McGill University, Canada

Sustainability Education Fellows - Advancing sustainability in the curriculum and pedagogy at McGill

The Sustainability Education Fellows (SEF) program is a McGill-wide initiative that brings together instructors (Faculty Fellows) and students (Student Fellows) to advance sustainability in their curriculum and pedagogy. Each cohort is engaged in a year-long program; Faculty Fellows are current instructors who design or revise a course to place sustainability at its core, and Student Fellows are trained in sustainability pedagogy and aid the instructors on their course (re)design. 

Over the course of an academic year, Faculty Fellows are expected to modify or design at least one syllabus to include a greater focus on sustainability. As part of this process, a series of mandatory workshops teach the Fellows theoretical and practical tips to approach learning competencies, pedagogies, and assessments through the prism of education for sustainable development (ESD) principles. All SEF gatherings also contribute toward building a Learning Community of peers at McGill working to advance sustainability in their pedagogical practices. The SEF program is intended to advance sustainability in higher education in a meaningful way, by providing a collaborative, interdisciplinary, capacity-building learning experience to Fellows.

Top 3 Learnings

1. SEF program reveals instructors' need for sustainability curriculum integration support, broadening their educational understanding.
2. SEF creates spaces for interdisciplinary knowledge exchange about sustainability, highlighting challenges of overcoming disciplinary language barriers.
3. SEF program underscores student-faculty collaboration in curriculum design, enriching outcomes through diverse perspectives.