SD Distance-Learning

In 2003 Dr. Warren Flint of Five E’s Unlimited (Washington, DC) and Mr. James Mangold of the West Clermont School System (Ohio) designed a distance-learning program on sustainable development that combined interdisciplinary curriculum content meeting State Teaching Standards with the technology of video-conferencing and web-based learning modules. The success of this program, as demonstrated by both the expanded learning achievements of the students and their personal reactions to program design, encouraged Flint and Mangold to grow the sustainable development learning program in content, enhanced integrative capacity of the curriculum, and geographically through the inclusion of other schools via distance-learning technology.

Through this program students are given the opportunity to understand what sustainability means with regards to an economically, environmentally, and aesthetically healthy world; they also become aware of the obstacles to a sustainable future for our global society. And in particular, students are informed of and provided detailed information on the state of developing countries that are of significant need for sustainable development applications on a global scale to establish equity among the northern and southern hemispheres of the world. For a listing of the topic areas for this course go to the Course Outline.

All of this is then placed in the context of their general high school curriculum, which causes them to much more appreciate their basic learning needs. Across the curriculum teaching of sustainability requires design and implementation of processes that emphasize interdisciplinary educational activities to provide students with a more "real world" view of what it means to be a sustainable society, putting in context and balancing the science, technology, and mathematics (STM) learning that underpin economic, environmental, and societal issues of concern.

Our distance-learning curriculum on sustainable development is effectively designed for easy application through web-based teaching modules and video-conferencing. The actual protocol for distance learning (teleconferencing technology, digital transmission requirements, and associated equipment) have been researched and practices established for program replication in a number of different institutional settings. During the spring 2004 year we presented a significantly expanded program to 18 high schools in Ohio, reaching more than 500 high school students. This program consisted of 12 weekly sessions (2 sessions/week) of video-conferencing on key topics related to the interdisciplinary coverage of sustainable development learning material. Each weekly session was complemented by a companion Internet-based, on-line learning module to support the material presented live via video-conferencing (check out the On-Line Learning Module Example).

Through this program design we can effectively assist you to incorporate sustainability literacy subject matter into traditional education programs. Our approach reaches across institutional boundaries and teaching disciplines in tailoring environmental education and communication approaches to the specific context of an institution's self-defined goals. We can also assist program implementation through the conduct of faculty development programs in sustainability literacy education.

For more information and how to get involved in this exciting sustainable development teaching methodology, go to our Response Form or contact Warren Flint (e-mail: rwflint@eeeee.net) or Jim Mangold (e-mail: Mangold_j@westcler.org) directly.