INTEGRATE: INTERDISCIPLINARY TEACHING ABOUT THE EARTH FOR A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE

InTeGrate, an NSF-funded center, seeks to transform teaching and learning about the Earth in higher education by situating learning about the Earth in the context of societal issues, within geoscience programs, in other majors, and across the undergraduate curriculum. InTeGrate uses a three-pronged approach to transforming geoscience teaching: work at the course scale to change what faculty are ready to teach; work at the department and institutional scales to change what faculty are asked to teach and do; and work at the communitiy scale to change values, networks, and available resources. InTeGrate capitalizes on changes already underway including those emphasizing reform of teaching practices in STEM, issues of sustainability in higher education, successful degree completion for all students, and inclusion of a broader audience of students in STEM education and careers. At the course scale, InTeGrate is currently engaging over 100 faculty in developing teaching materials rigorously designed and tested to meet InTeGrate’s goals and to employ engaged teaching practices demonstrated to improve student learning. These materials are in use at the program, department, and institutional scale as part of our implementation programs, which will serve as new models for learning about the Earth in higher education. At the community scale, the InTeGrate website, visited by more than 75,000 users last year, supports the adoption of InTeGrate goals and educational principles by providing free access to the materials, the implementation program models, and resources developed through a series of topical workshops. The interdisicplinary InTeGrate community has grown to include more than 1,500 individuals from more than 500 institutions ranging from 2-year colleges to R1 universities. Teaching materials have reached more than 7,500 students in courses such as introductory geoscience, Spanish language, sociology, economics, biology, and many others. Traveling workshops, the Earth Educators’ Rendezvous, webinars, and regional workshops are actively reaching out to interest others in this growing movement of educators teaching at the intersection of sustainability and geoscience.