University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

LEVENICK iSEE
TEACHING SUSTAINABILITY FELLOWSHIPS

Each year, the Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment (iSEE) offers an opportunity to join the Teaching Sustainability Initiative’s Course Development Cohort, a program targeted to intentionally grow the University of Illinois’ sustainability course offerings to all students during an upcoming academic year and beyond. Learn more about the program, available funding, and the application process below.

More information about the Fellows, including a list of current and past award winners and the courses they developed, can be found on the Levenick iSEE Fellows page. 

Program Overview

As a participant in the Teaching Sustainability Course Development Cohort, you will emerge from the program with a:

  • Comprehensive working definition of sustainability.
  • Framework for understanding the components of sustainability and how each relates to your background and expertise.
  • Set of opportunities for exploring sustainability on campus through the landscape, buildings, operations, transportation, and Illinois Climate Action Plan (iCAP) objectives.
  • Cohort of colleagues with similar goals to infuse sustainability into their teaching.
  • Stipend to be used as you see fit as a compensation for your time and effort.

 

The cohort consists of four components designed to make it as easy as possible for you to add sustainability to your teaching:

  1. Teaching Sustainability Retreat. iSEE will host a kickoff retreat in spring, at which current and prior fellows will describe their experiences teaching and assessing sustainability-related themes.
  2. Feedback and Support. Throughout each summer, iSEE will be available to provide feedback on your initial plans and course revisions.
  3. Fall Check-In. In November, iSEE will host a luncheon for members of the cohort to discuss lessons learned, things that may bear revision in the future, and plans for the upcoming spring semester. Participants reworking an existing course will be expected to submit their instruction plans around the time of this meeting.
  4. A Stipend. Faculty or instructors of record will receive monetary support for their participation in the above components and upon the end of the semester when the new or revamped course is taught.

Graduate assistants and postdocs who will be assisting with the modifications to existing courses or development of new courses are also welcome to sit in on any of the above activities.

Funding Opportunities

To incentivize the time and effort invested in the revision of existing courses and development of new courses, iSEE is offering two levels of stipend to faculty and instructor participants in the program:

  • $1,000 to those adding significant sustainability components to a course or courses they currently teach, with an expectation that this course will be taught no later than the Spring semester of the next academic year; or
  • $2,000 to those creating new courses with a sustainability focus, with an expectation that this course will be taught no later than the Spring semester of the next academic year.

To reach as many students as possible with sustainability education, iSEE is strongly encouraging applications from instructors interested in developing or enhancing 100- and 200-level courses.

Funds will be awarded after provision of final syllabus and semester of instruction.

Application Process: Closed for 2022

By applying for this opportunity, selected Fellows agree to:

  • Participate in the events above except in the case of unavoidable schedule conflict.
  • Commit to preparing and submitting a description of the course modification or creation within a week of the end of the Teaching Sustainability Retreat.
  • Provide a final syllabus, course modifications, and summary of outcomes from the experience.

To apply, instructors were asked to email iSEE Associate Director for Education & Outreach Luis Rodríguez at lfr@illinois.edu with the following:

  • Name
  • Departmental Affiliation and Title
  • Preferred email address and telephone number
  • Intended subject area of course or courses
  • A brief (100-250 words) description of how you plan to change an existing course or develop a new one that will incorporate sustainability

Applications for 2022 Fellowships closed Jan. 31, 2022. Participants will be selected to ensure a broad range of fields and backgrounds for the Cohort, and they are to be notified of iSEE’s decision no later than March 1, 2022.

More information about the Fellows, including a list of current and past award winners and the courses they developed, can be found on the Levenick iSEE Fellows page. 

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