| Overall Rating | Platinum |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 86.26 |
| Liaison | Karen Oberer |
| Submission Date | Jan. 17, 2024 |
McGill University
AC-7: Incentives for Developing Courses
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
2.00 / 2.00 |
Karen
Oberer Sustainability Officer McGill Office of Sustainability |
Does the institution have an ongoing program that offers incentives for academic staff in multiple disciplines or departments to develop new sustainability courses and/or incorporate sustainability into existing courses? :
A brief description of the incentive program(s):
The Sustainability Education Fellowship Program (SEF) is a McGill-wide initiative that was successfully piloted in 2022-23 to bring together instructors (Faculty Fellows) and students (Student Fellows) to advance sustainability in their curriculum and pedagogy. Each cohort is engaged in a year-long program; Faculty Fellows are current instructors who design or revise a course to place sustainability at its core, and Student Fellows are trained in sustainability pedagogy and aid the instructors on their course (re)design.
The SEF program was co-created by the McGill Office of Sustainability. Teaching and Learning Services, the Office of Science Education, the McGill Sustainability Systems Initiative, McGill's Faculty of Education (Department of Integrated Studies in Education), and the Office of the Provost and Vice-Principal (Academic). The SEF program is unique in Canada, with only two of the other U15 universities offering a similar initiative. Sustainability education enhances the cognitive, social, emotional, and behavioural dimensions of learning, and we are working to shape the future of learning at McGill and beyond by reframing all curricula through a sustainability lens. The cornerstone of the fellowship is a 2-day retreat when Fellows participate in an immersive training program led by experts in sustainability, teaching, and learning. Throughout the year, Fellows learn how to connect sustainability principles to their own disciplines and courses, while building an interdisciplinary community.
One positive, concrete outcome of the pilot program was the creation of a resource page for instructors, which includes the syllabi they developed over the course of the year:
https://deptkb.mcgill.ca/display/TLK/Sustainability+Education+Resources
A brief description of the incentives that academic staff who participate in the program(s) receive:
Incentives for Faculty Fellows:
1. An opportunity to join a supportive community to work on a year-long project that furthers their vision for sustainability in higher education.
2. Financial support to do this work: $8,000 for each faculty member to hire a graduate Student Fellow to help them design or redesign their course.
3. The creation of a place for faculty that want to identify as teaching sustainability.
4. The ability to connect with other instructors across disciplinary lines.
Website URL where information about the incentives for developing sustainability course content is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
Program impact: The Sustainability Education Fellows program results in 10 (re)designed courses each year. All (re)designed syllabi and newly developed sustainability-focused learning outcomes are shared via the Teaching & Learning Knowledge Base to allow all instructors at McGill access to these materials to inspire others to incorporate similar learning outcomes into their courses.
Additional annual benefits to the McGill community include:
- 500 students taking the courses (~50 students per course/per year)
- A Learning Community of instructors and students that identify as teaching for sustainability
- Training for faculty and students on sustainability pedagogies and how to rethink a course using a sustainability lens
- Connecting instructors and students across disciplinary lines
Program impact: The Sustainability Education Fellows program results in 10 (re)designed courses each year. All (re)designed syllabi and newly developed sustainability-focused learning outcomes are shared via the Teaching & Learning Knowledge Base to allow all instructors at McGill access to these materials to inspire others to incorporate similar learning outcomes into their courses.
Additional annual benefits to the McGill community include:
- 500 students taking the courses (~50 students per course/per year)
- A Learning Community of instructors and students that identify as teaching for sustainability
- Training for faculty and students on sustainability pedagogies and how to rethink a course using a sustainability lens
- Connecting instructors and students across disciplinary lines
The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.