Sustainability and Curriculum at McGill University

Max Luke, Jordan Gallant, Kevin Lauzon, Nastaran Mobasher & Divya Sharma

Environment

Economy Society

A sustainable system “encompasses human and ecological health, social justice, secure

livelihoods, and a better world for all generations”

(AASHE 2007)

Departmental Chairs and

Faculty Deans

Comparator Universities

Sustainability Advocates at

McGill

Designing a Toolkit

Sustainability in Curriculum:

Toolkit for Effective Strategy Building

Comparator Universities

Methods

Methods Comparator Universities

Methods

McGill “Comparator Universities”

Emails to Offices of Sustainability (15)

Phone Interviews (7) Email Responses (3)

Emails to Sustainability Committee members (3)

Comparator Universities

Methods

McGill “Comparator Universities”

Emails to Offices of Sustainability (15)

Phone Interviews (7) Email Responses (3)

Emails to Sustainability Committee members (3)

5 questions to assess program models and drivers of change

Comparator Universities

Sustainability Advocates at

McGill

Methods

Methods

1

2 5

3 6 7

4 8

30-60 minute interviews with 8 members of the McGill community interested in sustainability

Snowball Sampling Progression

Sustainability Advocates at

McGill

Methods 30-60 minute interviews with 8 members of the McGill community interested in sustainability

6 questions to assess sustainability milestones, barriers, and solutions

1

2 5

3 6 7

4 8

Snowball Sampling Progression

Sustainability Advocates at

McGill

Departmental Chairs and

Faculty Deans

Methods

Methods

78 Departments and Schools at McGill

Selection Criteria:

•  Sustainability not an explicit research/teaching priority

•  Large (relative to other departments within faculty)

•  Standalone Faculties and Schools

10 Faculties at McGill  

Departmental Chairs and

Faculty Deans

Methods Deans, Chairs and Directors of the following 25 Faculties,

Departments and Schools were contacted via email:

Anthropology Economics English History Linguistics Philosophy Political Science Sociology

Atm. & Oceanic Biology Earth and Planetary Chemistry Physics Psychology Computer Science

Chemical Civil Mechanical Mining & Materials

Educational and Counselling Psychology Integrated Studies in Education Kinesiology Information Studies

Religious Studies

Law

Departmental Chairs and

Faculty Deans

Methods

Anthropology Economics English Linguistics Political Science Sociology

Atm. & Oceanic Biology Chemistry Psychology Computer Science

Chemical

Educational and Counselling Psychology Integrated Studies in Education Kinesiology Information Studies

Religious Studies

Law

18 responses and interviews with 6 questions to acquire department-specific information.

Departmental Chairs and

Faculty Deans

Comparator Universities

Results

Results Program Models

UCLA’s Education for

Sustainable Living Program

Comparator Universities

Example:

Results

Internal Drivers •  Student Demand (75%) •  Admin. Staff Demand (25%) •  Faculty Demand (12%)

Drivers of Change

External Drivers •  Regional community (40%) •  National/International Community (12%) •  Comparator Universities (50%)

Comparator Universities

Sustainability Advocates at

McGill

Results

Results

Talloires and Halifax

Declarations (1990/1991)

McGill School of

Environment (1999)

Office of Sustainability

(2008)

Sustainability Projects Fund

(2009)

Sustainability Policy (2010)

Sustainability Milestones Sustainability Advocates at

McGill

Results

Barriers Solutions

Distributed Approach

Bring Advocates Together

Power Asymmetry

Poor Communication

Barriers and Solutions Sustainability Advocates at

McGill

Results Word Cloud Sustainability

Advocates at McGill

Departmental Chairs and

Faculty Deans

Results

Results

•  Unified mission statement: 60%

o  Learning outcomes linked to statement: 70% no

•  Considered notion of sustainability: 75%

o  Interesting discussion for faculty members? 70% yes

Departmental Information Departmental

Chairs and Faculty Deans

Synthesis and Suggestions

•  Increasing interest in sustainability 1

•  Bottom-up approach 2

•  Bring advocates together 3

Sustainability  in  Curriculum:  

Toolkit  for  Effec8ve  Strategy  Building  

Summary