Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 57.04
Liaison Larry Cook
Submission Date Feb. 29, 2016
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.0

University of South Carolina
AC-7: Incentives for Developing Courses

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.00 / 2.00 Namita Koppa
Assistant Director for Program Management
Office of Sustainability
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Does the institution have an ongoing incentives program or programs that meet the criteria for this credit?:
Yes

A brief description of the program(s), including positive outcomes during the previous three years:

1. The Office of Sustainability's Curriculum Committee hosts an annual Sustainability Across the Curriculum workshop. This workshop introduces faculty audience members to nine ways to include sustainability within coursework, and allows for time to assist faculty members in brainstorming revisions to existing curriculum to create sustainability-related modules. Participation in the workshop allows faculty to enter a competitive application process for a Sustainability Curriculum Award.

In 2014-15, new course content included:

-Marketing research assignments focusing on sustainable consumption behavior
-Development of a curriculum working group within the College of Social Work (CoSW) to achieve goal of 100% inclusion of ecological justice perspectives within CoSW courses
-Development of apparel life cycle analysis and worker rights dicussions within Knitting and Philosophy course
-Introduction to sustainability modules within two sections of university's introductory U101 courses

15 Sustainability Curriculum Awards have been given in the last three years.

USC Connect offers Integrative Learning grants for faculty members helping students connect what they learn in the classroom to beyond-the-classroom experiences applied for grants of $500 - $3,500 to develop instructional materials or pedagogical strategies that help students meaningfully connect theory and practice in ways that reinforce course learning outcomes. Three grants were given to faculty for the development of sustainability components in 2014-15. Positive outcomes include:

-series of field trips to SC-based green technology companies in a Languages, Literature, and Culture course focused on germany and green technology development
-class assignments focused on bicycle safety and literacy through Mass Communications and Information Studies course (http://www.sc.edu/about/offices_and_divisions/cte/about/news/cocky_pedals_literacy.php)
-development of environmental film class within Film and Media Studies


A brief description of the incentives that faculty members who participate in the program(s) receive:

Participation in UofSC's Sustainability Across the Curriculum workshop allows faculty to enter a competitive application process for a Sustainability Curriculum Award of up to $1000 to develop new and/or redesigned courses including sustainability. Limited Funding is also provided for faculty to receive training, develop new programs and implement projects from the Office of Sustainability.

USC Connect offers Integrative Learning grants for faculty members helping students connect what they learn in the classroom to beyond-the-classroom experiences applied for grants of $500 - $3,500 to develop instructional materials or pedagogical strategies that help students meaningfully connect theory and practice in ways that reinforce course learning outcomes.


The website URL where information about the incentive program(s) is available:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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