Interested in Sustainability but struggling with how it applies to your classroom and content?    The following trainings can help get you started:

The Faculty Commons and The Office of Sustainability are offering a workshop to all faculty who are interested in transforming existing courses into sustainability-related courses.

The goal of the workshop is to enrich your course through the design of teaching materials, assignments and outcomes that infuse sustainability related concepts and principles.

Stipend: $1000 for all faculty members upon completion of sustainability related materials and assignments.  All materials needed for the workshop will be provided through the SESF fund.

Stipend is funded through the SESF fund.    Enrollment is limited to 15 participants.

For more information:  Angela Hildre Sustainability Curriculum Manager  angela.hildre@bellevuecollege.edu

Timeline for application:
•    November 16: Application process opens
•    December 17: Application process closes
•    January 4th: Notification of applicants

Fridays: January 25th and April 26th, Workshop:  9 am-4 pm Breakfast 8-9 am

With Angela Hildre, Sustainability Curriculum Manager, schedule to be determined by participant schedules and is sponsored and funded by the SESF (Student Environmental Sustainability Fund) in association with Student Programs and the Office of Sustainability.

What are viable options for development in the age of limited natural resources?  Deep Economy outlines economics through the lens of sustainability by highlighting both local and global implications.   The book couples damming statistics on the state of the earth and the economy with examples that to designed to bring transformation and its possibility to life.  The subject is broadly relevant to the College’s curriculum and to preparing students for the workforce of tomorrow, which McKibben describes as global, local and focused on something other than growth.

• Two discussions will be held during Winter quarter.
• Concepts discussed Winter quarter will be implemented in Spring quarter teaching and followed by a Spring quarter panel discussion among participants.
• SESF Fund will fund the purchase of the book for participants

Stipend: $100 upon completion Winter and Spring activities associated with this program.

Registration is open through January: https://bellevuecollege.edu/surveys/TakeSurvey.aspx?PageNumber=1&SurveyID=m65J5l3&Preview=true

For more information:  Angela Hildre Sustainability Curriculum Manager  angela.hildre@bellevuecollege.edu

Other Workshops Addressing Sustainability offered by the Faculty Commons include:

With Helen Taylor (Psychology), Tim Jones (Political Science), and Grace Robbings (Economics).

What makes you happy?  How do ancient philosophical traditions, modern psychological research, and the evolution of our society inform our pursuit of personal well-being?  Hypothesize about your happiness with three faculty members who have each taught “The Pursuit of Happiness” course through an interdisciplinary approach. 

Three discussions will be held throughout the Winter Quarter: 

• Monday, 14^th January, 3:30-4:30pm in Faculty Commons (D104) – Chapters 1-4
• Monday, 11^th February, 3:30-4:30pm in Faculty Commons (D104) – Chapters 5-8
• Monday, 11^th March, 3:30-4:30pm in Faculty Commons (D104) – Chapters 9-11

This is the first Faculty Commons book discussion that is open to faculty and staff alike!

For more information:  Grace Robbings Economics Faculty  grace.robbings@bellevuecollege.edu

Jan 15^th 2013, 12:30 – 1:30

In this informational session learn about how you can engage in and incorporate interdisciplinary principles and learning communities into a course and/or create an IDS proposal.  Further description will be determined.    

For more information: Interdisciplinary Studies Website:  http://depts.bellevuecollege.edu/ids/

Michael Meyer, Interdisciplinary Studies Program Chair  michael.meyer@bellevuecollege.edu

Brown Bags

Instructional Pluralism

3 to 4 Brown Bag talks led or organized by Lori Saffin, Instructional Pluralism Chair (details to be determined)

African Americans are getting A’s in 26% of the classes that they take.  Whites are getting A’s in 42% of the classes that they take. Whites have a 50% greater chance of receiving an A at Bellevue College compared to African Americans.

• Are you ok with this disparity? 
• Are students the only ones accountable for these grade differences?   

Join this brown bag series to deepen the instructional pluralism discussion on campus and address all students needs.

For more information:  Lori Saffin Instructional Pluralism Chair  lori.saffin@bellevuecollege.edu

Seeds of Hope is a professional gardening club open to all Bellevue College instructors, staff, and administrators interested in or already using garden-based teaching programs. The club is also for any BC employee interested in learning how to garden or for already-gardening employees who wish to meet and discuss master gardening techniques and creative practices.

Registration is ongoing and all campus members are welcome!   https://bellevuecollege.edu/surveys/TakeSurvey.aspx?PageNumber=1&SurveyID=785M956&Preview=true

• Session 1: Sowing Seeds of Interest  Introduction to garden-based learning, what it is and why it’s so important (according to the experts and Bill McKibben, author of Deep Economy), and why the garden is an excellent platform to help students learn in so many disciplines. Tips for developing a garden-based learning program and effective teaching methods. Tour of the BC Learning Garden.
• Session 2: Sprouting the Garden  Dig deeper into how to develop garden-based learning and effective teaching methods for the garden. Learn how to make a garden learning project sustainable, successful, and accessible.
• Session 3: Tending the Garden  Learn methods for developing evaluative criteria to measure student and teacher success in the garden across multiple disciplines.
• Session 4: Summer Growth  Learn how to expand garden learning opportunities. More extensive information on ecological garden design, sustainability, four-season gardening methods, increasing yields, and advanced teaching methods (such as Seed to Salad programs).

** Further training sessions will be offered every other week based upon interest and need. Potential topics could include how to build a sustainable home garden on a tight budget, how to create great soil, how to locate starts and seeds that grow in our environment, how to eat all those greens and actually enjoy them, how to save money with a home garden.

For more information: Karrin Peterson, A & H Faculty karrin.peterson@bellevuecollege.edu

Last Updated November 28, 2012