Curriculum Initiatives
| Curriculum Initiatives showcase some of the work that is being done as part of our courses to ensure our students are sustainability literate. Curriculum Initiatives are being implemented in various disciplines, at various levels.
If you are a lecturer looking to apply the concept to your module, these could inspire you! |
Have you had experience of sustainability initiatives as part of your course? Have you implemented a sustainability initiative in one of your courses/modules? Do you know of any such initiative at Kingston University?
We are always looking for more case studies so please get in touch!
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Faculty: Faculty of Science, Engineering and Computing (SEC) Courses: GGE, Design, Built Environment and Law Masters students Project Leader: Andrew Swan, School of Geography, Geology and the Environment (GGE) Students undertake real-world, real -time environmental audits for local SMEs and charities as part of their "Sustainable Environmental Management" studies. Thus they gain valuable employment skills and experience while the host companies gain a free audit. The initiative originated as a Positive Environment Kingston volunteer project and then was developed into a module for GGE students. In 2010 this module was expanded to include Design, Built Environment and Law Masters students using funding from a Higher Education Authority (HEA) grant |
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Faculty: Faculty of Science, Engineering and Computing (SEC) Courses: Motorcycling Engineering Project Leader: Paul Brandon, Mechanical & Automotive Engineering A group of final year students from the Faculty of Engineering at Kingston University were set the task of designing and building an electric motorbike to compete in the Isle of Man TTX Grand Prix (June 2009) - the first ever Zero Emissions Grand Prix. They had just 7 months in which to achieve this goal. The student team which was supervised by the Field Leader in Motorcycle Engineering (Paul Brandon) worked on several lightweight, efficient and innovative design solutions for Zero Emissions motorbikes and after evaluation of viable alternatives the decision was taken to develop an electric solution. The technology developed being easily upscalable to four wheeled vehicles, which could be used as green inter campus transport. Following the preliminary testing on the chassis dynamometer at Kingston, the team took the bike to the Isle of Man for its last program of road testing and finally watched it compete with bikes from around the world. |
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Faculty: Faculty of Science, Engineering and Computing (SEC) Courses: BSc students Project Leader: Ros Taylor, School of Geography, Geology and the Environment (GGE) Students are given the opportunity to experience the world of work in this final year undergraduate module "Sustainability at Work". They undertake to work shadow the sustainability manager (or equivalent) of a large commercial, local government, or charitable organisation and to reflect on the procedures for, and barriers to, implementation of in-house sustainability practice and sustainability practice in external commercial or equivalent operation. They research and present the findings of an agreed theme beneficial to the organisation’s sustainable development. |
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Faculty: Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences Courses: PGCE and BA students Project Leader: Andrew Powell, School of Education Andrew Powell, has set up a new project based in South West Uganda to build and develop a Teachers and Community Centre. This follows several years of visits by students and some staff from the School of Education to volunteer in Schools in this part of Uganda. There are Kingston students going to Uganda this July. The aim is to use the Centre for visiting staff and students and to provide a much needed community centre resource. The initiative originated from Andrew's own interests and research in Global Citizenship. |
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Faculty: Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture Course: Product and Furniture Design BA Course Leader: Simon Maidment Level: 3rd Year As part of this module, groups of students were asked to identify a worl-wide problem and then try to design a creative and meaningful solution to it. Student Arran Evans chose to address society's dependance on oil-based plastics with imagination and humour. |
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Faculty: Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Course: TBC Politics And Television & New Broadcasting Media Television & Video Technology And Television & New Broadcasting Television & New Broadcasting Media With Film Studies Media Technology And Television & New Broadcasting Media Level: 2nd Year Module leader: Fleeta Chew Siegel As part of this module, groups of students were instructed to produce a film on a topic of their choice. Fayola Douglas, Jerome Bernard, Kyle Gibaut and Tunji Abijoh picked the issue of climate change. The video they put together is in the form of a News Report and looks at people's opinions and future weather aspects of the scientific phenomenon in a fun way. The video features Dr Ros Taylor, Director of the Sustainability Hub. |
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Faculty: Faculty of Science, Engineering and Computing (SEC) Course: Construction Management BSc and Civil Engineering BSc Level: Final Year Module leader: Dr Keith Shepherd As part of this module, site visits are organised on Thames Water sites. In 2009/2010, the students were taken to the local (Hogsmill) Sewage Works. The module leader says the students are always surprised to fnd that these works collect and use the methane gas in a Combined Heat and Power (CHP) plant. |
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More Curriculum Sustainability Initiatives to come... Watch this space! |
Handbook of Sustainability Literacy
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