Sustainability Education Through Active-Learning in Large Lecture Settings: Evaluation of Four Out-Of- Class Exercises
Sustainability Education Through Active-Learning in Large Lecture Settings: Evaluation of Four Out-Of- Class Exercises

Summary/Abstract: Large classes on sustainable development present certain challenges.Often high student to instructor ratios encourage passive learningpedagogies. However, because sustainability education seeks to increaseawareness and help students shift to more sustainable behaviors, more activelearning is often prescribed by pedagogical experts. This study providesanalysis of four out-of-classroom activities undertaken by students in recentofferings of an experimental course on sustainable development taught atSonoma State University in California, USA. Those activities, innovatedspecifically for this course, attempt to increase learner centered activities inlarge classes that averaged 124 students. Analysis of open-ended reflectionsindicates that many students experienced raised awareness of sustainabilityissues. Beyond aspirational statements, student reflections and actualbehavioral tracking indicate some shifts to lower carbon food choices in justfour weeks.

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