Sustainability Education Intensive

The UBC Sustainability Education Intensive (SEI) was launched in 2009 by the Centre for Teaching and Academic Growth –  TAG – in partnership with the Sustainability Office (SO) at UBC. The sustainability folks at TAG are committed to offer the SEI annually, to offer support to increasing numbers of post-secondary educators to integrate or enhance sustainability in their course, program or initiative.

An overview powerpoint shown at the 1st Showcase in 2010 can be downloaded here.

SEI fast stats:

• Open to post-secondary educators (faculty; post-docs; staff; students), UBC and beyond

•2009: 23 participants, 2010: 15 participants

• Focused on developing a Sustainability Education Plan to effect change in course, program, initiative

• Follow-up: 2 support studios; pro-d funds (for UBC participants); January showcase

UBC SEI timeline:

2007: Attended Sustainability Across the Curriculum Leadership Workshop

2008: Secured funding from UBC Sustainability Office; started planning the SEI, in partnership with our Sustainability Education Intensive Advisory Group

2009: Successfully delivered the first SEI (May 31, June 1, 2). See the 2009 final report here.

2010: Successfully delivered the second SEI (May 30, 31st, June 1).

History and context

In January 2007, two UBC faculty members (Alice Cassidy and Kristin Orians) and one Ph.D. student (Yona Sipos) attended the AASHE (Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education) Sustainability Across the Curriculum Leadership Workshop, hosted by Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia.

The workshop introduced participants to the very successful Ponderosa and Piedmont Projects that have helped over 200 faculty in the U.S. adapt their courses and academic programs to include a sustainability focus. As the only Canadian institution at the workshop at the time (BCIT since attended and developed their own Pacific Spirit Project), and for its reputation as being a sustainability leader in North America, UBC is in a unique position to further develop sustainability leaders and leadership both within and beyond our own institution. Within TREK 2010, UBC has committed to “prepare students to become exceptional global citizens [and] promote the values of a civil and sustainable society…” – the Sustainability Education Intensive helps UBC achieve these goals.

In adapting the Emory, Ponderosa and Piedmont workshops for UBC, we invited colleagues from a wide range of roles to participate, including a faculty or staff member teaching a credit course, an undergraduate or graduate student organizing a conference on campus, a post-doc involved in teaching or someone in any role involved in teaching, leading, or supporting a credit or non-credit, formal or informal course, program or initiative in post-secondary education.

SEI 2009:

Download the SEI 2009 Final Report 2009!

Check out the awesome video, The State of Sustainability Education in BC 2009, that GoBeyond’s Sean Devlin created and produced to highlight the SEI and BCIT’s Pacific Spirit Project.

Acknowledgements

This SEI was designed by Alice Cassidy (Associate Director, Centre for Teaching and Academic Growth (TAG)); Yona Sipos (Graduate Academic Assistant, TAG; PhD Candidate, Faculty of Land and Food Systems); Sarah Nyrose (Undergraduate Sustainability Assistant, TAG; 4th year, Environmental Sciences); Lorna Seppala (Associate Director, Social Sustainability, Sustainability Office).

We are grateful for input at several steps along the way, from the Sustainability Across the Curriculum Working Group and Sustainability Education Intensive Advisory Group.