Sustainability Curriculum Fellowship Application

Established in 2013, the UMass Sustainability Curriculum Fellowship (SCF) is a year-long interdisciplinary fellowship program. The fellowship program is designed to bring together faculty with high interest and strong commitment to sustainability, and to offer a productive collaborative space to enhance teaching excellence in this critical, interdisciplinary area.  The SCF is supported by the Chancellor’s Sustainability Advisory Committee, School of Earth and Sustainability (SES), Institute for Teaching Excellence and Faculty Development (TEFD), and UMass Amherst Libraries. Over the past six years, 60+ faculty across 30+ departments and from every college and school at UMass have participated in the SCF.  Past fellows can be seen here. 

The Sustainability Curriculum Fellowship Program is a competitive opportunity.  No more than 10 faculty members will be selected to join next year’s fellowship program.  Fellows receive a $1,000 professional development grant along with a range of focused support aimed to assist faculty in enhancing an existing course or launching a new sustainability course.  SCF recipients are required to attend regular two-hour monthly meetings to engage with other fellows, discuss pedagogy, present course materials, and learn about relevant library and campus sustainability resources. Fellows also share best practices through teaching demonstrations, and participate in a variety of team-based learning activities.  

ELIGIBILITY
Full and part-time faculty, including instructors, who plan to teach a sustainability-related course in fall 2019, spring 2020, or both. Applicants must demonstrate clear interest in and commitment to sustainability curriculum and active, student-centered learning.

INCENTIVES
The SCF provides the following incentives:

  • A $1,000 grant to support professional development efforts related to re-designing an existing course or creating a new course to incorporate sustainability learning outcomes.
  • Access to one-on-one and group consultation
  • Access to campus partners’ resources via shared media forums
     

REQUIREMENTS

  • Attend monthly 2-hour meetings that will be held on Wednesdays, 1:00-3:00pm each semester. There will be 8 meetings and participants must attend at least 80% of meetings to receive a full stipend. Half of the stipend will be deposited into the faculty member’s professional development fund in September; the other half will be deposited once the 80% attendance mark is met.
  • Revise or create a course syllabus or curriculum to include/augment student learning outcomes related to sustainability as well as relevant sustainability topics and campus resources.  
  • Present a brief teaching demonstration to the group
  • Deposit a lesson, unit, or course resource in the SCF repository
  • Complete a feedback form at the end of the year

SELECTION CRITERIA

  • Clarity of goals, design and implementation
  • Potential impact of project outcomes on sustainability curriculum and student learning
  • Potential to apply to future courses

HOW TO APPLY

The application period opens in late spring. Proposals will be reviewed by the SCF Planning Team, which includes representatives from the School of Earth & Sustainability, Campus Sustainability, Library, and TEFD. Successful applicants will be notified of fellow selection by early June.

Questions? Please contact Lead Coordinator Mark Hamin at mhamin@larp.umass.edu or Darci Maresca at dmaresca@umass.edu.