During its second year, the Duke Climate and Sustainability Teaching Fellows (CAST) program welcomed 11 faculty from Duke and Duke Kunshan University (DKU) into the program. CAST helps instructors redesign courses to integrate climate and sustainability concepts into their teaching using a systems thinking approach that emphasizes the interconnected nature of global challenges. The new cohort of CAST faculty represented a wide range of fields, ranging from chemistry and public policy to French, Chinese studies, medicine and global health. Two DKU faculty joined the cohort, revising a course in urban informatics and sustainability design as a result.
Launched in 2023 with gifts from Mike and Karen Stone and Jeff and Laurie Ubben, CAST aims to expand the presence and quality of climate and sustainability-related education across disciplines. Faculty fellows received guidance on embedding hands-on learning and active pedagogies such as collaborative projects, service-learning and role-playing into their teaching.
Staff from Learning Innovation & Lifetime Education and the Office of Climate and Sustainability supported fellows with training in student-centered approaches beyond traditional lectures. Sandra Valnes Quammen, a senior lecturer in linguistics and inaugural fellow, co-led the program. CAST is helping weave climate and sustainability into the fabric of teaching and learning at Duke and DKU. READ MORE.
Group photo of the recent CAST fellows.