Call for Student Participants in project titled “Sustainability Case Studies: A Model for Interdisciplinary Learning and Showcasing of Student Work”
The AMS is seeking students interested in working closely with professors on a project related to environmental ethics and sustainability. This project is part of the AMS’s goal to promote the creation and use of Open Educational Resources (OERs) at UBC, and is a partnership with professors and students from various departments and Faculties. The project is being funded by UBC’s Teaching and Learning Enhancement Fund (see www.tlef.ubc.ca).
What are OERs?
OERs are educational resources that are free for anyone to access, edit, and redistribute, and can include textbooks, academic journals, and any other learning materials. Because OERs are free, they save students money on course resources; because they can be edited and redistributed by anyone, they allow students to create content for audiences beyond just their professors. Learn more at www.ams.ubc.ca/OER.
What will this new OER be?
Students and professors will co-create an OER that will be hosted on the UBC Wiki. It will include case studies that pose problems and dilemmas related to the environment and sustainability, along with commentary about how various disciplines would approach these problems, and teaching resources for use in courses. The resource is meant to give professors and students insight into how different disciplines would approach the same difficult environmental problems, fostering interdisciplinary learning.
Who is participating?
So far, professors from the following disciplines: philosophy, political science, land and food systems, geography, economics, law and society, forestry, and earth and ocean sciences. We hope more faculty and students from these and other relevant disciplines will participate. Support will also be provided by the UBC Library and Centre for Teaching, Learning and Technology.
How will it be created?
Students will join professors for a 2-day, intensive “sprint” in May (date TBD), during which the resource will be created. Professors will do some background work beforehand, and students will assist in creating the case studies, disciplinary commentary, and teaching resources. After the sprint, professors will use the resource to create assignments that allow students to continue to add to it, building it up over future years.
Why participate?
A chance to:
- Work directly with faculty and peers over 2 intensive days
- Help create a resource that will be used by faculty and hundreds of students in future years
- Enjoy free food and coffee while working in the AMS Student Nest
How to participate?
If you have experience studying a discipline that is related to the themes of this project, email avpacademic@ams.ubc.ca with your name, year level, program of study, a few sentences about your interests in the themes, and your availability during May 2016. The deadline to do so is April 15, 2016, but spots are limited and may fill up before this time.
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