Sustainability in the Curriculum
As a polytechnic university, Cal Poly has long made sustainability a centerpiece of its educational purpose. That dedication is reflected in the campus's Sustainability Learning Objectives (SLOs) articulated as essential educational components for all students in all majors. Momentum is building on campus, as evidenced by achieving a STARS Silver Rating in 2017 from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE). This page assembles the various programs and services that CTLT offers campus educators to enhance and expand sustainability across the curriculum in support of the SLOs and the continued pursuit of advanced STARS ratings.
Cultivating Connections: Integrating Indigenous Perspectives into Sustainability Curricula
Friday, May 10 and 17, 12:30-2:00 pm
This two-part workshop series extends an invitation to faculty members from all disciplines who are keen on deepening their comprehension regarding Native Nations. It aims to equip participants with the necessary tools to engage with Tribal communities equitably and effectively, while also exploring the Indigenous underpinnings of contemporary sustainability practices and knowledge.
Participants will gain insights into appropriate terminology and language use, cultural nuances and sensibilities, and the sustainable land-based practices and values that are foundational to Indigenous land management and stewardship.
In addition, faculty members will acquire practical activities that can be integrated into their curriculum as well as guidelines for establishing respectful protocols when engaging with Tribal communities in academic endeavors across different fields. This workshop is conceived as an aid to enhancing curriculum as well as helping researchers who wish to work with native Nations in their scholarship.
Lunch will be provided and stipends of $200 are available for eligible participants who attend both workshops sessions and submit a reflection. (Download CTLT Stipend Policies PDF)
Facilitators:
Becca Lucas, Instructor of Native American/American Indian related topics in Ethnic Studies (CLA) and a member of the yak titʸu titʸu yak tiłhini, Northern Chumash Tribe of San Luis Obispo Region and County
Vidya Schalk, Instructor of Chemistry and Biochemistry (BCSM), and the Cal Poly Sustainability Faculty Fellow
Register for Cultivating Connections
The California State University Teaching Climate Change and Resilience Faculty Learning Community
Feb 13-April 23, 2024--APPLICATIONS ARE NOW CLOSED
Every discipline has a role to play in finding global climate change solutions, but what keeps us from discussing climate change in our courses?
To answer that, the California State University (CSU) Teaching Climate Change and Resilience (TCCR) Faculty Learning Community (FLC) was developed by Dr. Mark Stemen, Professor of Geography and Planning at Chico State, and was offered for the first time in Spring 2022. Since then, the TCCR FLC has been featured in the Chronicle of Higher Education and has received the Campus Sustainability Achievement Award by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE), and most recently received recognition from the American Association of State Colleges and Universities.
In Winter/Spring 2024, the TCCR FLC will be offered again, with the support of Chico State’s Office of the President and College of Behavioral and Social Sciences, and the Office of the Chancellor’s Innovative Teaching & Learning Programs. The FLC will be open to all CSU campuses and aligns with the California State University Sustainability Policy, which “is intended to position the nation's largest university system as a leader in the teaching and use of applied research to educate climate literate students.”
The CTLT and Cal Poly's Facilities Energy, Utilities, and Sustainability team invite faculty to apply for the CSU-wide Teaching Climate Change and Resilience Faculty Learning Community. The goals for participants in this TCCR FLC are to:
- Learn about and develop or modify course curriculum with a focus on climate change, climate justice, and resilience
- Gain collegial support for teaching sustainability across the disciplines.
- Work collaboratively to identify and design pedagogical approaches to teach students about sustainability problems paired with investigating possible solutions together
Conversations will be driven by the questions that emerge from participants’ particular course contexts.
$500 stipends are available for eligible employees who complete the FLC requirements. Please submit applications by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, December 15, 2023. Your application will be shared with your campus FLC Lead for selection and registration. NOTE: New applicants who did not participate in the 2022 FLC will receive priority placement.
Learn more and apply: Teaching Climate Change & Resilience FLC Application Spring 2024
Sustainability Across the Curriculum Workshops
By Request
Are you an instructor interested in teaching sustainability concepts in your classroom but needs help identifying methods? These highly interactive workshops are for folks who want to learn more about the Sustainability Student Learning Outcomes and ways to infuse them into coursework. These workshops are interdisciplinary and introductory.
Learn more: Sustainability Across the Curriculum page
Quick Qualify Workshops
Online
These workshops are interdisciplinary and intermediate to help you review and update your syllabus so that it qualifies for inclusion in the SUSCAT. They are designed to guide language revisions in course documents to more accurately reflect how the courses have already incorporated sustainability. This will communicate to students the role of sustainability in the courses and allow each to contribute to Cal Poly's overall status on the AASHE ratings.
Learn more: Quick Qualify Workshop page
