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$2500 Sustainability PLUS Course Conversion Awards - Four Awards Available

Funded by the Green Fee

About the Awards

In collaboration with the Office of Sustainability and the Sanger Learning Center (SLC), the Center for the Skills & Experience Flags is pleased to offer four awards for proposed course conversions that support the sustainability* content of an existing course through Peer-Led Undergraduate Studying (PLUS).

The PLUS program is designed to enhance undergraduate student learning by providing a framework for peer course support that requires only a minimal time commitment from the instructor. Since 2003, PLUS has successfully optimized UT undergraduate courses by providing training and other resources to volunteer study group leaders, who facilitate discussions and practice sessions related to course content. In addition, each PLUS-supported course features one Senior Preceptor who, under the guidance and support of the SLC, oversees student-led study groups and other course-related activities.


To be eligible for a PLUS award, the proposed PLUS conversion must focus on sustainability-related issues. It may also feature campus field trips, lectures and events, data-collection, community service projects, etc. Courses may cover a wide array of sustainability topics but must meet the requirements for one or more Flags. Courses that already carry one or more flags are eligible for consideration.

*Sustainability is commonly understood to require a balanced pursuit of ecological health, social equity, and economic welfare. The pursuit of sustainability is grounded in an ethical commitment to the well-being of not only current populations, but also future generations. The concept of sustainability is broadly applicable to courses across the curriculum including topics such as environmental ethics, climate science, resource management, energy efficiency and technology, transportation and planning, as well as courses that speak to the history and philosophy of environmentalism, environmental health, environmental arts and performance, economic development, social justice, communication and psychology.

To see a list of sustainability courses, please visit the Sustainability Directory.

Submission Guidelines

Applications may come from any academic unit on campus. All interested faculty members should complete the online course conversion award application and relevant Flag proposals by January 15, 2015.

Complete the application process here:
PLUS CONVERSION AWARD APPLICATION

Complete the relevant flag proposal(s) here:
FLAG PROPOSAL SYSTEM

Requirements

The proposed course conversion must:

  • Include sustainability as a distinct and significant course component/module OR concentrate on a single sustainability principle or issue throughout the course.
  • Integrate the sustainability component with up to three Flags (Writing, Quantitative Reasoning, Ethics and Leadership, Global Cultures, Cultural Diversity in the US, Independent Inquiry).
  • Enable student leaders to facilitate collaboration outside the classroom using the PLUS model.

Applicants must also identify at least two undergraduate students as Senior Preceptor candidates whom the instructor knows, trusts and respects. Please note that the SLC, in consultation with the professor, will choose only ONE candidate for the Senior Preceptor position.

Award Structure

For each award, $1000 will be paid to the Senior Preceptor for his/her work over the course of the semester; the remaining $1500 will be given to the instructor for course modification and/or course-related activities.

Please note that award funding will not be disbursed until the selected course receives approval from the appropriate flag committee(s).

Review Committee

Course conversion proposals will be evaluated by representatives from the Sanger Learning Center, Sustainability Course Conversion Awards Committee, and relevant Flag Committees on the basis of merit and feasibility. The Awards Committee will prioritize proposals for courses that will:

  • feature inquiry-based learning activities;
  • embrace ethical complexities in sustainability issues;
  • integrate PLUS into the structure of the course;
  • and foster the development of leadership and interpersonal skills among students.