A Faculty Development Workshop on Curriculum Building
April 25 - 26, 2025
We invite you to a workshop focused on orienting curriculum around sustainability. Participants will be introduced to frameworks for integrating social, economic and/or environmental sustainability into new or existing courses.
This workshop is presented by Franklin University Switzerland with the support of the Association for Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) and WWF Switzerland - Sustainability in Higher Education.
Space is limited and registrations will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis.
OVERVIEW
The Orienting Curriculum around Sustainability (OCS) Program was first launched in Fall 2023. The main component of the program is the Faculty Development Workshop on Curriculum Building. Led by sustainability advocates in higher education in Switzerland, the workshop provides faculty with the resources needed to incorporate sustainability themes into existing courses and to aid in the creation of new courses. The workshop will cover course design tools, pedagogical approaches, interdisciplinary insights, adaptive strategies and reflection + discussion sessions.
The OCS Program builds on pioneering curriculum change initiatives that have been used by a diverse range of universities across North America and is designed to engage, inspire and support faculty. The objective is to equip faculty with tools to develop new or revised courses that incorporate sustainability, or environmental issues appropriate to their field.
SCHEDULE
Friday, April 25, 2025
10 am - 5 pm | Workshop Sessions
7 pm | Hosted Dinner (optional)
Saturday, April 26, 2025 (optional)
9 am - 10 am | Syllabus Review Session
After 10:30 am | OCS Participants are welcome to take part in the annual FUS Earth Day Summit
BENEFITS OF PARTICIPATING
- Explore concepts of sustainability across different fields and learn how to integrate them into new or existing courses.
- Learn how to use a campus and its sustainability programs as teaching resources.
- Explore transdisciplinary connections with other faculty and programs in home institutions and beyond.
- Share resources for developing and enhancing sustainability content in courses.
- Gain knowledge on climate change and ideas on incorporating related issues in courses.
- Be inspired by working alongside fellow sustainability advocates across Switzerland.
- Obtain a digital certificate of completion to demonstrate your professional development.
- Have your existing or proposed syllabus reviewed by peers for feedback.
AGENDA
The workshop will include sessions on:
- Principles of sustainability
- Pedagogical approaches to teaching sustainability
- The role of growth mindset
- Design tools: nine ways to change a course
- Adaptive strategies
- Learning Labs
- Service-learning
- The third mission of education and transformative learning
- The role of interdisciplinary insights in orienting curriculum around sustainability
- Responsible Research + Sustainability
- Reflection as Pedagogy - Key Elements to Metacognition
- Reflection + discussion component
Former Director of Learning and Teaching, Champlain College and an experienced leader in building transformational faculty professional development programming.
Sustainability Officer at University of Basel, project manager for Impuls (a program supporting lecturers who want to integrate sustainability into their teaching) and manager of the Sustainability Committee, University of Basel.
Lecturer and researcher at the University of Teacher Education Lucerne. With years of experience as a pedagogical leader for service learning and transformative learning approaches, Victoria works towards encouraging educators to see themselves as critical practitioners, enabling them to develop methods, dispositions, and competencies for sustainable education within their classrooms.
As Project Coordinator for the 'Sustainability in Academia' platform at the University of St.Gallen, Anna applies her experience in corporate sustainability to help promote sustainability in university curricula. In addition to her current role at HSG, Anna holds lecturing roles at FHV – Vorarlberg University of Applied Sciences and the University of Graz. Anna has a background in Biotechnology (BSc) and holds MSc and PhD degrees focused on integrating sustainability into product planning and development, with an emphasis on digital systems for sustainability information exchange.
Eligibility
The OCS Program Faculty Development Workshop on Curriculum Building is open to all educators who would like to expand their teaching and research around sustainability. Educators who teach an existing course that does not currently include a sustainability lens are especially invited to participate. Applicants from all academic areas are encouraged to take part.
Meals
The workshop will provide on-site lunch for participants, as well as an optional hosted dinner.
Accomodations
The second day of the workshop is optional. If you would like to attend, a limited number of on-campus rooms may be available on a first-come, first-served basis at a subsidized cost. In addition, Franklin has special rate agreements with a number of local hotels. Please contact us at greenoffice@fus.edu if you need help with accommodations.
Registration Deadline
April 15, 2025.
Registration Fee
Thanks to our sponsors, there is no fee to attend the workshop.
Registration Priority
The workshop size is limited. Registration will be taken on a first-come, first-service basis.
Registration Form
Please apply using this application form.
The OCS Program is made possible thanks to partnerships with sustainability advocates and organizations. Thank you to our supporters for advancing critically important sustainability work.
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The Franklin University Switzerland Green Office Sustainability Programs is an AASHE Regional Center for Sustainability Across the Curriculum.