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Climate Change
in the Curriculum:
Where are we?
Where are we going?
Sponsored by the Fulton School of Liberal Arts, the Henson School
of Science and Technology and the Fulton Sustainability
Committee
Special thanks to the planning committee:
Shawn McEntee, Sarah Surak, & Marion Duval
2011 Maryland-‐Delaware Climate Change
Education Summit
http://www.madeclear.org/summit
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• SU Mission Statement:
– “Our highest purpose is to empower our students with the
knowledge, skills, and core values that contribute to
active citizenship, gainful employment, and
life-long learning in a democratic society and
interdependent world.”
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Climate Change
in the Curriculum:
Where are we?
Where are we going?
All Faculty Survey
Survey Co-Investigators:
Karl Maier, Ph.D. Psychology
Shawn McEntee, Ph.D. Sociology
Results
-Sample Characteristics• 192 responses (27 – 48% response rate; 404-684 FT & PT faculty)
• Mean age: 49 yrs (SD = 10.99)
• 50% female; 94% White; 3% African-American
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Results
-Sample CharacteristicsSurvey Response by School
Seidel
18%
Library
4%
Fulton, 36%
Perdue
10%
Henson
32%
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% of Faculty Responding by School
All departments responded
60.0%
50.0%
40.0%
FT only
30.0%
FT & PT
20.0%
10.0%
0.0%
Fulton
Henson
Seidel
Perdue
Library
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Faculty Views on Climate Change
9
Do you think climate change is or will
soon be occurring?
90
83
80
70
60
50
40
30
23
20
10
4
4
7
0 (not
at all)
1
2
2
4
3
4
9
12
12
5
6
7
28
0
(SD=2.7)
Avg =8.0
8
9
10
(very
much)
10
How frequently do you think about
climate change issues on most days?
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
2
3
4
5
(SD=3.0)
1
Avg = 4.9
0 (not
at all)
6
7
8
9
10
(very
much)
11
To what extent do you think climate
change will impact (broadly defined)
human civilization over the next 10 years?
45
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
(SD=2.6)
1
Avg = 7.1
0 (not
at all)
9
10
(very
much)
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Faculty Views on
Climate Change in the Curriculum
13
Should students gain literacy on the topic of
climate change as part of their education at SU?
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
(SD=2.6)
1
Avg = 7.5
0 (not
at all)
9
10
(very
much)
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Would you support allowing some sections of some General Education
courses to be designated by interested faculty as focused on either
climate change or environmental sustainability issues as a vehicle for
instruction, so that interested students could seek them out?
140
120
100
80
60
40
20
0
support neither climate change
environmental
sustainability
support either
15
To what extent have you devoted instructional
time/resources to climate change in one or more of
your courses so far here at SU (e.g., lecture,
discussion, assignments, examples, etc.)?
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
not at all
infrequently occasionally
frequently
courses
largely
devoted to
climate
change
16
Which of the following best describes the extent to which
you might incorporate climate change issues into one or
more of your future courses here at SU (e.g., lecture,
discussion, assignments, examples, etc.)?
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
not at all
infrequently occasionally
frequently
courses
largely
devoted to
climate
change
17
Courses so far
80
60
40
20
0
74
52
38
24
0
Future Courses
80
60
40
20
0
63
37
51
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18
To what extent has taking this survey has
increased your overall interest in addressing
climate change issues in the classroom?
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
2
3
4
5
(SD=3.0)
1
Avg = 4.7
0 (not
at all)
6
7
8
9
10
(very
much)
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How Equipped are We?
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What relevance does your
academic/professional discipline have to
the issue of climate change?
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
2
3
4
5
6
7
(SD=3.0)
1
Avg = 6.3
0 (not
at all)
8
9
10
(very
much)
21
Perceived Relevance by School
(very much)
8.00
7.00
6.00
5.00
4.00
3.00
2.00
1.00
(not at all)
0.00
Fulton
Henson
Perdue
Seidel
Library
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To what extent is your
academic/professional expertise in one or
more aspects of climate change?
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
2
3
(SD=3.0)
1
Avg = 2.7
0 (not
at all)
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
(very
much)
23
How familiar are you with the general conclusions of
leading scientific panels (e.g., Intergovernmental Panel
on Climate Change) on climate change?
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
2
3
4
5
(SD=3.1)
1
Avg = 5.0
0 (not
at all)
6
7
8
9
10
(very
much)
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How many individual scientific research studies about
climate change are you familiar with (not conclusions of
scientific panels or experts, but the primary research data
and analyses)?
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
2
3
(SD=2.8)
1
Avg = 2.5
0 (not
at all)
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
(very
much)
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Sectors/domains that may relate to the cause of climate
change or that may be impacted by climate change
16 Items
-Agriculture and Food Supply
-Astronomical factors (e.g., sun, orbits, etc.)
-Earth or atmospheric natural processes
-Ecosystems
-Emergency medical & rescue services
-Energy usage or infrastructure
-Economic factors
-Forests
-Health/disease
-National/International security
-Ocean/marine life
-Political & legal factors
-Social & community factors
-Transportation usage or infrastructure
-Vulnerable populations (e.g., the poor,
disadvantaged, young, old, or sick)
-Water Resources (fresh water)
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Sectors/domains that may relate to the cause or
prevention of climate change
-Factor Analysis Results16 Items
Transportation usage or
infrastructure
Economic factors
Energy usage or
infrastructure
Political & legal factors
Earth or
atmospheric natural
processes
Forests
Ocean/marine life
Ecosystems
Agriculture and Food
Supply
Water Resources
(fresh water)
Social & community
factors
Astronomical
factors (e.g., sun,
orbits, etc.)
Emergency medical &
rescue services
Health/disease
National/International
security
Vulnerable
populations
27
Sectors/domains that may relate to the
impact of climate change
-Factor Analysis ResultsEcosystems
Water Resources (fresh
water)
16 Items
Agriculture and Food Supply
Ocean/marine life
Forests
Political & legal factors
Energy usage or
infrastructure
Social & community
factors
Earth or atmospheric natural
processes
National/International
security
Economic factors
Transportation usage or
infrastructure
Vulnerable populations
Health/disease
Emergency medical & rescue
services
28
Sharing Information
29
If offered by the University, which of the following might
you make use of?
120
100
80
60
40
20
0
30
Indicate if you are interested in contributing to any of the
following resources to share with faculty
25
20
15
10
5
0
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Interest in using and sharing
materials/resources
-Summary• 146 out of 192 faculty would make use of
climate change instructional materials
– Average number requested = 3.4 (SD=1.9)
– Mode = 1
• 44 out of 192 faculty expressed interest in
sharing climate change instructional materials
– Average number requested = 2.3 (SD=1.7)
– Mode = 1
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Climate Change
in the Curriculum:
Where are we?
Where are we going?
• Classroom Didactics: What are your experiences with climate change in the classroom?
• Psycho-Social Considerations of Students: Given the scale of the problem, how do we
empower students to deal with climate change without overwhelming them?
• Fostering a Culture of Climate Change Awareness: How might we support student and
faculty awareness, understanding, and action related to climate change outside the classroom?
• Moving Forward: How might SU move forward in teaching students across disciplines about
climate change? What are our options?
• Meeting our needs: What resources and support would be helpful in moving forward?
http://www.salisbury.edu/fulton/FSC
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