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
Latest News from AASHE Bulletin
New Resources
A Food-Themed Cross-Disciplinary Faculty-Staff Learning Community Enriches Place-Based Experiential Learning Curricula
- Butler University (IN)
- Indiana University Indianapolis (IN)
- Indiana University
This document contains instructional resources to facilitate an 8-month Faculty-Staff Learning Community (FSLC) focused on learning and discussion to support the creation of campus farm-situated place-based experiential learning (PBEL) lessons …
- Posted April 25, 2022
- Course Materials
- View more
Top action tips for graduate students and researchers to act on SDGs
- George Mason University (VA)
- Illinois State University (IL)
Graduate students are preparing to enter an academic and career climate that is 21 percent of the way through a new century, part of a generation burdened with two tasks: …
- Posted April 21, 2022
- Outreach Materials
- View more
Climate Fiction Panel: Fire & Water Anthology of Short Stories
- University of Hawaii Community Colleges (HI)
- AASHE (MA)
As Seas Rise, Can Literature Be Our Life Raft? Virtual Reading and Conversation -- RECORDING Moderator: Dr. Krista Hiser, Panelists: Mary Fifield, Claudia Monpere McIsac, & Kristin Thiel
With climate-triggered …
- Posted April 18, 2022
- Videos & Webinars
- View more
“Scaling Up” Sustainability Curricular Integration: How can we build upon “ground up” faculty development models to achieve Sustainability-Across-the-Curriculum that reaches EVERY student?
- Georgia Institute of Technology (GA)
- AASHE (MA)
A growing number of colleges and universities have created professional development initiatives for instructors that help them incorporate sustainability principles and competencies into existing courses. Some of these institutions have …
- Posted April 13, 2022
- Videos & Webinars
- View more
Teaching Sustainability: The role of educators in building skills and knowledge for a sustainable future
- Shift Insight
At COP26 in 2021, ambitious targets were set by world governments to tackle the Climate Emergency. However, many are sceptical that these will be met, particularly in the face of …
- Posted April 5, 2022
- Publications
- View more
Concept development and transformative agency in the forging of a Campus Sustainability Statement:Insights from a Change Laboratory research-intervention.
- Lancaster University
With HEIs increasingly expected to provide leadership and guidance on the global challenges of climate change and sustainability, a body of literature has emerged concerned with embedding and implementing sustainability …
- Posted March 10, 2022
- Publications
- View more
The Role of Universities Towards a Sustainable Future: Integrating the Sustainable Development Goals
- York University
We live in an era of unprecedented planetary and social challenges, including: the climate crisis, globalization of economic markets, social injustice, inequalities, poverty, food insecurity, biodiversity loss, migration, technological automation, …
- Posted March 10, 2022
- Publications
- View more
Sustainability on a small campus: A case study of Grenfell Campus, Memorial University of Newfoundland
- Memorial University of Newfoundland (NL)
Education has been identified as a key component in sustainable development and sustainability transitions, as exemplified by the UN’s Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (2004-2015), thus, it is important …
- Posted March 10, 2022
- Publications
- View more
A matter of connection: Competence development in teacher education for sustainable development
- Leuphana University of Lüneburg
In response to the globally increasing environmental, social, and economic crises, we as humanity must leave the path of business as usual and learn new ways to know, think, and …
- Posted March 10, 2022
- Publications
- View more
Investigating Sustainability Literacy at SIU Carbondale using the Assessment of Sustainability Knowledge (ASK) Scale
- Southern Illinois University Carbondale (IL)
This research investigates how the ASK (Assessment of Sustainability Knowledge) Scale, developed by Zwickle and Jones (2018), can be used to assess the current state of sustainability knowledge at Southern …
- Posted March 10, 2022
- Publications
- View more
How to embed sustainability in the core of higher education institutions: drivers of, barriers to, and patterns behind the implementation processes of sustainability curricula
- Leuphana University of Lüneburg
This dissertation, entitled “How to Embed Sustainability in the Core of Higher Education Institutions: Drivers of, Barriers to, & Patterns behind the Implementation Processes of Sustainability Curricula – Insights from …
- Posted March 10, 2022
- Publications
- View more
Environmental Engineering Program (Online, MS)
- California State University, Fullerton (CA)
The MS in Environmental Engineering program provides students with practical information and technical knowledge on contemporary environmental topics and issues including:
- Potable water treatment
- Wastewater treatment and disposal
- Water reclamation …
- Posted Feb. 24, 2022
- Academic Programs
- View more
Summer REU in Urban Ecology and the Environment
- City University of New York, Baruch College (NY)
- The City University of New York (NY)
- City University of New York, Brooklyn College (NY)
The Brooklyn Urban Ecology and Environment Program (BUEE) is a NSF-sponsored Research Experiences for Undergraduates hosted at Brooklyn College of the City University of New York. BUEE supports the training …
- Posted Feb. 7, 2022
- Academic Programs
- View more
Advancing the UN Sustainable Development Goals Through Education Abroad
- University of New Haven (CT)
- The Forum on Education Abroad (RI)
Interested in making your education abroad programs and practices more sustainable, but unsure of where to start? The Forum on Education Abroad recently released new guidelines for Advancing the UN …
- Posted Jan. 21, 2022
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Sustainable Study Abroad: A New Self-Reporting Framework and Certification
- Earth Deeds (MA)
- Bound International (TX)
Prior to the global pandemic, there was record participation in study abroad programming throughout the world while particular challenges continued to exist. One of those challenges was the reconciliation between …
- Posted Jan. 21, 2022
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Collaborations for Campus Composting
- Georgia State University (GA)
Students these days want their academic experiences to not only contribute to career development but to benefit the environment and society as well. Food waste is a significant problem that …
- Posted Jan. 21, 2022
- Conference Presentations
- View more
When Green Funds Collaborate with Community-Based Learning Courses: Lessons from the Field
- University of Wisconsin-Madison (WI)
Community-based learning (CBL) courses engage students in an applied learning process in direct service of a campus community. Green funds offer money for student-initiated projects that improve the sustainability of …
- Posted Jan. 21, 2022
- Conference Presentations
- View more
AIM2Flourish: Using Business for Good Education to Inspire the Future of Business
- Case Western Reserve University (OH)
"If you want to change how business operates you have to change the way it is taught." - David Cooperrider, PhD AIM2Flourish is a program of the Fowler Center for …
- Posted Jan. 21, 2022
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Climate Communication: Practical Applications for Educators, Students, and Service Learning Programs
- Eckerd College (FL)
- Student Public Interest Research Group (IL)
Join Dr. Joanna Huxster, Assistant Professor in Environmental Studies at Eckerd College, and Dan Xie, Political Director for the Student Public Interest Research Groups (PIRGs) for a session on the …
- Posted Jan. 21, 2022
- Conference Presentations
- View more
What Are We Even Doing Here? Empowering Students in the Face of Overlapping Crises
- University of Oregon (OR)
Teaching and mentoring Gen-Z students can often feel full of cognitive dissonance as we talk about career possibilities or the value of upcycling a t-shirt into a tote bag even …
- Posted Jan. 21, 2022
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Advising for Sustainability
- West Chester University of Pennsylvania (PA)
All campus spaces and interactions are pedagogical, and since NACADA, the main professional organization devoted to academic advising, maintains that advising is teaching, we can use advising as a powerful …
- Posted Jan. 21, 2022
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Creating Alumni Connections Through a Sustainability Course
- Connecticut College (CT)
Once per year, the Office of Sustainability offers a 2-credit course called SUS 293: Applied Sustainability. The course is designed for interns in the Office and other students interested in …
- Posted Jan. 21, 2022
- Conference Presentations
- View more
College Campuses as the "Great Equalizer" - Or Are They: A Critical Perspective to Sustainability
- Winthrop University (SC)
College campuses have often been touted as the great equalizer, a place where those who are marginalized, either racially or economically, have as much ability to succeed as their non-marginalized …
- Posted Jan. 21, 2022
- Conference Presentations
- View more
STARS Assessment as a Curricular Opportunity
- Furman University (SC)
The Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Rating System (STARS) is a transparent, self-reporting framework used to measure a university’s overall sustainability performance. In most cases the STARS assessment is conducted by …
- Posted Jan. 21, 2022
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Virtually Vital-Going Green, Globally
- Dallas College (TX)
The members of the Cedar Valley Student Green Club used creativity to utilize a virtual platform to pioneer a variety of firsts for our campus at a time when many …
- Posted Jan. 21, 2022
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Current Issues in Online Sustainability Education
- Indiana University South Bend (IN)
The future is online. Over the last five years, there has been an increased demand for hybrid and online courses. Online learning can offer multiple ways of learning and supporting …
- Posted Jan. 21, 2022
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Project-based Education Approaches to Help Communities Meet Global Sustainability Challenges
- Worcester Polytechnic Institute (MA)
The needs and challenges in assuring a sustainable society are now greater than ever. The challenges range from water pollution and lack of potable drinking water, to solid waste management …
- Posted Jan. 21, 2022
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Converting Sustainability Case Studies From Problem-Solving to Problem-Posing
- University of Central Oklahoma (OK)
Given that sustainability demands paradigmatic change in the current climate (Springett, 2005; Sterling, 2011; Hermes, J. and Rimanoczy, 2018), a transformative learning approach to sustainability education is essential to foster …
- Posted Jan. 21, 2022
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Filling the Education Gap for Agenda 2030: SDG Academy Educational Tools and Partners
- United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network (NY)
This discussion will cover filling the gap in higher education systems for Agenda 2030. The mission of the SDG Academy is to create and curate the best educational content on …
- Posted Jan. 21, 2022
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Learning How to Move Corporations on Climate and Racial Justice
- Ceres (MA)
- Intentional Endowments Network (MA)
- As You Sow (CA)
SEC Commissioner Allison Lee recently shared with the corporate community that "A study from 2018 .. showed that 71 of the top 100 revenue generators globally were corporations while only …
- Posted Jan. 21, 2022
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Building a Climate Movement Within a Field
- Temple University (PA)
This session will report on the founding and growth of Philosophers for Sustainability, an international organization of philosophers working to promote sustainability within and outside philosophy. Our projects include a …
- Posted Jan. 21, 2022
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Immersion & Collaboration: Engaging Students, Staff, and Faculty in Sustainability Reporting
- Ball State University (IN)
For more than a decade, student teams from Ball State University have applied the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) principles and standards to document the operational management approach and annual sustainability …
- Posted Jan. 21, 2022
- Conference Presentations
- View more
The Sustainability Mindset Indicator
- oikos International
- FOM University of Applied Sciences for Economics and Management
It has become clear that change is urgent in order to halt the many impacts humans have on our planet. Research has shown that if we want to promote engagement …
- Posted Jan. 21, 2022
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Approaches to Teaching Sustainability-Key Competencies
- Colorado Mountain College (CO)
- University of Dayton (OH)
- University of Hawaii System Office (HI)
- Sustainability Curriculum Consortium (MD)
As courses and programs in sustainability continue to expand in higher education, instructors are called on to develop and adapt new and innovative approaches to teaching that enable students to …
- Posted Jan. 21, 2022
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Engaging with Community Partners to Advance Sustainability Learning -- A New Affinity Group
- Georgia Institute of Technology (GA)
Integrating Service-Learning/Community Engagement (SLCE) into Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) offers opportunities to enhance student learning outcomes and competencies across diverse disciplines. Research has demonstrated that service-learning can deepen knowledge …
- Posted Jan. 21, 2022
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Sustainable Living and Collaborative Learning on Pitt's Campus
- University of Pittsburgh (PA)
In the Fall of 2022, the University of Pittsburgh will launch it's first Sustainability Living Learning Community for both upperclassmen and freshmen. Living Learning Communities (LLCs) are specialized living environments …
- Posted Jan. 21, 2022
- Conference Presentations
- View more
University-Community Collaboration for Climate Justice Across Disciplines
- University of St. Thomas (MN)
Communities locally and globally are re-imagining systems to restore interconnected human and environmental well-being. University-community collaborative partnerships can be a crucial part of this effort. This presentation explores how university-community …
- Posted Jan. 21, 2022
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Enhancing Sustainability Education through Biomimicry
- Arizona State University (AZ)
Biomimicry is growing as a field in engineering to sustainability, defined as nature-inspired design, and positioned as an interdisciplinary field aiming to create more sustainable futures. However, few biomimicry-specific university …
- Posted Jan. 21, 2022
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Leadership & Sustainability in Action: A Practitioner's Case for Integrated Teaching
- Florida State University (FL)
- Harvard University (MA)
At colleges and universities all over the United States, instructors of leadership courses argue that they teach students about equitable, healthy leadership and prepare the next generation of leaders to …
- Posted Jan. 21, 2022
- Conference Presentations
- View more
The Future Is Interdisciplinary: A Campus Farm Model
- Grand Valley State University (MI)
This presentation will focus on the GVSU Sustainable Agriculture Project, an interdisciplinary, four-acre, student operated farm. The mission of the SAP is to seed sustainable agriculture best practices, cultivate leadership …
- Posted Jan. 21, 2022
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Identifying Assessment Practices That Support Sustainability Competencies
- MacEwan University (AB)
Have you ever wondered if your grading and assessment practices are supporting or hindering the development of sustainability competencies? When most of us think about how to improve our courses …
- Posted Jan. 21, 2022
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Regeneration & Reclamation in Environmental Justice Projects by Contemporary Artists and Educators
- Colorado State University, Pueblo (CO)
- George Washington University (DC)
- Parsons (IL)
- ViVA Virtual Visiting Artists (OH)
For many years, internationally renowned award-winning contemporary artists around the country have been leaders of community-based social practice projects that feature creative approaches to urban renewal and communal agriculture, native …
- Posted Jan. 21, 2022
- Conference Presentations
- View more
How Earth Month Strengthens Student Engagement & Campus-Community Ties
- San Jose State University (CA)
In this session, our inter-departmental campus team will share SJSU's unique Earth Day history and tell the story of how we organized a unique Earth Month series of workshops and …
- Posted Jan. 21, 2022
- Conference Presentations
- View more
The Future of Transnational Education: Principles and Practices to Address the UN SDGs
- De Montfort University
Transnational Education (TNE) is a significant area of activity for higher education (HE) institutions in the West, involving universities establishing overseas partnerships or campuses to enable international students to study …
- Posted Jan. 21, 2022
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Keynote Presentation with Dr. Tracey Osborne, Dr. Stephen Sterling and Dr. Madhavi Venkatesan
- Northeastern University (MA)
- Western Washington University (WA)
- University of California, Merced (CA)
- University of Plymouth (Devon)
This keynote presentation will reflect on the shifts in educational policy and practice necessary to create a sustainable future.
- Posted Jan. 21, 2022
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Earth Law and the Rights of Nature: A New Generation of Laws Built for Nature
- City University of New York, John Jay College of Criminal Justice (NY)
- Environmental Education Fund (NJ)
Forget doom and gloom. Let's educate students about the Rights of Nature, an inspiring, evolving legal development which is gaining traction in the US and around the world, and which …
- Posted Jan. 21, 2022
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Integrating Sustainability Literacy Competencies Into Teacher Preparation Programs
- University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point (WI)
Education for sustainability is critical in preparing future generations with the knowledge, skills, and dispositions necessary to address the sustainability problems that challenge the health and stability of our world. …
- Posted Jan. 21, 2022
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Climate Resilience through Community Resilience: Lessons from Appalachian Kentucky
- University of Kentucky (KY)
Flooding in Appalachian Kentucky during the spring of 2021 laid bare the now established threat of climate change to a region often left out of conversations about climate resilience. While …
- Posted Jan. 21, 2022
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Rethinking Pandemic Plastic: Engaging Industrial Design Students in End Use
- Iowa State University (IA)
Over the past year, Plexiglass barriers have populated our campuses and communities. Through barriers strategically placed, in attempts to effectively adhere to safety guidelines from the Center for Disease Control, …
- Posted Jan. 21, 2022
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Applied Organizational Sustainability: An Interdisciplinary STEM-Based Sustainability Course
- Murray State University (KY)
In order to meet future workforce needs, STEM and sustainability should be integrated throughout university curriculum, including in business disciplines. However, STEM remains underrepresented in business education, including business conceptions …
- Posted Jan. 21, 2022
- Conference Presentations
- View more
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.