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.
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Alternative University Appraisal Project - ESD and HEI'S in Asia Pacific
- Hokkaido University (Hokkaido)
The growth in the number of HEIs coupled with fast growing competition between them has contributed to the boom and popularity of comparisons, rankings and classifications of HEIs.
Higher education …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Student Internships as the Driver for Campus Sustainability
- Indiana University Bloomington (IN)
In its first six months of existence, the Indiana University Task Force on Sustainability established the Internship Program in Sustainability. Utilizing campus as a living laboratory, the program enlists undergraduate …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Building a solar house for interdisciplinary learning of sustainability
- Iowa State University (IA)
In 2009 this Midwestern University participated for the first time in the Solar Decathlon. The resulting 800sft solar powered home was the product of a multiyear effort, which demonstrates the …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Synergy between students, academia and industry: Prospects for curriculum enhancement
- Iowa State University (IA)
In the 2010 Worldwatch Institute Report, David Orr asks the question, ―What kind of education will enable the rising generation to deal with increasingly complex and portentous global issues?(p. 76). …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Encouraging Sustainable Apparel Consumption among Undergraduate Students
- Kansas State University (KS)
The purpose of this two-part study is to examine relationships between knowledge of and attitudes towards sustainability in the apparel and textile (AT) industry and students' apparel purchasing behaviors.
In …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Teaching Skills for Sustainable Development, Countering Assumptions
- Kansas State University (KS)
An eight-week pilot was conducted in an apparel and textiles (AT) course in which three skills considered paramount to education for sustainable development (ESD) (collaboration/cooperation, communication, and conflict resolution) were …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Case Study Approach to Developing Sustainability Curriculum
- Keene State College (NH)
Case Study Approach to Developing Sustainability Curriculum
We have made a commitment to incorporating sustainability throughout our curriculum, providing students with opportunities to engage with sustainability initiatives on campus and …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Sustainability Across the Curriculum Project at Lane Community College
- Lane Community College (OR)
The goal of Sustainability Infusion Project at Lane Community College was to infuse sustainability concepts through all instructional disciplines. 105 instructors participated from more than 15 different disciplines including Adult …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Interweaving Academic Reading Skill Development with Global Warming and Sustainability Education
- Montgomery College (MD)
There are still people who do not know much about, or even deny the existence of, global warming. Education may, therefore, play a role in our efforts to reduce the …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Student Sustainability Internship Program: Creatively Involving Students in Sustainability Efforts
- Oregon Institute of Technology (OR)
Sustainability initiatives on college campuses, whether education campaigns or tracking and reporting for STARS, require significant time commitments that often cannot be met by sustainability personnel. Simultaneously, students are seeking …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Design as a major that integrates art, science & sustainability
- Pacific University (OR)
The development of sustainability as an academic discipline will require the creation of non-traditional majors that integrate knowledge fundamental to this endeavor. We describe collaboration at Pacific University between the …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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A business case for developing transformative sustainable education
- Pennsylvania State University (PA)
Colleges and Universities have obvious financial incentives to invest in sustainability objectives that reduce the costs of campus operation. Similarly, investments in research infrastructure in topics of energy and sustainability …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Portland State University's Sustainability Journey: War Stories and Lessons Learned
- Portland State University (OR)
This paper tells the story of building academic sustainability programs at Portland State University over the last decade, distilling key scientific and organizational principles that have underpinned program development. With …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Sustainability in the Curriculum
- Red Rocks Community College (CO)
Red Rocks Community College has made a commitment to the national challenge of creating and sustaining a green workforce. In conjunction with our partners, the National Science Foundation, Colorado School …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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A Home for Sustainable Engineering: A Living-Learning Cohort
- Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology (IN)
If promoting sustainability across the curriculum presents one set of logistical and conceptual challenges, and reducing a campus's environmental footprint presents another, surely integrating the two constitutes its own complex …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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We to Me: Identifying the Ecological Self in Post-secondary Sustainability Curriculum
- Seneca Polytechnic (ON)
Post-secondary students have become skilled purveyors of the fundamentals of good sustainability. Beginning with their early years in pre-school, they are trained to memorize and recite key concepts of the …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Fostering change agents for sustainability
- Tufts University (MA)
Graduate work on the effectiveness of a social psychology-based, experiential learning course on generating undergraduate civic leaders in sustainability behavior change is described. This presentation outlines the structure of the …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Campus as a Learning, Living Laboratory for Sustainability
- University of Arizona (AZ)
At the 2006 AASHE national conference, University of Arizona (UA) student Emilie Brill-Duisberg received the Student Sustainability Leadership Award for her work on implementing campus water harvesting projects which grew …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Practice, Professional Societies, and the Future of University Sustainability Education
- University of Arizona (AZ)
This presentation discusses a new and novel direction for sustainability education taken by the University of Arizona's recently launched Practice School of Sustainability. Sustainability certificate programs have proliferated in higher …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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The End of Nature: Creating Sustainability Curriculum for Every Major
- University of Cincinnati (OH)
This session will begin with the presentation of the sustainability course developed for the University of Cincinnati as a collaboration between the University and design and consulting firm, emersion DESIGN. …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Creating a Sustainable Future: Mind, Heart, Behavioral Change, Resilience
- University of Colorado Boulder (CO)
We are all, to greater or lesser extents, consumers of food, water, energy, goods, services, and creators of byproducts. The collective impact and global reach of our consumptive habits is …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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The Greening of an Intensive English Program
- University of Colorado Boulder (CO)
Our poster discusses what sustainability is and why we include environmental topics in our English as a Second Language curriculum. We explain our new summer certificate program focusing on sustainable …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Creation of Interdisciplinary Sustainability Undergraduate Curriculum
- University of Colorado Denver - Anschutz Medical Campus (CO)
The University of Colorado Denver initiated a faculty led signature area in sustainability to explore the potential of either a major or minor in sustainability. This PowerPoint presentation will cover …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Sustainable E-Waste Education and Research
- University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (IL)
This presentation provides a review of two recent electronic waste (e-waste) education and research initiatives as part of a Sustainable Electronics Initiative at the University of Illinois Sustainable Technology Center: …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Sustainability Internship Course Best Posters
- University of Minnesota, Twin Cities (MN)
In a Sustainability Internship course offered at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities campus, students designed posters telling the story of their experiences interning at non-profits, local government offices, businesses …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Sustainability Internship: Developing a Sustainable Design Document for the University of Minnesota
- University of Minnesota, Twin Cities (MN)
Sustainability requires collaboration. The University of Minnesota's Sustainability Studies minor internship promotes collaboration between students and professionals to work together to further sustainable efforts. My specific assignment was with the …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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University of Northern Colorado Environmental Studies Club
- University of Northern Colorado (CO)
In the 21st century, awareness and activism regarding environmental topics has become increasingly important. This is especially true on university campuses within the United States and worldwide where faculty and …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Teaching Sustainability: Effects on Teacher Candidates, Urban Students, & Cooperating Teachers
- University of Scranton (PA)
Teaching Sustainability: Effects on Teacher Candidates, Urban Students, & Cooperating Teachers
This research project explored the reciprocal benefits of adding an integrated service-learning component to a required reading/language arts methods …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Thinking Globally, Acting Locally: A Global Sustainability Minor for UVA
- University of Virginia (VA)
The sustainability movement is gaining traction at the University of Virginia. The emergence in recent years of new student groups, courses, faculty interest and events centered on sustainability show us …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Service-Learning in the Classroom
- Ursinus College (PA)
One pedagogical method of integrating sustainability into the classroom is through service-learning. A service-learning partnership was created between an upper-level environmental studies climate change class at Ursinus College (UC) and …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Boundary Crossing, Experiential Learning, and Sustainable Agriculture at Virginia Tech
- Virginia Tech (VA)
A diverse team of faculty, staff, students, and community partners collaborated to conceptualize, develop, and propose undergraduate curriculum for a transdisciplinary and experiential-based Civic Agriculture and Food Systems (CAFS) Minor …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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A Case Study on furthering Campus Sustainability by Smart Scheduling General Purpose Classrooms
- West Virginia University (WV)
Today, higher education across the United States continues to use inefficient processes to schedule classrooms and events. Very little attention is given to optimal space allocation or usage efficiency. However, …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Strategies for "Greening" the General Education Curriculum
- West Virginia University at Parkersburg (WV)
Strategies will be provided with goals, objectives, and activities for "greening" the general education curriculum. This infusion approach results in a paradigm shift in student behaviors related to sustainable energy, …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Redefining the possible: Community engagement, operational congruency and curriculum integration at York University
- York University
York University, one of Canada's largest post-secondary institutions, is set in a rapidly changing region of urban Toronto. York has a deep commitment to social justice and environmental sustainability, enshrined …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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The Sustainable Learning Community: The University of New Hampshire
- University of New Hampshire (NH)
In this presentation, staff from the University of New Hampshire's University Office of Sustainability (UOS) -- the oldest endowed sustainability program in American higher education -- will share from their …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Evaluating Fieldwork for Undergraduate Sustainability Education
- University of Alberta (AB)
Many undergraduate instructors consider fieldwork as central to courses in sustainability and environmental studies. Common goals of fieldwork include the development of general and subject-specific skills, opportunity for experiential and …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Engaging Students in Campus Sustainability Initiatives through Innovative Courses
- Loyola University Chicago (IL)
Universities that strive to make their campuses more sustainable face challenges of curriculum reform and engaging their students in sustainability initiatives. At Loyola University Chicago (LUC), we are meeting both …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Building Sustainability & Community in a Student-Led, Service-Learning Environment
- Truman State University (MO)
Often, there is a perceived divide between a campus and the greater community and an actual divide between university practices and sustainable ones. We seek to break down both barriers …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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A Campus Wide Academic Sustainability Initiative at Dalhousie University
- Dalhousie University (NS)
Global concern for environment and sustainability is growing and new ways of thinking are needed to create solutions to the challenges we face. The Dalhousie University College of Sustainability is …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Operations and Academics Collaboration for Sustainability on Campus
- British Columbia Institute of Technology (BC)
The British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) is Canada's premier polytechnic institution. It operates out of five campuses in western Canada, and it is oriented towards meeting the needs of …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Green, Across the Campus and Across the Curriculum
- Ball State University (IN)
- Eastern Iowa Community College District (IA)
- Grand Valley State University (MI)
- U.S. Green Building Council (DC)
The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) supports the integration of green building and sustainability projects across higher education campuses and curriculum. With students and educators now living and working in …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Everybody Counts! Students as Citizen Scientists: Teaching Sustainability at Seneca College, King Campus, Ontario, Canada
- Seneca Polytechnic (ON)
Today's environmental issues are more complex than ever before. The need to contribute to global solutions has empowered the individual in every home and in every community. Citizen Science celebrates …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Maximizing Student, Staff, and Faculty Synergies: The University of British Columbia SEEDS Program
- University of British Columbia (BC)
This presentation describes an award winning "greening the campus" program. SEEDS is the first academic program in Western Canada that brings together students, faculty, and staff to collaborate on developing …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Teaching Sustainability through an Interdisciplinary Learning Exchange
- Ithaca College (NY)
How do we integrate sustainability into our existing courses? An interdisciplinary learning project which integrates two traditional courses: Lifespan Developmental Psychology and Nutrition Across the Lifespan, will be presented. This …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Using GIS to Promote Sustainability
- University of Oklahoma (OK)
Geographic Information Systems (GIS) have widespread applicability to many facets of the Sustainability world. In fact, GIS has its mid-1960's roots in the sustainability subfield of natural resources management. Basic …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Education for Sustainability and Designing for Significant Learning
- Ithaca College (NY)
Sustainability education and the design of significant learning experiences share fundamental principles of course design. Our presentation describes an integrated faculty workshop that is part of the Finger Lakes Project …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Sustainability and Furman's New Curriculum
- Furman University (SC)
Furman's Director of Sustainability and Environmental Education and its Provost will discuss various curricular initiatives developed by Furman University that make sustainability more integral to our learning environment. Furman's faculty …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Sustainable Societies
- Environic Foundation International, Inc. (MD)
Developing Education for Sustainable Development that includes a balanced examination of social, economic and environmental issues is a challenge. The Environic Foundation International (EFI), in partnership with the United Nations …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Environmental Sustainability Cluster Course: Initiating Multidisciplinary Perspectives, Engaging Community, and Supporting Facilities Management
- University of Missouri, Kansas City (MO)
In the spring of 2008, the first environmental sustainability course offered at the University of Missouri Kansas City was a cluster course. Cluster courses are upper level, interdisciplinary, general education …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Restoring the Wellesley Campus Community: Landscape as Infrastructure and Learning Resource
- Wellesley College (MA)
- Haley & Aldrich, Inc. (MA)
- Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Inc. (MA)
Over the past decade, Wellesley College has executed two major projects that have addressed campus needs while providing substantial environmental benefit and educational opportunities through the living classroom of the …
- 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.