Program Design: Laying the Foundation for Tomorrow's Sustainability Workforce

Sixteen institutional or cross-institutional teams across the country have embarked on implementation efforts to use InTeGrate materials and approaches to reach programmatic goals including: recruiting and supporting diverse learners, teaching about the Earth across the curriculum, connecting geoscience to societal issues, preparing teachers to teach Earth Science, and supporting transfer between 2 year and 4 year programs and to the workforce. The teams have provided detailed information about what they did, why, and how it worked as a way of providing models for others interested in combining learning about the Earth with societal issues. Learn about the challenges and successes of individual programs, common elements across programs, and how they set about making and supporting change.

Explore the Program Models Now »

Learn more how the 16 model programs are improving upon their program goals, including: recruiting and supporting diverse learners, teaching about the Earth across the curriculum, connecting geoscience to societal issues, preparing teachers to teach Earth Science, and supporting transfer between 2 year and 4 year programs and to the workforce.

Common Program Elements

If there are particular program elements you are interested in, such as advising and mentoring, curriculum development, teacher preparation, etc., you can see how the different programs made use of them in their work.

Strategies

Addressing learning about the Earth at the programmatic level can take many forms. Each of the program models above focused on some combination of these strategies in their work.

Strengthen Workforce Preparation in your Program

Proactively addressing workforce preparation through a student's degree program can yield significant positive results for your students, their future employers, as well as your program.

Explore:

  • Understand workforce needs
  • Career opportunities
     
  • Skills and experiences
     
  • Employers and alumni
     

Increase the Diversity of your Graduates

Broadening the diversity of students learning about the Earth brings new perspectives and ways of knowing to issues of great societal importance. It also greatly enlarges the pool of potential future employees for all the professions that require Earth expertise. Explore:

  • Attracting students
     
  • Supporting students
     
  • Successful strategies
     

Embed Sustainability in your Program

Common models for incorporating sustainability into your degree program can be adapted for success in your local institutional context. Explore:

  • Common models
     
  • Program descriptions
     
  • Essays
     
  • Learning outcomes
     

Prepare Future Teachers

Expose future teachers to active learning, the scientific method, systems thinking and other skills they will need to teach the Next Generation Science Standards. Explore:

  • Teacher preparation
     
  • Effects of the NGSS
     
  • Interdisciplinary strategies
     
  • Practical teaching opportunities
     
  • Professional development
     

Catalyze Systemic Change

Create meaningful changes at scales larger than a course. Explore:

  • Make Change Happen
     
  • Initiating a Change Effort
     
  • Teaching Earth Across the Curriculum
     

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Program Profiles

A number of different kinds of programs have been profiled as a way of sharing great ideas. From degree programs to support programs, these profiles present how departments across the country are responding to the challenges facing them.

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