GOOD PRACTICE
29-06-2011
29-06-2011
Curriculum innovation in higher education institutions (HEIs), Higher education's contribution to sustainability
Teaching
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The Ponderosa Project
Northern Arizona University
UNITED STATES
North America
Contact Information
Sandra Lubarsky
The Ponderosa Group consists of NAU faculty members from various disciplines who share a common vision of education for environmental sustainability. Participants in the Ponderosa Group have attended an intensive three-day training workshop in which they learned about environmental issues and how to incorporate such issues into course materials. After their training, participants revised syllabi for selected courses to include environment-oriented content. The Ponderosa Group meets regularly throughout the academic year in support of this "greening" of the curriculum project.
The Ponderosa Group recognizes that environmental issues such as overpopulation, resource depletion and pollution transcend traditional discipline boundaries with physical, political, organizational, social and cultural implications that impact all humans and other species.
The Ponderosa Group recognizes that environmental issues such as overpopulation, resource depletion and pollution transcend traditional discipline boundaries with physical, political, organizational, social and cultural implications that impact all humans and other species.
The Ponderosa Project at Northern Arizona University (NAU) is an interdisciplinary faculty group effort to incorporate environmental sustainability issues into university courses with the ultimate goal of providing future citizens the education and skills necessary to achieve sustainable communities and societies. Environmental sustainability is defined as the wise and just use of natural resources to maintain Earth's natural cycles while meeting human basic needs and protecting resources for future generations.
GOAL 1: Educate and empower faculty in an interdisciplinary effort
GOAL 2: "Green the Curriculum" so that the theme of environmental sustainability is introduced and reinforced throughout students' educational experiences
GOAL 3: Educate students in all courses of study about the implications of environmental sustainability in their chosen careers
GOAL 4: Empower students with the tools they can take into future leadership roles (knowledge, problem-solving techniques, desire to make a difference)
GOAL 5: Introduce environmental sustainability issues to our own campus and apply our knowledge toward campus stewardship
GOAL 6: Work within our communities at various levels (city, county, state, region, nation, and international) whenever possible to encourage and achieve environmental sustainability
GOAL 7: Provide resource materials to achieve the above goals
GOAL 2: "Green the Curriculum" so that the theme of environmental sustainability is introduced and reinforced throughout students' educational experiences
GOAL 3: Educate students in all courses of study about the implications of environmental sustainability in their chosen careers
GOAL 4: Empower students with the tools they can take into future leadership roles (knowledge, problem-solving techniques, desire to make a difference)
GOAL 5: Introduce environmental sustainability issues to our own campus and apply our knowledge toward campus stewardship
GOAL 6: Work within our communities at various levels (city, county, state, region, nation, and international) whenever possible to encourage and achieve environmental sustainability
GOAL 7: Provide resource materials to achieve the above goals
Greening the Curriculum” to introduce and reinforce the theme of environmental sustainability throughout students’ educational experiences;
Supporting and assisting faculty in curricular innovation, and promoting interaction that enables faculty to collaborate around issues of sustainability;
Providing students with environmental “competencies” that they can take into future leadership roles, such as problem-solving techniques, interdisciplinary research methods, and collaborative skills;
Integrating environmental issues with campus stewardship to gain an understanding that the classroom extends to the entire campus—including facilities, grounds, and the built environment;
Encouraging service learning experiences that extend academic studies of environmental sustainability into the community.
Supporting and assisting faculty in curricular innovation, and promoting interaction that enables faculty to collaborate around issues of sustainability;
Providing students with environmental “competencies” that they can take into future leadership roles, such as problem-solving techniques, interdisciplinary research methods, and collaborative skills;
Integrating environmental issues with campus stewardship to gain an understanding that the classroom extends to the entire campus—including facilities, grounds, and the built environment;
Encouraging service learning experiences that extend academic studies of environmental sustainability into the community.
The Ponderosa Project operates on the premise that since environmental issues are relevant to many disciplines, the best way to educate students is to include environmental perspectives in the content material presented in a variety of subjects. This overall "greening of the curriculum" has the potential for educating wide numbers of students with recurring themes of environmental sustainability as related to all disciplines.
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