Cabrillo College EILS Team Michelle Merrill (Anthropology) PI

Karen Groppi (Engineering, STEEP) CoPI

Other Cabrillo Faculty, Students and Staff Involved in

EILS or Related Initiatives at Cabrillo

Sue Tappero (Math/MESA, STEEP) CoPI

La’akea Sky Smith (Undergraduate Research Assistant)

Grant Harrison (Undergraduate Research Assistant)

Michelle Bliesner (Anthropology)

Kelli Horner (Engineering, STEEP)

Luis Sonsino (Construction and Energy Management, STEEP)

Elisa Wagner (English)

Chuck Mornard (Construction and Energy Management)

Peter Shaw (Horticulture)

Lisa McAndrews (Horticulture)

Nicole Crane (Biology, Co-chair, Climate Initiative Task Force, ACE)

Judy Cassada (Planning and Research Office, Co-chair, Climate Initiative Task Force)

John Welch (Physics Laboratory Technician)

A California Community College

~14,000 – 17,500 students

Title V Hispanic Serving Institution (Figure 1)

900+ employees (~50% part-time)

~785,000 sq. ft.

Signed President’s Climate Commitment (ACUPCC) 2007

Core Competencies include language emphasizing interconnectivity and global systems

2008-2013 Master Plan: Goal B, Objective 4. “Promote awareness of the interdisciplinary nature of emerging trends, including global sustainability and social justice.”

Courses and Programs Designed for EILS in STEM

UCSC

You are here

Challenges for Cabrillo College

2.4 2.6 2.8 3 3.2 3.4 3.6 3.8 4 4.2

use numeric data and quantitative reasoning to solve problems or evaluate impacts.

identify relevant social, political or environmental issues, when defining a problem.

identify relevant technical requirements when defining a problem.

use scientific language and terminology to explain a problem or solution.

figure out/analyzing what data/observations mean.

figure out what data/observations to collect and how to collect them.

find a solution to a problem that integrates technical, scientific, social, political, environmental and economic considerations.

define indicators to predict and/or measure outcomes and impacts.

work effectively in a group.

ANTHR2 Fa11: Mean Scores for "I am confident in my ability to..." Statements (1=Not at all confident... 5=Absolutely confident)

Pre

Post

Prepared 17 June 2012 by Michelle Merrill (unless otherwise noted)

Assessment of EILS in Cabrillo College Classes: Preliminary Results

New Associate in Science degree in Energy Management in development Mostly hands-on: 25 students per class May be partly supported by outside funding (Department of

Energy, National Science Foundation) Partnering with Hartnell College (community college in Salinas,

California) Chuck Mornard is developing an integrated textbook for program

Construction and Energy Management Career Technical Education Division

Existing Courses CEM 163 Fundamentals of Renewable Energy Systems (2005) CEM 162 Sustainable Buildings, Home Performance, and the Environment (2006)

New Courses Offered at Solari GTC Fall 2012 CEM 162BS Building Science for Construction Technology CEM 162LD Green Building and LEED CEM 162SP Solar Photovoltaic Design and Installation CEM 162ST Solar Thermal Design and Installation

Courses in Development CEM 162EC Energy Codes CEM 162EL Electrical for Energy Technology CEM 162HR Home Energy Rating System CEM 162HV Heating and Ventilation for Energy Technology CEM 162MA Math for Energy Technology CEM 162PL Plumbing for Energy Technology CEM 162PS Passive Solar Design and Construction CEM 162SC Integrated Sustainability in Construction CEM 190EL Electrical for Energy Technology

CEM 190GB Green Building Professional CEM 190SS Building Efficiency Sales and Marketing CEM 190LD Green Building and LEED CEM 190MA Math for Energy Technology CEM 190PL Plumbing for Energy Technology CEM 190PS Passive Solar Design and Construction CEM 190SS Building Efficiency Sales and Marketing CEM 190ST Solar Thermal Design and Installation CEM 199C Career Work Experience Education

Digital Management Career Preparation: Academy for College Excellence (ACE) Business, English and Language Arts Division

Integrated Science Semester Through integrated coursework in Physics, Chemistry and

Biology, this program aims to prepare students to enter introductory college-level courses in the three sciences.

Topic-based (e.g. “Energy” included renewables, food, photosynthesis, etc.)

Fall 2012 Courses:

DMCP 160SI: Fundamentals of Integrated Science

DMCP 160SL: Integrated Science Lab Careers

DMCP160SM: Introduction to the Scientific Method

DMCP 160SR: Science Research

DMCP 160SW: Writing for Science

Applied Learning in Teams: Community Research Projects

Teams based on 5 Dynamics™ Learning/Working Styles

Grant funded by National Science Foundation (ATE), Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the James Irvine Foundation and the David and Lucille Packard Foundation

http://academyforcollegeexcellence.org

Budget cuts mean no new courses, many courses cut Must find way to integrate new materials into established curricula of existing

“uncuttable” courses (those that meet general education/transfer requirements or existing certificates) unless outside funding is found

Institutional and contractual barriers to interdisciplinary teaching create hurdles for engagement from diverse faculty

Lack of sustainability infrastructure, personnel or funding Large percentage of students report challenges to academic success (see

“Preliminary Results” section, Table 1)

Cabrillo College EILS Strategies Presentations during faculty/staff development weeks: Feb ‘11, Aug ‘11, Feb ‘12 Offered “mini-grants”: request for proposals to all faculty May ‘11, Aug ‘11, Feb ‘12

Low response – faculty reluctant to invest time and effort Next Steps:

Workshop during faculty/staff development week August 2012 Expand online Faculty Inquiry Network for Sustainability Curriculum Offer small stipend and meals for monthly workshop participation Fall 2012 Talk individually with faculty who might design and/or implement curriculum

modules for courses that will be taught 2011-12 Make suggestions and offer options for involvement

Research other curriculum through AASHE & NSF for possible use at Cabrillo Forge stronger connections with UCSC, SJSU and other institutions Pursue and promote Cooperative Work Education Experience sustainability

projects for Cabrillo students (similar to IDEASS and STEEP Energy Interns)

Main Campus

Aptos

Watsonville

Center

These courses were designed to incorporate engaged interdisciplinary learning in sustainability. They have not been offered in 2011-12 or 2012-13 due to budget constraints at Cabrillo College.

ANTHROPOLOGY 19G: Surviving the Future: The (Re)Emergence of Sustainable Cultures

Human Arts and Social Sciences Division

Designed and taught by Michelle Merrill as one-unit course with engaged, interdisciplinary student team projects in Sp08, Fa08, Sp09, Sp10, Sp11. Officially accepted expansion to two-unit curriculum.

DMCP 116C: Advanced Digital Management: Leadership and Sustainability

Business, English and Language Arts Division

Originally designed and taught by Michelle Merrill Spring ’05 as a second-semester ACE course. Now in revisions with curriculum committee.

ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES 50: Local Sustainability Research and Solutions

Natural and Applied Sciences Division

Officially accepted curriculum, but has not yet been offered due to budget limitations. Specifically designed by Karen Groppi and Michelle Merrill for engaged, interdisciplinary student team projects.

As part of the EILS grant projects at Cabrillo, students in classes using material from SEED or other activities related to sustainability participated in assessment. Several classes used the Sustainability Confidence Survey (provided by Tamara Ball, UCSC) for comparative data. A majority of Cabrillo students in these classes reported some academic success challenges due to personal circumstances. Results showed that

over 60% of students responding “Yes” or “No” to the question about academic challenges said “Yes” (Table 1). One other consistent result across classes is that students reported slightly lower confidence about working in a team after completing a team project than at the start of a class (Figures 2, 3).

Table 1. Student Responses to “Do you feel that your academic success has been or is now challenged by personal circumstances (personal, financial, health, family etc.)?”

In Fall 2011, Michelle Bliesner used a modified version of the SEED “Coltan: The Social Side of Life Cycle Analysis” lab, combined with some of the instructions and commodities listed in the teacher manual for the book, Cultural Anthropology: A Problem-Based Approach by Richard H. Robbins and a few commodities suggested by students. Commodities researched by students in the two sections taught are listed in Table 2. The team research projects tied into the course readings, films and discussions about globalization and “progress” in under-developed countries; the increasing demand for certain commodities has had negative consequences, particularly on citizens of under-

developed countries where the raw materials are extracted and the commodities are produced. The project also tied into discussions about how culture can affect our decisions about purchasing commodities and the importance of individuals making informed decisions about the products they purchase and use and how they dispose of them. All students were asked to complete Sustainability Confidence Surveys early in the semester, and again at the end of the semester (Figure 3). Results were compiled and analyzed with assistance from Sky Smith and Grant Harrison.

ANTHR1

Spr ‘12

Yes

ANTHR1

Spr ‘12

No

ANTHR2

Fall ‘11

Yes

ANTHR2

Fall ‘11

No

ENGL 2

Fall ‘11

Yes

ENGL 2

Fall ‘11

No

OVERALL

Yes

OVERALL

No

# Before 29 18 35 13 n/a n/a 64 31

# After 22 13 35 15 16 17 73 45

% Before 62% 38% 73% 27% n/a n/a 67% 33%

% After 63% 37% 70% 30% 48% 52% 62% 38%

Table 2. Commodities studied by 4-6 person teams in Michelle Bliesner’s ANTHR 2 sections Fall ‘11.

commodities studied in both classes

commodities studied in one of the two classes

T-shirts Make-up Coffee Greeting cards Bottled water Cell phones

Cut flowers (no students in second class chose it) Beer (selected by absent students in first class) Hybrid batteries (selected by students in second class) Feather hair extensions (selected by absent students in second

class)

ANTHR2: Introduction to Cultural Anthropology EILS through Life Cycle Analysis (LCA)

Figure 3. Mean scores from the Sustainability Confidence Surveys completed by students in Michelle Bliesner’s ANTHR2 sections Fall ‘11.

Science, Technology & Energy: Expanding Potential (STEEP) Natural and Applied Sciences Division

Energy Academy & Energy Internships

Funded by National Science Foundation (DUE, NSF #0757114)

Project and team-based and service learning

Team Projects have included:

Energy Conservation videos

Building Energy Bikes for use at high schools

Energy Fair: project demonstrations and education http://cabrillosteep.org

http://www.cabrillo.edu/academics/construction/

relevant components

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ANTHROPOLOGY 17: Global Perspectives of Food and Culture* y y n n n 44

ANTHROPOLOGY 19G: Surviving the Future: The (Re)Emergence of Sustainable Cultures* n y n y y 44

CAREER WORK EXPERIENCE EDUCATION 99G: Sustainability Assessment† y y y y y 8

DIGITAL MANAGEMENT CAREER PREPARATION 112: Fundamentals of Digital Management y n n y y 120

ENGLISH 2: Composition and Critical Thinking (emphasis on Environmental Ethics) y y y n n 29

ENGINEERING 25: Graphics and Design y n n y y 30

ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES 50: Local Sustainability Research and Solutions‡ y y y y y ‡

HORTICULTURE 162AA-AD: Organic Food Production y y n y y 60

HORTICULTURE 162PC: Introduction to Permaculture y y n ? y ◊

HORTICULTURE 175: Sustainable Landscaping y y n n n 30

HEALTH SCIENCES 24: Environmental Health n y n n n 40

OCEANOGRAPHY 20: Costal Environmental Monitoring: Field Studies in Oceanography* y y n ? ? 30

PHILOSOPHY 16: Contemporary Moral Issues n y n n n 45

SOCIOLOGY 9: Global Society and Culture n y n n n 50

Some other Cabrillo College courses with potential for interdisciplinary

work in sustainability

*Not offered 2011-12 or 2012-13 due to budget cuts (see below)

†Cooperative Work Education Experience (similar to independent study – students choose applied projects)

‡ Officially accepted curriculum, but has not yet been offered due to budget limitations (see below)

◊ Will be first offered Fall 2012

Unavailable Courses designed for EILS in STEM and Other Disciplines

In Summer 2011, Karen Groppi and Sue Tappero asked students to write a response to the questions "What is sustainability? What does it mean to be sustainable?" at the beginning and at the end of the Academy. Results were compiled, coded and compared with assistance from Sky Smith and Grant Harrison. Grant and Sky scored student responses independently for quality and accuracy (Figure 5), and checked whether each one mentioned specific topics (Figure 6). To reduce bias, Sky entered the original responses onto the spreadsheet. Responses were then randomized. Grant and Sky scored all of the responses without seeing what the other had scored, and a period of one week was

allowed between Sky’s entering of the responses and Sky’s scoring to reduce the potential for biased scoring. After comparing their two sets of scoring results, they noted discrepancies. Michelle checked all entries with marked discrepancies, scored those herself, and then averaged the scores while blind to whether the response was from the “before” or “after” set.

2.2

2.3

2.4

2.5

2.6

2.7

2.8

2.9

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before after

Mean Quality Rating (1=poor ... 5=excellent)

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90%

systems

renewable resources

recycling

pollution/environmental degredation

impact

energy

conservation

community

biodiversity

Percent of Responses Mentioning...

Before

After

STEEP Summer Energy Academy: Sustainability Definitions

Figure 5 . Mean accuracy and quality score of student responses to the prompt "What is sustainability? What does it mean to be sustainable?"

Figure 6. Percent of student responses to the prompt "What is sustainability? What does it mean to be sustainable?" that included specific topics..

2.9 3 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6

use numeric data and quantitative reasoning to solve problems or evaluate impacts.

identify relevant social, political or environmental issues, when defining a problem.

identify relevant technical requirements when defining a problem.

use scientific language and terminology to explain a problem or solution.

figure out/analyzing what data/observations mean.

figure out what data/observations to collect and how to collect them.

find a solution to a problem that integrates technical, scientific, social, political, environmental and economic considerations.

define indicators to predict and/or measure outcomes and impacts.

work effectively in a group.

English2 Fa11: Mean Scores for "I am confident in my ability to..." Statements (1=Not at all confident... 5=Absolutely confident)

Elissa Wagner has offered a special section of English 2 devoted to Environmental Ethics for several years. This class includes a requirement to perform sustainability or animal-welfare related community service.

In Fall 2011, students were asked to complete Sustainability Confidence Surveys at the end of the semester (Figure 4). Results were compiled and analyzed with assistance from Sky Smith and Grant Harrison.

ENGLISH 2: Composition and Critical Thinking (emphasis on Environmental Ethics)

Figure 4 . Mean scores from the Sustainability Confidence Surveys completed by students at the end of Elissa Wagner’s ENGLISH2 Environmental Ethics section Fall 2011.

ANTHR1: Introduction to Biological Anthropology - EILS through Life Cycle Analysis (LCA)

Modified versions of the SEED “Coltan: The Social Side of Life Cycle Analysis” lab were used in Michelle Merrill’s Anthr1 classes, for teams of up to seven students. In Fall 2011, students in both an online-only section and a “Web-enhanced” (traditional, face-to-face lecture) class were offered the option to join teams investigating coltan LCA, or teams doing an evolution-simulation project (“Create-a-Critter” – originally developed by Jim Funaro). In Spring 2012, three “Web-enhanced” sections were offered choices of LCA team projects (coltan, bushmeat, palm oil or tropical wood products) or evolution-simulation team projects (enhanced to include specific questions about ecological roles and relationships) . Very little class time could be spared in the traditional lecture class due to curriculum constraints, so students used online tools (Blackboard Course Management Software) and made their own arrangements to work directly with peers, aside from a few minutes to connect at the end of some lectures, and 7-10 minute team presentations during the final class meeting. All students were asked to complete Sustainability Confidence Surveys on Blackboard early in the semester, and again at the end of the semester.

Results for Spring 2012 Anthr1 classes (Figure 2): There were 108 students by the end of the three class sections this semester, but the majority did not complete surveys. Overall, there was very little difference in reported confidence levels for all questions in the pre (N = 50 to 52 per question) and post surveys (N = 32 to 34), though average confidence levels were actually higher in the pre survey than in the post survey for all students combined (one-tailed T-tests, no significant differences). Compared to students who completed the evolution simulation (N = 13 to 14), students who completed an LCA project (N=18) reported higher average confidence on all questions except “…work effectively in a group” on their post-course surveys. Students on LCA project teams also had a higher average for “…figure out/analyze what data/observations mean,” and “…use scientific language and terminology to explain a problem or solution,” compared to the class pre-survey averages, but these differences were not significant (one-tailed T-tests, no significant differences). Fall 2011 results have not yet been analyzed.

2.4 2.6 2.8 3 3.2 3.4 3.6 3.8 4 4.2

use numeric data and quantitative reasoning to solve problems or evaluate impacts.

identify relevant social, political or environmental issues, when defining a problem.

identify relevant technical requirements when defining a problem.

use scientific language and terminology to explain a problem or solution.

figure out/analyzing what data/observations mean.

figure out what data/observations to collect and how to collect them.

find a solution to a problem that integrates technical, scientific, social, political, environmental and economic considerations.

define indicators to predict and/or measure outcomes and impacts.

work effectively in a group.

ANTHR1 Sp12: Mean Scores for "I am confident in my ability to..." Statements (1=Not at all confident... 5=Absolutely confident)

Pre Post Evolutionary Sim Post LCA

Figure 2. Mean scores from the Sustainability Confidence Surveys completed by students in Michelle Merrill’s ANTHR1 sections Spring 2012.

Figure 1. Cabrillo student ethnic diversity reported 2010 (data from Planning and Research Office)