Open AccessUp the Pyramid, Around the Loop—Action Research Cultivates Sustainability Scholars to Green the Campus
Author(s) -
Dann Sklarew,
Andrew Wingfield,
Allison Richards
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
innovations in teaching and learning conference proceedings
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2379-8432
DOI - 10.13021/g8cp5t
Subject(s) - capstone , scholarship , sustainability , curriculum , pyramid (geometry) , undergraduate research , action research , presentation (obstetrics) , engineering ethics , capstone course , sociology , action (physics) , scholarship of teaching and learning , pedagogy , mathematics education , engineering , political science , medical education , psychology , computer science , teaching method , medicine , teaching and learning center , algorithm , law , ecology , biology , quantum mechanics , radiology , physics , optics
With the support of a three-year curriculum development grant from the Office of Student Scholarship, Creative Activities, and Research (OSCAR), we have integrated undergraduate research in sustainability studies into our curriculum. This presentation details how we use the program's bookend courses, the introductory Sustainable World and capstone Sustainability in Action courses, to scaffold students' ascent of OSCAR's three-level scholarly pyramid: discovery, inquiry, and creation of scholarship.We also describe our learning loop model, which provides students in the introductory course with opportunities to learn about design and execution of university-funded, campus action research projects directly from students who have completed the capstone. Reciprocally, project ideas from the introductory course are passed forward for potential implementation by subsequent capstone students.Finally, we share the results of our research into the impact of our curricular approach on our students. In particular, we share our findings regarding how the pyramid and loop affected their individual emergence as sustainability practitioners and scholars as well as their forging of a community of practice among peers and alumni, extending beyond the classroom.