ENST 594.01: Local Solutions to Climate Change

International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, 2015

Purpose -This paper aims to describe experience gained with a required six-credit year-long course, the Capstone Interdisciplinary Team Project, a key component of the Master of Science (MS) in Sustainability degree at the City College of New York. A common feature of sustainability problems is their interdisciplinary nature. Solutions to sustainability problems often require professionals with different training and backgrounds to work as a team. A sustainability curriculum should provide students with the skills needed to competently participate in an interdisciplinary team. Design/methodology/approach -Instructors drawn from different departments and divisions of the college developed a pool of sustainability-focused Capstone projects and acted as mentors to teams of students with diverse undergraduate backgrounds. Students attended workshops designed to provide training in teamwork, research and report preparation. An independent evaluator designed an evaluation protocol to assess the course's impact both while it was implemented and after the course was concluded. Findings -Early experience with the program strongly indicates that the Capstone project requirement is an effective learning tool. However, identifying qualified mentors, developing suitable projects, assembling teams and administering the Capstone course are demanding tasks. Although students often experience difficulties in the early stages of their work, they ultimately express satisfaction and appreciation for the skills learned in the course. Practical implications -The inclusion of a capstone team project in a graduate sustainability curriculum is strongly recommended. Adopting such a course requires significant effort and sustained faculty engagement. Originality/value -Although there is considerable experience with undergraduate engineering Capstone course requirements, little is known about interdivisional capstone requirements at the level of master's degree in Sustainability. This paper details new and relevant experience helpful to the implementation of such a requirement.

2005

Participatory monitoring and evaluation (PM&E) offers new ways for strengthening learning and change both at community, project and institutional level. PM&E can and has been used for various purposes, including project planning and management, organizational strengthening and learning, understanding and negotiating stakeholder interests, and the assessment of project outcomes and impacts. For example, at community level, PM&E systems can serve as a tool for strengthening the local capacity to track changes, assess the effectiveness, environmental sustainability and livelihood impacts of their projects. The process involves scientists and communities negotiating and agreeing on what changes they expect from projects; what they need to do to achieve these changes; what local and scientific indicators will track these changes; and which success and failure factors need to be monitored to ensure that the projects are on track. This research project seeks to investigate whether PM&E sys...

2004

¾ The WPI P lan is predicated on the concept that project work provides an environment in which students "learn by doing." In addition to requiring disciplinary competence, WPI's undergraduate programs feature broad learning outcomes such as the ability to address op en-ended problems, to communicate effectively, to function well in teams, and to understand the societal and cultural contexts within which science and technology function. A set of required projects is central to the achievement and demonstrat ion of suc h learning outcomes. As a practical matter, we have found that problems drawn from the "real world" provide very effective learning experiences for students working in small teams with guidance from faculty advisors and sponsor liaisons. WPI students com plete two such projects --an inter active technology/society project done in multidisciplinary teams, and a capstone design or research project in the major area of study. Both of these projects are degree requirements for every WPI student.

• Multi-project programmes can serve different purposes. For instance, they may coordinate multiple implementing entities; standardise management and technical support; compare intervention approaches across different contexts; enhance leverage through joint action; or foster sustainability by building relationships among organisations.

2016

2007

The use of case studies by MBA students started with Harvard University. Harvard Business Review is the gold standard that MBA schools used. For teaching and research in International Management, Thunderbird University is the known leader. Cranfield University in UK, in conjunction with Babson College, published much work on case studies. Using these publications and the internet search, add much to the learning of global business and leaderships. The final exams using true/false questions, multiple choices or short essays, no longer worked. One of the hottest jobs today is being a project manager. Using the concept in project management: team building, constant communication and leadership, students can do real-life case studies and to complete final projects individually or in a group. Final projects were used in lieu of the final exams in accounting, business and computer courses. The retention of Accounting, Business, and Computer students/clients was greatly improved. Students/clients gained in-depth communication, interpersonal and leadership skills. They did well in New York area firms. This paper summarized final projects for courses in year 2006. Project Unlimited is the new paradigm for learning. Harvard University, Thunderbird University and Cranfield University UK have been publishing case studies for 20+ years. MBA graduates did well.

Community engagement is a form of experiential learning aimed at accomplishing tasks that meet genuine human needs in various local communities. It focuses on the execution of tasks that serve as educational and learning tools for students to acquire a number of important life skills. It is very challenging to sustain a community-based project module in an educational environment where accountability and evidence-based practice are important. The success of such a module rests to a large extent on the strength of the relationship between the faculty and the community. The successful running of the module also depends on the triad of student, lecturer and community partner. The commitment of all the parties involved in the outreach projects and in community development, in general, is of crucial importance for the success of community-based projects.