Curriculum
Introduction
One of the primary functions of colleges and universities is to educate students. By training and educating future leaders, scholars, workers, and professionals; higher education institutions are uniquely positioned to understand and address sustainability challenges. Institutions that offer courses covering sustainability issues help equip their students to lead society to a sustainable future.
Featured Resources
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Using the 'Faculty Sustainability Ambassador' Model to Catalyze Sustainability Curriculum Initiatives
- West Chester University of Pennsylvania (PA)
This panel discussion will introduce the 'Faculty Sustainability Ambassador' model as an effective strategy for catalyzing campus-wide sustainability curriculum initiatives. In this case, a small internal grant provided stipends to …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Sustainability Course Inventory as a Foundation for Sustainability and Environmental Program Development using STARS
- Simon Fraser University (BC)
Simon Fraser University, in Vancouver, Canada, recently conducted an inventory of sustainability-related, sustainability-focused and environment courses as part of the requirements of the STARS accreditation process. The results of the …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Infusing the Study of Sustainable Design Methodology and Epistemology into the Liberal Arts Core Curriculum
- Maryville College (TN)
Abstract: Arguably one of the most challenging places to infuse sustainable design methodology and epistemology, yet one of the most logical, is among the 225 liberal arts colleges and universities …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Pushing Sustainable Development to the Outer Limits
- College of Menominee Nation (WI)
Sustainable development is predominantly thought of in terms of alternative energy, recycling, food security, biodiversity, waste reduction and green building products. For the past 7 years I have taught an …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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The NSSE Sustainability Education Consortium: A First Year Report
- Green Mountain College (VT)
In fall 2010, eight institutions formed a consortium to assess student engagement in sustainability education across the curriculum. The consortium adds 20 sustainability questions to the National Survey of Student …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Infusing Sustainability Through the General Education Curriculum
- Ramapo College of New Jersey (NJ)
As pressures on global and local systems mount, and as population and consumption increase world-wide, the imperative for sustainability education gains increasing urgency. More than educating those interested in, or …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Academic Infusion of Sustainability: Leading Faculty and Curriculum Developers Share Best Practices
- Ball State University (IN)
- Alliance to Save Energy (CA)
Training emerging professionals about sustainability concepts needs to happen both in and out of the classroom in order to meet ambitious national workforce education and training goals. The process of …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Zero energy home constructed by students built to NAHB green standards
- Alfred State College (NY)
The college has been constructing homes with a student workforce as part of the curriculum since 1966 and selling them to the public. House number 51 is built to the …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Enhancements of Marina Piccola, the ferry boat terminal for Sorrento, Italy
- Alfred State College (NY)
Architecture, business and interior design students, studying abroad in Sorrento, Italy, are working collectively to create proposals for upgrades, physical improvements and expansion of the current port facility which will …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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A Remote Controlled 2-Axis Photovoltaic Mount with Metering
- Alfred State College (NY)
Senior students designed a remote controlled azimuth and altitude adjusting PV mount. The project allows students in an alternative energy course to change the PV module's slope and azimuth and …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Building Pathways to Green Careers: Transforming Campus Service Learning into Green Workforce Training
- Alliance to Save Energy (CA)
The demand for a highly skilled workforce in the energy sector and green industries is rapidly growing as the nation moves towards a greener economy. Students involved in our multi-campus …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Broadening the Boundaries of Campus: How Far Should Sustainability Go?
- Alma College (MI)
Alma College, like many small, liberal arts institutions, is tucked away among the rural small towns that surround it. These campuses serve as cultural centers for the community, but what …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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AASHE Curriculum Convocation
- Antioch University, New England (NH)
Advancing sustainability education through the development of dynamic and academically rich curriculum is a strong priority of AASHE. What is needed is curriculum that prepares learners for living in a …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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A Five Year Retrospective of Teaching Sustainable Building Design and Construction
- Appalachian State University (NC)
This presentation will focus on the curriculum development and implementation of an undergraduate and graduate level course titled Sustainable Building Design and Construction. The focus of this course is on …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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The Ten-Year Vision: A Global Network of Centers for Regenerative Studies
- Ball State University (IN)
As noted in the writings of David Orr, our built environments teach. A proposed global network of Centers of Regenerative Studies would do just that - in real time and …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Best Practices in Global Sustainability: A Course Offering
- Bryant University (RI)
As a result of this slow economy, university resources are limited and most schools experienced several budget cuts. Therefore, the authors decided to streamline efforts in satisfying the three pillars …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Charting Pathway into a Sustainable Future: Reforming General Education
- California State University, Chico (CA)
The next generation will confront an increased number of global issues that interface the complexities of socioeconomic perspectives, environmental stability, poverty and development. Recently we undertook a general education reform, …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Extending our Reach: Taking Sustainability into the Community
- California State University, Northridge (CA)
The sustainability charge at this state university is led by the Institute for Sustainability whose mission is to promote, facilitate, and develop educational, research, and University and community programs related …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Learning from the Students: Aligning Sustainable Campus Design and Curriculum Development
- California State University, Northridge (CA)
As a broad concern, sustainable campus design refers to universities' (1) curriculum and research programs tailored to address sustainability; (2) sensitive use of energy and water, innovative waste management, efficiency …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Faculty Development for Sustainability Across the Curriculum
- Calvin University (MI)
The five panelists, faculty at a MidWest comprehensive liberal arts college, were participants in a cross-disciplinary workshop enacting the idea of sustainability across the curriculum. The workshop, which grew out …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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The Prairie Project: Place-Based Faculty Development for Global Sustainability Education
- Central College (IA)
Today there is an urgent need to provide global sustainability education to all college students through a curriculum that is integrative, transdisciplinary, and addresses all three dimensions of sustainability: ecological …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Rethinking Education: Building for a Sustainable Future
- Chatham University (PA)
This session will tell the story of the creation of a new "ground up" School of Sustainability and the Environment (SSE) that will integrate the principles of sustainability and across …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Sustainability as a design challenge: Learning by doing at the Columbus College of Art & Design
- Columbus College of Art & Design (OH)
Sustainability programs are rapidly growing in America's colleges of art and design. Because artists and designers are the people who choose the materials used to make almost everything, sustainability must …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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A Pedagogical Model for Successful Integration of Sustainability Across the Undergraduate Curriculum
- Creative Change Educational Solutions (MI)
Think sustainability in the curriculum, and you may think "science"--arguably the "obvious" disciplinary home. But the interdisciplinary nature of sustainability in higher education offers faculty from across the curriculum rich …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Ecological Economics 101: Integrating Core Principles into Science and Social Science Courses
- Creative Change Educational Solutions (MI)
For sustainability to take hold across the curriculum, educators must gain the skills to integrate ecological economics concepts into science and humanities courses. Yet the disciplinary boundaries of secondary and …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Sustainability as a Study Abroad Experience in Europe
- Danish Institute for Study Abroad (Hovestaden)
DIS - Danish Institute for Study Abroad has created a unique opportunity for American undergraduate students through their sustainable development program in Copenhagen. This is one of the first semester …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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The Laboratory of Democracy: Sustainability Research, Education and Action at the State Level
- DePauw University (IN)
College students often feel they can do very little to effect political change beyond their local communities and campuses. Traditional political internships sometimes provide glimpses into the inner-workings of politics …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Experiencing Sustainability: Thinking Deeper About Experiential Education in Higher Education
- Earlham College (IN)
Jack Turner once wrote "we treat the natural world according to our experience of it."" How are our students "experiencing sustainability" in U.S. colleges and universities? With the rise in …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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City Studio Vancouver: The City is the Classroom
- Emily Carr University of Art & Design (BC)
Vancouver, BC is often ranked as one of the world's most livable cities because, as ecological footprint inventor and Vancouver Professor Bill Rees has noted, "25 or 30 years ago …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Eat Local, Live Local, Teach Local: Curriculum for Sustainability
- Frostburg State University (MD)
Developing curriculum for sustainability presents a new challenge for modern instructors: getting students to think more locally in order to appreciate the global consequences of their actions. For many faculty …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Growing community: healthcare sustainability in higher education
- Georgetown University (DC)
Higher education is evolving to include healthcare sustainability training. At its core, sustainability is a natural component of healthcare. Sustainability supports the basic healthcare mission to provide safe, quality, compassionate …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Building Automation Systems - A New Program for Sustainability and Technical Education
- Georgia Piedmont Technical College (GA)
A two-year vocational college located just outside of Atlanta, GA is developing innovative academic programs to serve energy efficiency technology industries. In particular, the Building Automation Systems (BAS) program has …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Inter-Institutional and Interdisciplinary Collaborations for Developing Sustainability Curriculum- a Unique Role for a Technical College.
- Georgia State University (GA)
The metro region of Atlanta, GA is home to a wide range of institutions of higher education. Inter-institutional collaborations can an important mechanism towards enhancing sustainability literacy. A 2-year vocational …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Illinois Green Economy Network- Greening Your Curriculum Faculty Development Program
- Green Economy (MA)
This panel presentation will address the role of higher education in sustainability and green economy education. In 2010, in partnership with 14 Illinois community colleges, the Illinois Green Economy Network …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Creating, Implementing and Sustaining a Themed Semester in Sustainability
- Indiana University Bloomington (IN)
"Themester" is an initiative to engage the collective knowledge and creativity of the faculty and to involve undergraduate students in the exploration of ideas across the disciplines. The Themester topic …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Pathways to Transforming Society: I vs. We
- Kansas State University (KS)
Making the change to a sustainable society requires perspective transformation at many levels: personal, social, cultural, organizational, institutional and governmental. Transformative learning (the theory of how perspective transformation occurs) was …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Mission-Driven Sustainability Studies for the Small College
- La Roche College (PA)
La Roche College, a small, private, Catholic institution in the north hills of Pittsburgh, has recently undertaken steps to enhance the sustainability of its physical operations: the newly created "La …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Problem-based, innovative teaching strategies for preparing high performance building technicians for sustainable jobs
- Laney College (CA)
HVAC technicians and building operators present high-wage, high-demand occupations that are traditionally overlooked in the sustainability education context. Yet, building technicians play an increasingly important role in the sustainable operations …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Campuses as Learning Laboratories: A Framework to Achieve Institutional Sustainability Goals Through Service Learning
- Lansing Community College (MI)
Academic institutions can achieve institutional sustainability goals through service learning projects among their faculty and students. Institutions gain several advantages through this approach, including expedited implementation strategies for achieving sustainability …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Integrating Dorm Energy Meters Across the Curriculum
- Lasell College (MA)
Dorm energy meters provide a wealth of data that can be integrated across the curriculum to promote connected learning. While the benefits of dorm energy meters for plant operations and …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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10 Strategies for Sustainability Focused Faculty Development
- Luther College (IA)
Even on campuses with great sustainability initiatives, curriculum is often the missing piece or the one area that lags behind operations and student life. Working with faculty on curriculum changes …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Participating in a Learning Community for Solutions to Climate Change
- Global Council Science and the Environment (DC)
Participating in a Learning Community for Solutions to Climate Change
CAMEL
Climate, Adaptation, Mitigation, E-Learning
Goals:
CAMEL is a FREE, COMPREHENSIVE, INTERDISCIPLINARY, ONLINE RESOURCE for educators to enable them to …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Campus, Curriculum and Community - An international perspective: How students are delivering sustainability in UK higher education
- National Union of Students
The National Union of Students (NUS) runs a successful programme of environmental initiatives that are proactively tackling sustainability issues at university campuses throughout the UK.
Inspired by our member students' …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Connecting Campus Sustainability to the Green Economy and Education
- National Wildlife Federation (VA)
Investments in campus sustainability can lead to benefits beyond reduced energy bills, many of which enhance student learning and green economic growth. Speakers will provide an overview and several examples …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Going Underground on Campus
- National Wildlife Federation (VA)
This panel session will highlight lessons learned and steps used when campuses put to use a range of types of geothermal heating and cooling strategies. Success stories to be shared …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Sustainability Literacy Competencies: Creating Bridges between Classroom Learning and Sustainability Management
- New York University (NY)
My paper draws on my experiences as a member of the faculty and Associate Director of Curriculum to promote sustainability in a large, decentralized university in an urban area. As …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Sustaining Student Energy: The transition to tomorrow's student leaders
- Northern Arizona University (AZ)
Most have seen the motivated student(s) come through and accomplish more than may have been thought possible. The energy they bring is enormous but it seems as though they may …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Educating for Sustainability: Liberal Arts, Social Justice, and Environment
- Northland College (WI)
Within sustainability education it is important to create the conditions for a transformative experience for students. In order to offer a holistic education for sustainability in the truest sense, we …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Cultivating Sustainability: Pedagogy for Engagement, Action and Transformation
- EcoChallenge.org (OR)
Based upon behavior change research, sustainability pedagogy theory and in-the-field studies, the Northwest Earth Institute (NWEI) discussion course model is a unique pedagogical tool for teaching basic sustainability themes and …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Getting 'em right out of the chute: Incorporating sustainability into the first-year seminar
- Pennsylvania State University (PA)
Many colleges and universities require some kind of first-year seminar of all incoming students. Some mandate that a particular syllabus be followed in all such courses, while others may offer …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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This tab provides access to data collected through AASHE’s Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System™ (STARS). STARS is a transparent, self-reporting framework for colleges and universities to measure their sustainability performance. STARS enables meaningful comparisons over time and across institutions using a common set of measurements developed with broad participation from the campus sustainability community.
All responses reference content from reports under the latest version of STARS, version 2.2. AASHE membership and log-in is required.
AC 1: Academic Courses
- Percentage of courses that are sustainability course offerings
- Percentage of academic departments with sustainability course offerings
- Inventory of sustainability course offerings (upload)
- Website URL - Sustainability course offerings
AC 2: Learning Outcomes
- Description of institution level sustainability learning outcomes
- List of degree programs that require an understanding of the concept of sustainability
- Percentage of students who graduate from programs that require an understanding of sustainability
- Website URL - Sustainability learning outcomes
AC 3: Undergraduate Program
- First sustainability-focused undergraduate degree program
- Second sustainability-focused undergraduate degree program
- Third sustainability-focused undergraduate degree program
- First sustainability-focused undergraduate minor or concentration
- Second sustainability-focused undergraduate minor or concentration
- Third sustainability-focused undergraduate minor or concentration
AC 4: Graduate Program
- First sustainability-focused graduate-level degree program
- Second sustainability-focused graduate-level degree program
- Third sustainability-focused graduate-level degree program
- First sustainability-focused graduate-level minor or concentration
- Second sustainability-focused graduate-level minor or concentration
- Third sustainability-focused graduate-level minor or concentration
AC 5: Immersive Experience
- Description of the sustainability-focused immersive program(s)
- Second sustainability-focused graduate-level degree program
- Third sustainability-focused graduate-level degree program
AC 6: Sustainability Literacy Assessment
- Copy of the sustainability literacy assessment (upload)
- Copy of the sustainability literacy assessment (description)
- Website URL - Assessment of sustainability literacy
AC 7: Incentives for Developing Courses
- Description of the course development incentives
- Website URL - Incentives for developing sustainability courses
AC 8: Campus as a Living Laboratory
Additional analysis on scores and quantitative fields can be conducted using the STARS Benchmarking Tool.