Empowering Education
Light-touch Manager-Faculty: Teaching a Solar Decathlon Studio View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
N Jonathan Unaka
This paper is partially a survey of various strategies and techniques used in teaching an architecture design studio for entry into the Solar Decathlon Design Competition. Faculty members who have taught design studios that entered the Solar Decathlon were surveyed and interviewed to understand adjustments to their teaching philosophies while conducting the studio. Also discussed were tools employed, such as software and representational formats. Success in the studio, and in the competition itself, was correlated with the expertise of the faculty and the strategies they employed. However, the independence afforded the learners was pivotal to managing the wide range of multi-faceted issues that competitors must contend with. Teaching strategies for design must encourage greater empowerment of learners, with an explicit transition from pedagogy to andragogy.
A Community Sustainability Project Through Service-Learning: Designing a Sustainable HVAC System for a Caring Home for Adults with Developmental Disabilities
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Serdar Celik
Service-learning relates to an educational experience that actively involves students in a wide range of activities which can benefit the community significantly. Community-based service activities offer direct application of theoretical models for students in a community setting that allows them to synthesize their knowledge in more meaningful ways. Common goals that can be achieved by service-learning include a deeper understanding of the course material, a wider appreciation of the discipline they have selected, and an elevated sense of civic responsibility. In this service-learning activity, engineering students volunteered to observe the HVAC system of Beverly Farm in Godfrey, Illinois, to improve system efficiency hence providing a more sustainable environment for the residents in terms of both air quality and energy efficiency. This was a very meaningful project for the students as the project site is a caring home for adults with developmental disabilities. As part of this project, heating and cooling systems of the building were improved resulting in enhanced air quality with reduced carbon footprint. 100% of the costs were covered by donations and voluntary service of students, faculty, and engineers from industry. This experience successfully served as a community sustainability project through service-learning.
Analysis of Campus Energy and Water Consumption to Develop Conservation Pathways Towards Sustainability
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Andres M Cardenas Valencia,
Serdar Celik,
Lynn Grinnell
This study evaluates the energy and water consumption of the Clearwater campus of St. Petersburg College to withdraw conclusions on ways of enhancing campus sustainability. The study initially quantifies the annual energy and water consumption values for the past three years, followed by determination of corresponding costs on an annual basis. In the next step, pathways for improving the campus are discussed along with projected savings in energy and water consumption. Some of the methods in improving campus sustainability addressing energy and water conservation include building insulation improvement through energy efficient windows and green roof installation, LED lighting, implementation of solar canopies on parking lots, maintaining drought-tolerant grasses, installation of water-saving toilets, and use of gray water. These ideas are investigated in terms of their costs and the resulting savings. Reduction in carbon footprint of the campus with the suggested ideas are also determined.
Diversifying Sustainability Education : Making Solutions Relevant
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Jacqueline Salmond
Education for Sustainable Development is a key goal of the SDG's and there are many ways to approach this aim. Florida Gulf Coast University was one of the few Universities in North America requiring a single sustainability course of all students prior to graduation. However, this “one size fits all” approach led to a number of issues which reduced the effectiveness of the course and conflicted with the aims of a sustainability education. Over several years faculty developed targeted discipline specific courses and in 2024 the sustainability education aims were diversified to enable a more directed and solutions-based curriculum. This case study compares the results of student learning from both types of sustainability education and makes suggestions for others considering similar avenues for education for sustainable development.
