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 in support of enhancing and expanding sustainability in and across the curriculum in support of the SLOs and continued pursuit of advanced STARS ratings.

Sustainability In the Curriculum Learning Community

AY 2017-18

Facilitators: Dianna Winslow (CTLT) and Rebekah Oulton (CEE)

Sustainability is a defining challenge for our age. Cal Poly has recognized its importance by developing “Sustainability Learning Objectives” necessary for all university graduates. We define sustainability as “the ability of natural and social systems to survive and thrive together to meet current and future needs.” If you are an educator who thinks more Cal Poly courses could teach sustainability principles while also interested in ideas about how to teach sustainability principles more effectively, this learning community is for you. You will also have opportunities to share your sustainability ideas with colleagues and to learn from their expertise and perhaps to enrich your scholarly productivity by connecting your disciplinary work to sustainability.

Learning Community Syllabus (coming soon)

Learning Communities registration page 

Teaching Sustainability Community of Practice (CoP)

This is for all Cal Poly educators with interests in incorporating sustainability principles and practices across the curriculum. Participants will be collaborating on projects that explore methods and assess outcomes related to sustainability education in a wide variety of disciplines and courses. Findings could support refined approaches to curriculum infusion and scholarly work (e.g., presentations, publications).

Teaching Sustainability CoP page

Quick Qualify Workshops

AY 2017-18

Cal Poly has earned a Silver rating from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) based, in part, on the breadth and depth of sustainability in the curriculum. There may be many more courses already in the curriculum that incorporate sustainability but the course documents used in the AASHE review lacked the language necessary to qualify for credit in the ratings.

These brief workshops are designed to guide rather modest language revisions in course documents so that they more accurately reflect the way that the courses have already incorporated sustainability. This will not only communicate to students the role of sustainability in the courses but also allow each to contribute to Cal Poly's overall status on the AASHE ratings.

Quick Qualify Workshop page (coming soon)