Academics & Research

Curriculum Enhancement 

Faculty Green Thread Workshop

The Green Thread Workshop is designed to help faculty learn methods for connecting sustainability themes and ideas to core concepts in their own disciplines. The hands-on workshop brings together engaged faculty members from diverse disciplines to explore ways to enhance student understanding of the interconnectedness of environmental, social, and economic issues and concepts.  Faculty from all disciplines are encouraged to participate. 

Past Green Thread Workshop participants commented that the most valuable aspects of the program are:

“The group activities, exploring different perspectives of faculty members regarding how sustainability can be integrated into courses and classroom instruction…”

“…support from the workshop presenters/coordinators on the importance of sustainability in the CSULB curriculum.”

“The exercises promoted a great collaboration of curriculum concepts and approaches that integrated all disciplines, challenging subject experts to go outside of their own expertise to synthesis other viewpoints into their way of thinking. I think it is a better approach to education.”

“Meeting others from other departments and learning how they value sustainability and apply it to their classes.”

Faculty are asked to come to the workshop with a specific course in mind that they would like to enhance, modify, or in some cases, create.  Integration of sustainability concepts and learning outcomes into courses is demonstrated through the inclusion of explicit language in the course syllabus and/or Standard Course Outline.  Courses which meet this threshold are then eligible to be included on the list of CSULB Sustainability Course offerings.

Service Learning 

Service learning allows students to connect theory and practice by working in the community —and with the community—to address on-the-ground issues. Some of the most useful and innovative solutions to sustainability challenges in our communities emerge when knowledge, resources, and enthusiasm are shared between our campus and our community partners.

CSULB’s Center for Community Engagement (CCE) is on a mission to “engage the university and community in creating a just and civil society where every member functions as an agent of social change.”

CCE helps students and faculty enrich the educational experience through Service Learning, Community-based Participatory Research, and Community Engagement efforts. Each of these strategies provides opportunities for students to become more civically engaged and personally invested in the work of building a more equitable, sustainable society.