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As our understanding of complex environmental issues increases, institutions of higher education are evolving to develop new learning models that emphasize synthesis across disciplines, concepts, data, and methodologies. To this end, we argue for the implementation of environmental science education at the intersection of systems theory and service...
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... Potential avenues for further research that this paper opens up are, first, a further focus on Environmental Economics issues through the prism of methodological approaches that link disciplines such as Institutional Economics, Economic History, and Historical Political Economy, as this article does. This is actually a call for introducing interdisciplinary research approaches so as to solve various problems that are associated with the environment as authors such as Simon et al. (2013) argue, among others. In most cases, solving environmental problems such as waste disposal, deforestation, loss of biodiversity, etc. requires complex solutions and combining the efforts of scientists from different research fields, or different specializations from the same research fields, as this paper does. ...
In this paper, we present a series of environmental policies that were implemented by the city-state of Athens during the Classical period (508–323 BCE) through a specific set of environmental institutions. They included: waste management, the implementation of a recycling process regarding animal manure as well as hygiene practices. Special administrative bodies were set up for this purpose with the power to impose heavy fines to offenders, and the actual job of environmental protection was contracted out to private operators. We argue that the success of the Athenian environmental institutions should primarily be attributed to the economic stimuli that the Athenian state provided to their staff so as to perform their duties efficiently, as well as to the imposition of fines and/or other penalties if they provided subpar services. We finally provide proposals as to how the Athenian environmental policies may be seen as an inspiration for our modern societies.
... Most published examples come from business, social sciences, and education, rather than ecology or other STEM fields. The relatively few published studies on environmentally related SL (Bernot et al., 2017;Keen & Baldwin, 2004;Kellogg, 1999;Knackmuhs et al., 2017;Leege & Cawthorn, 2008;Newman et al., 2007;Robinette & Noblet, 2009;Simon et al., 2013;Tedesco & Salazar, 2006;Tucker & Moran, 2018) generally show positive student outcomes based on student reflections. Moreover, Pruett and Weigel (2020) used concept map assessments and found that short-term SL experiences may provide a useful pedagogical tool for sustainability education by increasing knowledge breadth, depth, and complexity. ...
Service‐learning (SL) is a type of participatory action‐oriented, experiential learning that connects course content with a need in the community. This type of learning is particularly well suited to environmentally themed courses as student action can have a positive impact on the environment while developing students' conservation ethics and “soft skills” required for many conservation jobs. SL was incorporated into one of two sections of an existing, junior‐level elective course in plant biology. As a service activity, undergraduates participated in the removal of an invasive species (Lespedeza cuneata) along a local greenway. We asked whether students who participated in a modest amount of SL demonstrated greater knowledge of plant biology, stronger connections to their class community, and increased self‐efficacy for environmental action than students who do not participate in SL. Data on student content knowledge, perceptions of classroom climate, and views of one's ability to positively impact the environment were collected through surveys given at the beginning and end of the semester. Instructor‐generated content questions and two published, validated surveys—the Connected Classroom Climate Inventory and Self‐Efficacy for Environmental Action scale—were used. We found that SL students showed a slightly increased sense of community with their peers, which has been found to have positive effects on learning, but not an increased perception of their own ability to be an agent of social change. In addition, SL provided an ecological benefit, assisted the local community, and created a positive example of university students giving back to the city.
... Our own experiences match the spirit of this analysis, and we believe that the case study approach is a strong pedagogical approach for teaching students the competencies necessary for S-E problem-solving (Wei et al. 2015, Wei et al. 2018. A deeper analysis of this and other promising pedagogies (e.g., Simon et al. 2013) is beyond the scope of this paper but merits strong attention. Knowing that different approaches leverage different strengths, we remain hopeful that such a comparative analysis will be tackled by scholars in the near future. ...
The urgent environmental challenges we now face, from climate change to biodiversity loss, involve people and the planet, the social, and the environmental. Teaching students to become effective socio-environmental problem-solvers requires clarity about concepts and competencies needed to understand and tackle these challenges. Here, we propose an educational framework that describes what students should learn and how they should apply this knowledge to address socio-environmental problems. This framework emphasizes the process of problem-solving and is based on socio-environmental (S-E) synthesis, an integrative, transdisciplinary approach to understanding and tackling complex socio-environmental problems. In addition to identifying the knowledge, skills, dispositions, and practices necessary for S-E problem-solving at the undergraduate and graduate levels, we clarify how one draws on such competencies to inquire about problems and generate solutions for them. Our primary goal is to provide a useful tool to help guide development of curricula, teaching materials, and pedagogies for S-E synthesis and interdisciplinary environmental education more broadly.
... We needed to shift our instructional design from recall to application. This shift would promote the acquisition of scientific literacy and allow students to be more prepared for realworld environments where problem-solving skills employing multidisciplinary approaches are required (Jonassen, 2000;Simon et al., 2013;Spektor-Levy, Eylon, & Scherz, 2009). ...
... This frees instructors to become mentors/learning coaches (Eppes, Milanovic, & Sweitzer, 2012;Leonard & Marquardt, 2010) and because students participate in a cooperative and democratic learning environment, these courses, particularly when service-based, can be transformative (Gilbert, 2010). Service-based learning allows students to see the social and environmental change made possible by their work and develop a sense of civic responsibility (Simon et al., 2013). These qualities of a capstone course enhance inclusivity of marginalized students (Malcom & Feder, 2016). ...
... Students' struggles in the area of planning methodology translates to the overall program learning objectives, the lowest mastery overall being seen on Objective 3, proposing experimental tests of hypotheses. However, students' full mastery of Objective 12, their ability to establish broad significance, agrees with a central premise of problem-based learning: students gain an understanding of the social change made possible by their work (Simon et al., 2013). ...
In this study, a problem-based capstone course was designed to assess the University of Wyoming Microbiology Program’s skill-based and process-based student learning objectives. Students partnered with a local farm, a community garden, and a free downtown clinic in order to conceptualize, propose, perform, and present studies addressing problems experienced by these partners. Instructor assessments enabled understanding of student competencies, and according to external subject matter experts students demonstrated mastery of all learning objectives on the final research presentation. Community partners were completely satisfied with the students’ solutions, professionalism, and communication. Instructional diagnosis and student course evaluations showed satisfaction, engagement, and growth. Assessments enabled reflective practice by faculty and led to improvements of the capstone course and the microbiology program. Consequently, the course gained institutional support and an official course listing.
... The parallels drawn between sustainability and equity are intended to emphasize their interdependence in science education. For example, by nurturing the adaptability of communities to environmental change, we are concurrently deepening knowledge about human and natural systems [5]. ...
... In the same way that concept maps highlight non-linear interactions, causes and effects in systems tend to be circular. Systems theory has emerged as a theoretical framework that encourages interdisciplinary, non-linear solutions to complex environmental problems [5]. Systems theory reveals complex patterns and relationships that connote an ensemble of interacting parts that is more than the sum of its components [25]. ...
This study presents an ‘education for sustainability’ curricular model which promotes science learning in an elementary classroom through equity pedagogy. A total of 25 fourth-grade students from an urban, public school in Denver, Colorado participated in this mixed-methods study where concept maps were used as a tool for describing and assessing students’ understanding of ecosystem interactions. Concept maps provide a more holistic, systems-based assessment of science learning in a sustainability curriculum. The concept maps were scored and analyzed using SPSS to investigate potential differences in learning gains of English Language Acquisition (ELA) and Gifted/Talented (GT) students. Interviews were conducted after the concept maps were administered, then transcribed and inductively coded to generate themes related to science learning. Interviews also encouraged students to explain their drawings and provided a more accurate interpretation of the concept maps. Findings revealed the difference between pre- and post-concept map scores for ELA and GT learners were not statistically significant. Students also demonstrated an increased knowledge of ecosystem interactions during interviews. Concept maps, as part of an education for sustainability curriculum, can promote equity by providing diverse learners with different—yet equally valid—outlets to express their scientific knowledge.
... The results suggest that the quantity and quality of contact time with children with disabilities may be important to consider when designing and structuring SL experiences in APE courses. 1995;Simon et al., 2013). ...
Contact theory (Allport, 1954) served as the framework to investigate undergraduate kinesiology students’ attitudes toward children with disabilities after a service-learning (SL) experience. Fifty-one undergraduate kinesiology students enrolled in an adapted physical education (APE) course served as the experimental group, and 31 undergraduate kinesiology students enrolled in an introductory kinesiology course served as the control
group. The Attitudes Toward Disabled Persons Scale–Form A (Yuker, Block, & Younng, 1970) was administered at three different times: before, during, and after the SL. A mixed-design ANOVA revealed that there were no statistically significant main or interaction effects for gender, group, and time on the attitude scores of kinesiology students toward children with disabilities. The results suggest that the quantity and quality of contact time with children with disabilities may be important to consider when designing and structuring SL experiences in APE courses.
... This approach integrated into pedagogy mirrors the broader recognition that the Earth's most urgent problems will only be effectively solved using interdisciplinary approaches (Fortuin, 2011). When systems theory is coupled with service learning and students share their research with community members or stakeholders, they gain skills in communicating both within and outside of the field as well as further environmental awareness and a sense of civic responsibility (Simon et al, 2013). In fact, the work of Tarrant et al. (2014) shows that combining abroad travel with academic study allows for increased achievement of global and environmental citizenship learning outcomes (LOs). ...
The University of Wyoming Ski Team is a unique program that integrates scholarship and environmental and social justice into a quilt of athleticism. In 2015, we were asked to be the sole Nordic ski representatives of the USA at the World University Games in Štrbské Pleso, Slovakia. To accompany competition, we designed a hybrid course employing action learning, problem-based learning and systems theory. Centered on the uncertain future of Nordic skiing due to climate change, student athletes wrote an innovative grant proposing on-site projects to quantify the carbon footprint of our team, calculate the carbon offsets needed to defray the team's emissions, collect community perspectives regarding the Games and analyze the accumulation of ski wax in the snow. Prior to traveling abroad, curriculum centered on environmental and fitness-affecting impacts of climate change. On site, athletes collected data while, at the same time competing and interacting with international competitors and writing reflectively in a journal and blog. Upon returning to the States, the students presented orally and wrote a research summary. Students mastered a majority of twelve learning outcomes, earned praises from stakeholders and underwent transformational learning. The course syllabus, rubrics and student work can be accessed at
... Service-learning as a pedagogy is being adopted and researched across many disciplines, for example, see Amerson (2012) in nursing; Brescia, Mullins, and Miller (2009) in instructional technology;Cadwallader, Atwong, and Lebard (2013) in marketing; Calvert, Kurji, and Kurji (2011) in accounting;Caro, Lirette, and Yest (2013) in business; Davis and Finelli (2007) in engineering; Desmond and Stahl (2011) in human services; Eudey (2012) in women's and gender studies; Frank, Omstead, and Pigg (2012) in correctional education; Garcia-Contreras, Faletta, Krustchinsky, and Barnes (2013) in mathematics education; Kearney (2013) in pharmacy; Kesten (2012) in teacher preparation; Lowery (2007) in statistics; Mink and Twill (2012) in social work; Ogeyik and Guvendir (2009) in foreign language learning; Simon, Yack, and Ott (2013) in public administration; Simon, Wee, Chin, Tindle, Guth, and Mason (2013) in environmental sciences; Sterling (2007) in interior design; VanDette (2010) in literature studies; and Videtic (2009) in fashion design and merchandising. Allowing that the disciplines have their own specific subject-matter, structures of knowledge, goals and purposes, methods of inquiry, and ultimate questions, what is the specific impact of service-learning in each of these disciplines, and what particular service-learning practices best support retention as well as the knowledge tradition in them? ...
This review of recent literature examines the research on the impact of service-learning on student retention. The theoretical framework of the review draws on both Tinto’s model of student attrition and Knowles’s theory of adult learning, which together suggest that academic and social integration, active participation and engagement in learning, and application and relevancy of the subject-matter under study are key factors in student success. The role of these factors has been confirmed in a growing body of research around learning experiences in general and, as this review shows, particularly in service-learning experiences. Suggestions are made for how future research might expand and critically deepen this evidence and offers some implications for service-learning as a means of improving student retention.
DOI: 10.18870/hlrc.v4i2.177
... Social networks, formal or informal, are inherent in fieldwork, and there is a continued voicing of the necessity to conduct inter/multi/transdisciplinary research while, rather ironically, science seems to embrace reductionism. Still, more and more scientists from varying disciplines are realizing the important role these synthesis activities play in generating workable solutions to some of our greatest problems (Simon et al., 2013). Indeed, the social nature of fieldwork remains a formidable and positive force for science. ...
A recent special section in Science addressed "Grand Challenges of Science Education" (Hines, Mer-vis, McCartney, & Wible, 2013). Yet aside from one article focused on sexual harassment, each author left out a powerful component in sci-ence pedagogy: fieldwork. Though not necessarily the crux of learning or pedagogy at the undergraduate level, fieldwork can, nonetheless, span the gamut of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) disci-plines like biology, ecology, Earth sciences, engineering, and health sci-ences. And many instructors in these disciplines include field experiences as integral pieces of their teaching. In two recent articles that analyzed field-based versus in-class performance of over 300 undergraduates, I demon-strated that fieldwork has a strong ca-pacity for increasing both science and nonscience majors' abilities to learn complex concepts, with the added benefit of actively engaging minority and female students in science (Allen, 2011; Allen & Lukinbeal, 2011). Although grand field explora-tions certainly occurred in science's past (think Humboldt and Powell), fieldwork was often a way to validate (or not) and/or test hypotheses and laboratory-based models. In the 21st century, our grand discoveries now stretch beyond these early endeavors, encompassing deep ocean to deep space. We use amazing technology to conduct experiments like peering into the electromagnetic spectrum, mapping the human genome, studying mineralogy using scanning electron microscopy, and identifying new universes with powerful telescopes. These data and subsequent findings lead to astounding breakthroughs in science. So why, with all this technol-ogy at our fingertips, would we want to potentially put ourselves in harm's way by gathering data "in the field" and/or using it in our classrooms? In nearly every instance just listed, no matter the data's frequency, amount, or resolution, some sort of ground truthing occurred. This is as it should be, as a lack of ground truthing often results in errors and inaccuracies. Many a scientist has been caught in the midst of data misrepresentation, which could have been avoided by ground truthing. How much longer, for example, would the authorities have spent hypothesizing about potential causes and vectors during the London cholera outbreak had John Snow not went into the field and gathered data? What effect did that straightforward act of performing fieldwork have on London's—and the world's—health? In fact, the more I engage students in fieldwork, the more convinced I become that it remains a necessity for science teaching and learning. From a student perspective, based on my own classes and from swapping anecdotes with colleagues inside and outside my department, something changes when a student is actively engaged in fieldwork. They inevitably broaden their worldview, realize they can handle stressful situations, and gain valuable professional skills while si-multaneously enhancing their ability to understand their place—not just in science, but the world at large. Keeping students engaged and en-thusiastic when it comes to fieldwork, however, is not an easy task, especially when both time and money are in short supply. The economy is a shadow of what it used to be, and that includes funding agencies and monies available for fieldwork, whether part of a course or not. Similarly, with more demand on instructors to pursue research agendas, how is time made for fieldwork? When budget shortfalls occur, field trips are often the first cut from programs. But most students relish the chance to not be stuck in the classroom, and even a short field trip around campus can serve as a strong recruiting tool. As stellar instruc-tors know, teaching a subject increases retention and understanding of it, and few places offer the opportunity for stu-dents to teach—themselves, classmates, or even the instructor—than in the field. And the act of doing fieldwork implies going back to a site. While in the Ama-zon with a geomorphologist, pedologist, and botanist, for example, the philoso-pher Bruno Latour (1999, p. 74, italics in original) noticed that even as they were preparing to leave the field site, his colleagues were "also preparing to return." Serendipitously, they concluded it was necessary for an entomologist to accompany them next time so that they could pursue more in-depth research. They simply had to return. Social networks, formal or infor-mal, are inherent in fieldwork, and there is a continued voicing of the necessity to conduct inter/multi/trans-disciplinary research while, rather ironically, science seems to embrace reductionism. Still, more and more scientists from varying disciplines are realizing the important role these synthesis activities play in generat-ing workable solutions to some of
Today we live in an increasingly interconnected and global world. There is an urgent need to solve global issues. Therefore, civic education ought to go beyond local community service. "Interdisciplinary glocal service-learning" is a novel combination of different teaching-learning methods such as service-learning, glocal learning, interdisciplinary learning, and education for a sustainable development. A pre-test-posttest study was conducted on a sample of 86 students participating in an interdisciplinary glocal service-learning course with a cohort of 140 students participating in traditional monodisciplinary courses at the same level in different departments (including Psychology, Economics, Education, and Geography students). As expected, students' development of interdisciplinary competence, self-awareness, and glocal civic activism was higher in interdisciplinary glocal service-learning.
