Rebecca A Watts Hull

Earlier this month, members of the fall 2021 Faculty Learning Community (FLC) on Teaching with the SDGs engaged instructors across Georgia in this exciting topic through a video presentation followed by a live discussion, as part of the University System of Georgia (USG) 2022 Teaching & Learning Conference. Along with co-facilitators Carol Subiño Sullivan, assistant director for Faculty Teaching and Learning Initiatives with Georgia Tech’s CTL, Rebecca Watts Hull, a service-learning and partnerships specialist with SLS, and Mandy McGrew, education specialist, Scholarly Teaching with Kennesaw’s CETL, five instructors at Georgia Tech and four at KSU developed a workshop for the USG conference entitled "From HIPs to SDGs: Why the UN Sustainable Development Goals should be in your course and how to get started." Workshop participants from USG institutions across the state viewed a recorded presentation and then attended a virtual, synchronous session to ask questions and learn how to get started on incorporating the SDGs in their own courses.

While the conference session has ended, the video presentation remains available on the SLS YouTube channel, here. We invite you to view the 15-minute video that includes:

  • How teaching with the SDGs aligns well with High Impact Practices (HIPs) including diversity and global learning, community-based learning, collaborative and capstone projects, and e-portfolios.
  • How and why teaching with the SDGs engages and empowers students.
  • Examples that show how the SDGs can enhance teaching in any discipline, from cellular and molecular biology to information technology and chemical and mechanical engineering.

And, we hope you will see that teaching with the SDGs can inspire instructors as well as students! Here’s what some of our FLC participants had to say about their experience:

“Finding community has been hard during the pandemic, but the team GT and Kennesaw CTL managed to do just that while also facilitating our professional learning surrounding the SDGs.  Working as a team to create a presentation about our group for the USG Teaching and Learning conference really intensified our cohesion.  This has been one of the best professional development programs I have ever participated in.”  (Jennifer Leavey, assistant dean for faculty mentoring in the College of Sciences and principal academic professional in the School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Tech)

"Collectively, our work shows how SDGs not only enrich HIPs and can increase student engagement but also motivate students to see the value of their education and interests beyond their academic careers."  (Lara Smith-Sitton, director of the BA/undergraduate English Studies Program and associate professor in the English Department, KSU)

“I have been using the SDGs in a freshman engineering design course using socio-technical project-based learning for over two years now. Thanks to this FLC I had a great opportunity to share this work at a USG conference. I was glad to see the level of interest among participants.” (Raghu Pucha, principal lecturer in the School of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Tech)

In addition to Jennifer, Lara, and Raghu, the following FLC participants also contributed to the workshop on SDG course integration for the USG Teaching & Learning Conference:

  • Richard Halstead-Nussloch, professor in the Information Technology Department, KSU
  • Tiffini Eugene Jones, assistant professor in the College of Sciences, KSU
  • Ali Keyvanfar, professor in Construction Management, KSU
  • Matthew Realff, professor and David Wang senior fellow in the School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia Tech
  • Michael Best, professor in the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs and the School of Interactive Computing, Georgia Tech
  • Andrew Schultz, PhD Candidate in the School of Mechanical Engineering

Want to learn more about teaching with the SDGs? We are working with other colleges and universities to build a Community of Practice in Teaching with the SDGs to support resource sharing and peer learning. Contact Rebecca Watts Hull to learn more!