Staff participate in a workshop outdoors on the Macdonald Campus, with a red-teal gradient overlaid

Sustainability Education Fellows

Are you interested in integrating sustainability into one of your courses, or developing a new sustainability course? Have you wanted to learn more about how to bring sustainability into your field of expertise and your classroom? 

The Sustainability Education Fellows Program is a cross-campus initiative that brings together faculty and students to advance sustainability in the curriculum and pedagogy at McGill as part of a year-long cohort.

Learn more about what sustainability education is via the Teaching and Learning Knowledge Base.

Faculty Fellows

Faculty Fellows are McGill instructors from across disciplines who commit to (re)designing a course to infuse sustainability principles into the curriculum, pedagogical practices, and assessment approaches. Throughout the year, Fellows learn how to connect sustainability principles to their own disciplines and courses.

A stipend is available to each Fellow to assist in the revision process, which could be applied towards hiring a graduate assistant, creating an instructional tool, or other expenses associated with the work.

Student Fellows

Student Fellows are graduate students from across disciplines who will be trained on sustainability pedagogies and how to rethink a course using a sustainability lens.

Student Fellows may be paired with a Faculty Fellow and would be paid to assist in the (re)design of their course.

 

 

 


Join the waitlist to be notified when registration opens

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the program expectations for Faculty Fellows?

Over a period of one academic year, Faculty Fellows are expected to modify at least one syllabus to include sustainability content or develop a new sustainability course. After a series of professional development opportunities for sustainability, Fellows are expected to submit revised/updated course and/or program information to the Coordinating Committee by the end of the spring semester. Additionally, Fellows will present their innovations to their cohort and the next cohort in the following September.

Any new materials created for this fellowship, such as a lab manual, or other materials shared with students, will be released under an open license via the McGill Teaching and Learning Knowledge Base.

Participants in the Sustainability Faculty Fellows are expected to:

  • Attend the 5 breakfast meetings over the course of the year.
  • Attend the 2-day December Retreat.
  • Produce a new or revised course design as evidenced by a course syllabus that must be submitted prior to the start of the course.
  • Create a reflective piece, written or otherwise, related to the course, which will be shared with the McGill teaching and learning community.
  • Present plans for integrating sustainability into a current or future course or program in September, following the end of the program.

 

What are the program expectations for Student Fellows?

Student Fellows who are paired with a Faculty Fellow must ensure they have the capacity to commit approximately 8 hours per week (paid) to course redesign from December to May.

 

What are the Student Fellow learning outcomes?

  1. Explain how sustainability shapes a course. 
  2. Deepen your worldview of sustainability and how it shapes your professional practice. 
  3. Identify leverage points for changing a course. 
  4. Generate sustainability learning outcomes for a course. 
  5. Select pedagogical practices that build bridges between a discipline and sustainability. 
  6. Integrate holistic and enriching forms of assessment. 
  7. Apply the above learning in designing a sustainability-inclusive or sustainability-focused course. 
  8. Contribute to and learn with a community of peers at McGill working to advance sustainability in their pedagogical practices.

 

What are the Faculty Fellow learning outcomes?

  1. Explain how sustainability shapes the topic of your course. 
  2. Deepen your worldview of sustainability and how it shapes your professional practice. 
  3. Identify leverage points for changing your course. 
  4. Generate sustainability learning outcomes for your course. 
  5. Select pedagogical practices that build bridges between your discipline and sustainability. 
  6. Integrate holistic and enriching forms of assessment. 
  7. Apply the above learning in designing a sustainability-inclusive or sustainability-focused course. 
  8. Contribute to and learn with a community of peers at McGill working to advance sustainability in their pedagogical practices.

 

What are important program dates?

The cornerstone of the fellowship is a 2-day retreat when all Fellows participate in an immersive training program led by their colleagues. During the retreat, Fellows have the opportunity to learn sustainability principles and techniques for incorporating those fundamentals into their own disciplines and classes, as well as build a community. Additionally, Fellows convene for meetings periodically throughout the year for supplemental training and progress updates. Attendance at all SEF gatherings is required; if you cannot attend the meetings, please wait until next year to apply to the program.

Event Date Time

Sustainability Education Fellows Kickoff Meeting (in-person)

Wednesday, November 1, 2023

9:00am - 10:15am

Student Retreat Day 1 (in-person)

Wednesday, November 1, 2023

10:30am - 12:00pm

Student Retreat Day 2 (in-person)

Wednesday, November 8, 2023

9:30am - 12:00pm

Faculty Retreat Day 1 (in-person)

Tuesday, December 12, 2023

9:30am - 3:30pm

Faculty Retreat Day 2 (in-person)

Thursday, December 14, 2023

9:30am - 3:30pm

Working Meeting 2 (virtual)

Tuesday, January 23, 2024

9:00am - 11:00am

Working Meeting 3 (virtual)

Tuesday, February 20, 2024

9:00am - 11:00am

Working Meeting 4 (virtual)

Tuesday, March 19, 2024

9:00am - 11:00am

Work Session (in-person)

Wednesday, May 1, 2024

10:00am - 3:00pm

Wrap-Up (in-person)

Wednesday, May 22, 2024

9:30am - 12:00 pm

 

Who manages the Sustainability Education Fellows Program?

The Sustainability Education Fellows Program Coordinating Committee is:

  • Laura Winer, Director, Teaching and Learning Services 
  • Blane Harvey, Associate Professor, Department of Integrated Studies in Education 
  • Stephanie Leite, PhD Candidate, Department of Integrated Studies in Education 
  • Allison Gonsalves, Associate Professor, Department of Integrated Studies in Education 
  • Marcy Slapcoff, Director, Office of Science Education 
  • Charlene Lewis-Sutherland, Senior Advisor, Faculty Development and Inclusive Pedagogies, Office of the Provost and Vice-Principal (Academic) 
  • Jessica Latus, Sustainability Officer, Office of Sustainability  

 

For any questions about the Sustainability Education Fellows, please contact Jessica Latus (jessica.latus [at] mcgill.ca).

 

Quebec Government logoLe programme est rendu possible grâce à la participation financière de gouvernement du Québec.

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