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Disciplinary Trends In Sustainability Education

Disciplinary Trends In Sustainability Education. As Interpreted by STARS Gold Participants. Makayla J. Bonney MS Candidate, Geography Southern Illinois University. Overview. Background Research Questions Results Using STARS as a research tool Looking Forward Question and Discussion.

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Disciplinary Trends In Sustainability Education

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  1. Disciplinary Trends In Sustainability Education As Interpreted by STARS Gold Participants Makayla J. Bonney MS Candidate, Geography Southern Illinois University

  2. Overview • Background • Research Questions • Results • Using STARS as a research tool • Looking Forward • Question and Discussion

  3. Background • Liu, 2011: AASHE 2006-08 Sustainability Across Curriculum Leadership Workshop study • Literature both within and outside the discipline identifies geography as a “highly appropriate home for sustainability studies”, however, the geography community has not developed a lead role in sustainability education

  4. NCSE Findings • 2012 Census of Sustainability Education Programs (degrees, minors, certificates)

  5. Background Research Questions: • How do Gold rated STARS participants approach sustainability education? • What roles does Geography have in sustainability education? • What is the applicability of STARS as a research tool?

  6. What is Geography’s role? • Are Business, Environmental Science leading?

  7. Methodology • Focus: Gold rated institutions (n=48) • 18.4% of all STARS institutions • Minimum score to achieve Gold: 65 • Average score of dataset: 67.45 • Sustainability Focused Courses • Distribution of Sustainability Focused Courses in Institutions which offer Geography (n=23) • Distribution of Sustainability Focused Courses in all Gold Institutions

  8. Methodology Contd. • Course groupings by discipline • Business: includes Administration, Management, Leadership • Minority Studies: includes Africana Studies, Women’s Studies, Native American Studies • Architecture: Structural and Landscape • Engineering: Civil, Environmental, Structural • Biology: Ecology, Plant Biology, Microbiology • Other: University-specific program, outliers

  9. Results

  10. Results • Average discipline involvement across all schools

  11. Discipline Breakdown ComparisonAverage Role At Individual Schools; Frequency Across All Schools

  12. Outliers • Ball State University Architecture, 35% • American University Global Studies, 39% • University of Wisc. Stevens Point Nat. Resource Mgmt., 42%

  13. Using STARS Data As A Research Tool • Limitations • Reporting inconsistencies • Course sum inconsistencies • Dead links • Course department/discipline not listed • Solution: Calling institution’s STARS liaison • Data cleaning • Flagging feature (did not use)

  14. Limitations Contd.: Definition of “Sustainability Focused Course”Looking Forward: STARS 2.0 STARS 1.2 ER 6 STARS 2.0 AC 1 Sustainability courses: the primary and explicit focus is on sustainability and/or solving one or more major sustainability challenge (e.g. the course contributes toward achieving principles outlined in the Earth Charter). Foundational courses Application of sustainability within a field (usually interdisciplinary) Courses providing skills/knowledge directly related to solving or understanding sustainability challenges • Increased Accountability Features • Flagging feature • Entry spot-checking • Sustainability focused courses: concentrate on the concept of sustainability including its social, economic, and environmental dimensions, or examine an issue or topic using sustainability as a lens

  15. Looking Forward • Next Step in Research: • “Bulk up” Geography-offering schools data-set via phone calls, emails • Analyze remainder of Gold-rated institutions Does departmental size, department influence at institution, department budget correlate to proportion of sustainability course offerings? Does institutional mission contribute to sustainability course offerings? What is the future for sustainability courses? What is the role of stakeholder demand?

  16. Questions and Discussion Makayla Bonney SIU Graduate Fellow MS Candidate, Geography makayla.bonney@gmail.com 309/331.3617

  17. Background • National Geographic and Geography Education Standards • 1984: Five Themes of Geography • 1994: Geography Education National Standards Project • Two Perspectives of geography education: • Spatial and ecological • 2011-Present: Daniel Edelson, VP Education • Geoliteracy: required an understanding of: • Interactions: Human and natural systems • Implications: forward thinking, cost v. benefit • Interconnections: Place, systems thinking, global perspective

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