1. Reasons to teach sustainability Ways to change your course Learning outcomes (reprise) Nanette Chadwick

2. Why teach sustainability? Importance = ever-increasing (world economics, climate change, social issues, health) Understanding = increasing but low Leadership capacity to address = even lower Human History Interconnectedness among systems

3. 9 reasons to teach sustainability: Justifying changes to upper admin, peers, students -- Peer inst. are doing (GA Tech, U Georgia, Emory, U Florida, etc.) -- enhances PR and recruitment to AU -- student and employer demand (training for green jobs) -- increases program prestige to upper admin, positive feedback -- increases chances for external funding and awards (Gogue and Univ. presidents climate change award – interested!) -- saves $$ over the long run (millions to utilities & disposal by AU) -- engages the local community and alumni -- enhances interdisciplinary connections and opportunities -- increases depth of understanding by students & quality of education

4. 9 (not another list!) ways to engage sustainability in courses: “Not one more thing to do, but a way to do what you already do.” (1)Hidden curriculum: use as examples/subject matter for class exercises (2)New readings: update/alter to reflect new, integrated sustainability issues (3)Change or add assignments – get students outdoors, on-campus field trips, show a film, youtube videos, TED lectures (4)New unit or module within an existing course – new aspect of subject that relates to sustainability (5)New student project – relevant to student’s lives, new/future social issues (ie: ecological footprint, behavior change challenge) Try Earthscore packet (more long term and in depth, order ahead, $5 per packet) [see on web first!]

5. (6) Invite a guest speaker/add a co-instructor – don’t try to be the expert on all things sustainable! Invite faculty/staff from outside your department – resources of the office (7) Develop a whole new course –put together ideas from several faculty for an interdisciplinary course. Ie: water, food, or energy course that examines ecology, sociology, and politics. (8) Change the world view of your course: same course, different strategy and goals -- paradigm shift (9) Engaged learning / community experience: link to a local or campus issue – service learning Beyond your course: Tell students about the Office of Sustainability Inform students about the Minor in Sustainability Studies

6. Campus as a living laboratory Use campus/city operations and systems to give students hands-on, local experience with real-world sustainability issues: Water – campus & arboretum tours, self- or group-guided Food – campus food gardens, food service systems Transportation – solar to electric cars, bicycles, pedestrians, parking & cars Buildings and energy – Building Science LEED tour, solar house Community programs: food bank, day care center, churches, city government How to incorporate (minimal to maximal): -- extra credit assignment/opportunity – do on their own, turn in proof -- required course homework assignment – do on own, graded -- class field trip or group exercise – guided, on class time -- focus for class project or term paper – intensive involvement of instructor Example: Zanzot course and “Landscape interventions” PM Creek, Bike path

7. Systems thinking tools Iceberg model [see handout] (1)Behavior/Actions What trends relate to an event or issue? Behavior over time graphs (BOT) Example: Walkability of Auburn (flipchart) (2) Underlying causes What causal structures explain these trends? What are the long-term effects of these trends? Any feedback loops? Positive or negative? Causal Loop Diagrams (CLD) (3) Mental models What beliefs/assumptions/mental models perpetuate these trends?

8. Learning outcomes exercise (Reprise) Small groups of 4-5 faculty from different disciplines identify (45 mins): (1) 3-5 broad learning outcomes related to sustainability: What do students need to know? What should they be able to do? (2) Mechanisms to measure outcomes: How do we know what students have achieved, what they now know and can do? (3) How to use or disseminate the evidence: How to use these measures to improve and revise course goals? Individual work (10 mins): Identify 1-2 outcomes in the course you are revising, that will help students achieve broader outcomes determined by the group.