtl.columbia.edu Earth Institute Commission for the Education of International Development Practitioners
Origin of Concept International Commission on Education for Sustainable Development Practice Supporting the establishment of a new field of cross-disciplinary sustainable development practice: Natural Sciences Health Sciences Social Sciences Management
Course Objectives Create a real-world example of an introductory, cross-disciplinary course Target development of core competencies and practical skills required of a “generalist” development practitioner Mobilize practitioners, students and faculty from around the world Facilitate real-time interaction
Initial Challenges Choosing the best model Mobilizing partner universities Identifying the best technology
Choosing the best model Core Elements Shared common syllabus Pre-taped lectures Live weekly discussions Shared assignments including local investigations
Mobilizing partner universities Identifying interested universities Targeting broad geographic distribution Determining participation requirements Working with local champions
Participating Institutions
The appropriate technology? Course management system Direct access for students and faculty Repository for pre-taped lectures, reading materials, assignments Peer-to-Peer interaction
Technology for Live Discussion Synchronous Discussion Works with local capacity Low cost