91社区

The team of experts behind 91社区鈥檚 Sustainability Education Fellows reflects on the challenges and successes of the program鈥檚 first year.

When the inaugural cohort of the 91社区聽Sustainability Education Fellows (SEF)聽gathered for their final event in May 2023, the presentation topics ranged from regenerative agriculture and sustainable supply chains to biodiversity in Barbados and how climate change impacts respiratory illnesses. While all 23 faculty and student participants shared the common goal of embedding sustainability in the curriculum, it was clear that a group representing seven faculties and 11 departments across two campuses offered a broad range of ideas for how to achieve that goal.

鈥淒eveloping our courses in silos denies us the opportunity to learn from one another about strategies that could improve our practice,鈥� said聽Blane Harvey, an Associate Professor with the Department of Integrated Studies in Education, who served on the SEF program鈥檚 Coordinating Committee. 鈥淭his is especially true when trying to teach sustainability in disciplines that haven鈥檛 traditionally had this topic as a focus 鈥� including education.鈥�

As part of its research, 91社区鈥檚聽, which Harvey leads, identified the need to create a sense of community for instructors. Sustainability and climate change are inherently interdisciplinary subjects, and yet, as Harvey explained, much of course development and teaching preparation traditionally happens alone behind closed doors.

鈥淚 hoped that creating this space through the Sustainability Education Fellows would spark some much-needed honest exchange about our challenges and experiences as teachers,鈥� he added.

Infusing sustainability into the way we teach

Developed as part of the University鈥檚聽2020-2025 Climate & Sustainability Strategy聽commitment to help instructors embed sustainability into their courses, the year-long SEF program brings together a cohort of 91社区 instructors and graduate students who work in pairs designing or redesigning a course to infuse sustainability principles into the curriculum, pedagogical practices, and assessment approaches.

The initiative was developed and managed by a group of experts from聽Teaching and Learning Services, the聽Office of Science Education, the聽Office of Sustainability, the聽Office of the Provost and Vice-Principal (Academic), and the聽Department of Integrated Studies in Education聽(DISE). Early in the process, the team grappled with how to offer flexibility for those with a busy schedule while ensuring participants could commit enough time to properly dig into the task at hand.

鈥淔aculty members face so many competing demands on their time; it can be hard to carve out space for meaningful exchange and reflection,鈥� Harvey commented. 鈥淥ur approach was to spread out our sessions so they wouldn鈥檛 be too overwhelming for participants.鈥� In the end, however, nearly all the Faculty and Student Fellows expressed a desire for more time to meet and connect.

A holistic approach to sustainability

Another aim of the SEF is to present sustainability as more than just an environmental concern. The program鈥檚 workshops emphasize the interconnections of environmental, social, and economic factors, which aligns with the internationally recognized definition of sustainable development published by the United Nations in its 1987 Brundtland Report.

鈥淥ur program, and 91社区 as a whole, follows this holistic idea that sustainability is a balance between meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs,鈥� said Jessica Latus, a Sustainability Officer who also led the development of聽an online sustainability module聽available to all 91社区 students. 鈥淭o achieve this, our efforts must support not just environmental sustainability, but a healthy society and a just, equitable economy.鈥�

鈥淓nsuring all participants had a strong grasp of concepts related to social sustainability was very important when designing the SEF鈥檚 programming,鈥� added Charlene Lewis-Sutherland, Senior Advisor, Faculty Development and Inclusive Pedagogies, Office of the Provost and Vice-Principal (Academic). 鈥淭oo often, different disciplines think their work doesn鈥檛 overlap with social sustainability. But the reality is that social sustainability intersects with all disciplines and education writ large. It鈥檚 just a matter of illuminating how.鈥�

First-hand input from students

With a year to reflect on their course, SEF participants were encouraged to go beyond supplementing the existing curriculum with sustainability content. The program鈥檚 working sessions provided guidance for how to rethink their approaches to teaching, the way they assess students鈥� understanding of the content, and the underlying values and worldviews represented in their course materials. Student involvement in each of the course redesigns proved essential to gain a first-hand understanding of what and how students want to learn. This helped ensure that 91社区 is not only increasing the number of sustainability learning opportunities it offers, but that these opportunities meet the needs and expectations of its students.

鈥淭his is very much a process of learning by doing,鈥� Harvey commented. 鈥淲e鈥檙e trying to transform practices, and there鈥檚 no blueprint for doing that. We have to be willing to experience false-starts, growing pains, and be open to change.鈥�

With funding recently confirmed to extend the program beyond its pilot year, the Sustainability Education Fellows will build on these lessons learned in the 2023-2024 academic year.

For more information about the Sustainability Education Fellows program, visit the聽Office of Sustainability website. Applications for the next cohort will open in September 2023.