Engaged Sustainability: From Curriculum to Community

Wittenberg University

Wittenberg University seeks to create an educational model that fosters interdisciplinary thinking and a proactive student presence in our community. First, we will thread sustainability modules within existing courses. Next, we will broaden participation in sustainability curricula through recruitment and training. Finally, we will create linkages in sustainability problem solving within our community. Our freshmen will all participate in an immersive sustainability learning opportunity central to our mission, which "challenges students to become responsible global citizens, to discover their callings, and to lead personal, professional, and civic lives of creativity, service, compassion, and integrity". Our campus will serve as a model for sustainability implementation in small institutions where resources for curriculum changes are small, and programs must meet a broad set of external demands to ensure student success after graduation (e.g. graduate school requirement, medical school etc.). This project will serve to model ways to expand and create new community-based learning opportunities (curricular, co-curricular, and programing) around the unified theme of sustainability.

Description of Successful End State

A core group of faculty from disciplines across the liberal arts will increase sustainability literacy through the implementation of sustainability modules and learning goals in a variety of existing courses and field experiences (i.e. internships and service learning opportunities in the community, existing international educational opportunities, etc.). This effort will be expanded to include additional faculty at Wittenberg and nearby surrounding institutions, as well as community partners. This will result in an increased number of students participating in a sustainability curriculum, students having increased presence in sustainability problem-solving efforts and an increased understanding that sustainability efforts require personal action and interdisciplinary solutions. In particular, all entering students will participate in a sustainability educational experience as part of Wittenberg's first year program. Additionally, curricular opportunities that draw from increased capacity are expected.

Project Activities

  • Embedding geoscience sustainability modules in established courses across a breadth of disciplines and encouraging student-centered learning (2014-2015)
  • Broadening participation in sustainability and student-centered pedagogies through a workshop to expand the adoption of sustainability curriculum (2015-2016)
  • Creating deep learning opportunities in sustainability through program development across the Wittenberg experience (First-Year Experience, Cultures and Language Across the Curriculum, Environmental Science) and into the broader Southwestern Ohio Council for Higher Education (2015-2016)
  • Program creation and growth exploration (continuous)

Early Indicators of Success & Adaptation to Address Barriers (2014-2015)

It is exciting to report that as a result of student interest, this effort, and the effort of other faculty including sustainability in their courses, the number of sustainability-related and sustainability-focused courses we offer at Wittenberg have grown substantially. As of 2015, 26 sustainability-tied courses are offered in business, biology, chemistry, communication, economics, english, environmental science, french, geology, geography, german, nursing, philosophy, religion, spanish. This represents additions from 4 additional programs with 2 more programs anticipated in spring 2016. In addition to supporting growth at Wittenberg, we aim to build connections with faculty at nearby colleges including the University of Dayton, Clark State University, and Antioch College. Participants implementing or adapting modules at all schools identified interested in program growth and connections. Last spring, we implemented a global climate change group project into our new First Year Experience Program. This year we will make improvements based on feedback and incorporate an evaluation tool assessing shifts in student desire to take personal action to address global climate change.

One of the strengths of our project is ongoing communication of success between project leaders, campus, and the Springfield Community. As a result of this, we have gained support for sustainability curriculum from institutional leaders along with recognition within the community. Here are some examples of the support & success of our effort since the project began:

  • Collaboration between partner school campuses: co-teaching, shared events, student exchanges (e.g. a panel on science communication in Environmental Communication, a cross-course rain garden research project with the city storm water coordinator).
  • 16 Wittenberg Press Mentions of Faculty & Student Sustainability Work & multiple mentions in the Springfield News Sun (e.g. Global Education Series Kicks Off)
  • Leadership team institutional and regional recognition for sustainability, community service & teaching
  • Leadership team & participating faculty support key committees & faculty development related to sustainability and teaching & learning
  • Growth in community-based sustainability projects & partners including City of Springfield, Miami Conservancy District, Ohio Extension, Clark County Parks District, Clark County Soil & Water District, & the Springfield Promise Neighborhood)
  • Invited GSA Talk featuring our Implementation Program and parallel curriculum development in Environmental Science with community partners, this includes information on barriers to implementation & a model for building capacity ; GSA 2015, Fortner et al., 2015 (PowerPoint 2007 (.pptx) PRIVATE FILE 13.8MB Oct30 15)
  • Identifying the need to recruit, support participants in clusters that reinforce networking & collaboration associated with success & enduring curricular change
  • Effort to retain faculty who decided not to participate in our implementation in other ways that support sustainability (e.g. measurable sustainability learning goal)
  • Shared programming at community events (e.g. Oakwood Village Climate Change Panel, PechaKucha Night with the Westcott House, and 2 events at the Global Education Series sponsored by the City of Springfield, the Hagen Center for Civic & Urban Engagement and multiple community partners)
  • Our work directly supports the Wittenberg Commitment promising engaged learning
  • Multiple community-based grants funded in collaboration with community partners
  • Workshop on societal relevance as an opportunity for program growth at the Earth Educators Rendezvous & multiple faculty development workshops promoting student-centered teaching strategies (e.g. faculty retreat, STEM faculty, Noyce pre-service teachers)
  • Sustainability B.A. and Certificate discussion initiated by the V.P. of Strategic Initiatives & supported by multiple vested departments
  • Shared evaluation strategy developed for community-based courses and internships offered through the Hagen Center for Civic & Urban Engagement. Program evaluation skills gained through consultation with InTeGrate evaluation experts were essential to developing a departmental level audit of engaged learning that fills gaps in our understanding of student curricular and co-curricular experiences

Leadership Team

Dr. Sarah Fortner, Wittenberg University
Dr. Amber Burgett, Wittenberg University
Dr. Dave Finster, Wittenberg University
Dr. Ruth Hoff, Wittenberg University

Workspace

Thanks also to Dr. Sheryl Cunningham, Dr. Elizabeth George, Dr. Gene Pierce, Dr. John Ritter, & Dr. Jeremiah Williams for their ongoing involvement in this project.