Interdisciplinary (99) The Engaged Interdisciplinary Learning in Sustainability (EILS) project is designed to integrate new pedagogies, analytical skills and applied techniques to daily activities and practices critical to sustainability in the context of higher education. The project involves close interdisciplinary collaboration between faculty from engineering and social sciences, through creation and delivery of a series of courses, labs, teaching methods and materials in sustainability engineering and ecological design. EILS seeks to develop the field of "Sustainability Science and Sustainability Studies" (S4) and formalize it as a new intedisciplinary field. S4 is critical to a successful transition to a Nation and world that effectively and equitably protects the planet's environment and ecology. The project's approach to S4 rests on the interdisciplinary integration of technical-scientific and social science fields of inquiry, taking as its focus research into and teaching about the engineering, scientific and social science elements of current and future policy and practice. The project applies new pedagogical approaches in courses, laboratory exercises, internships, workshops and careful assessment of instructor and student achievements. The project includes elements of STEM education, cyberlearning, and technological and social literacy elements, directed toward education of skilled professionals. This curriculum includes interactive laboratories in renewable energy systems, water resources, ecological footprint, sustainable agriculture, urban design, and life-cycle analysis which are accessible to students with diverse backgrounds. Most courses will include a service learning project for students with different disciplines to work together. This provides the opportunity to learn about engineering design and real life social implementation issues. Course and co-curricular materials are supplemented by detailed instructor manuals with emphasis on learner-centered pedagogy supported by formative and peer assessment strategies and a Handbook for Sustainability Engineering and Ecological Design.
The broad goal of the EILS project is to integrate new new pedagogies, analytical skills and applied techniques to daily activities and practices critical to sustainability in the context of higher education. In particular, we focused on close interdisciplinary collaboration between faculty from engineering and social sciences and collaborations between community colleges, four-year comprehensive institutions, and research universities. At San Jose State University, our specific goal was to develop and implement sustainable design modules that could be disseminated not only through our EILS collaborative, but broadly through Summer Sustainability Institutes and via an online website managed by the University of California at Santa Cruz (that served as the hub for many of the information dissemination pieces of the overall project). In addition, faculty at SJSU worked in partnership with faculty at Cabrillo College and UCSC in order to incorporate instructional modules developed at these institutions into classes at SJSU. Classes targeted at SJSU drew from a wide range of disciplines, with a particular emphasis on crossing disciplinary boundaries between engineering and social sciences. Throughout the grant period, SJSU activitiely participated in both the development and implementation of instructional labs and modules designed to enhance the classroom learning experience for students. Several labs developed at SJSU include: (1) Google Earth and Urban Form; (2) Mental Mapping; and (3) Urban Sustainability. In addition, since cross-campus partnership were a major focus of this grant, we worked closely with faculty at our partner institutions in order to integrate labs and modules developed outside SJSU into our classrooms. In particular, we focused on oppoprtunities to bring hands-on learning experiences into our engineering, environmental studies, and urban planning classrooms in order to enhanve the educational experienc for students and also promote cross-disciplinary learning between STEM fields and the social sciences. Over the 3 year grant period, dozens of classes at SJSU, and hundreds of students were impacted through EILS activities.
