Jane Teranes Climate Change Education Requirement
Jane Teranes Climate Change Education Requirement
Summary - They've Got to be Carefully Taught
Here are the key points about UCSD's new undergraduate climate change education requirement:
1. It's called the Jane Teranes Climate Change Education Requirement (JTCCER).
2. It will apply to all first-year students entering UCSD in Fall 2024 or later. Transfer students are exempt initially.
3. Students must take one quarter-long course approved to fulfill the requirement.
4. The requirement does not increase the total number of courses required for graduation. Courses fulfilling this requirement can overlap with other requirements like general education, major/minor requirements, or the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion requirement.
5. Courses must have at least 30% of content focused on climate change topics, covering at least two of four components: scientific underpinnings, humanistic/social dimensions, climate solutions, and project-based learning.
6. The undergraduate colleges have committed to offering courses in their programs to help launch the requirement while departments develop more courses over time.
7. The requirement will be assessed after 5 years to determine if changes are needed.
Impact on degree requirements:
- It should not increase time-to-degree for most students since courses can overlap with existing requirements.
1. It's called the Jane Teranes Climate Change Education Requirement (JTCCER).
2. It will apply to all first-year students entering UCSD in Fall 2024 or later. Transfer students are exempt initially.
3. Students must take one quarter-long course approved to fulfill the requirement.
4. The requirement does not increase the total number of courses required for graduation. Courses fulfilling this requirement can overlap with other requirements like general education, major/minor requirements, or the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion requirement.
5. Courses must have at least 30% of content focused on climate change topics, covering at least two of four components: scientific underpinnings, humanistic/social dimensions, climate solutions, and project-based learning.
6. The undergraduate colleges have committed to offering courses in their programs to help launch the requirement while departments develop more courses over time.
7. The requirement will be assessed after 5 years to determine if changes are needed.
Impact on degree requirements:
- It should not increase time-to-degree for most students since courses can overlap with existing requirements.
- It adds a new graduation requirement but does not add to the total number of courses needed.
- Students will have flexibility in how they fulfill it - through college courses, general electives, or courses in their major/minor.
- Departments/programs will need to develop or modify courses to meet the requirement criteria over time.
The goal is to ensure all UCSD undergraduates gain knowledge about climate change while minimizing impact on their degree progress.
Limited Elective Courses (Engineering, etc.)
There is concern about students in majors with limited electives. The workgroup that developed this requirement did consider this issue, particularly for engineering students. Here's how they addressed it:
1. No additional courses: The JTCCER is designed to not add to the total number of courses required for graduation. It can be fulfilled by courses that also meet other requirements.
2. College courses: The undergraduate colleges have committed to offering courses that fulfill this requirement within their required programs, at least for the first few years. This provides an option for students in majors with limited electives.
3. General Education overlap: The requirement can be fulfilled through courses that also meet general education requirements, which all students, including those in engineering and sciences, must take.
4. Major-specific courses: The workgroup encourages departments to develop courses within majors that meet this requirement. However, they noted that engineering currently has few such courses.
5. Flexibility in timing: Students can fulfill this requirement at any point in their undergraduate career, allowing them to fit it in when their schedule allows.
6. 5-year review: The requirement will be assessed after 5 years, which will include evaluating its impact on different majors.
Despite these considerations, it could still pose challenges for some students. The workgroup noted that engineering students, in particular, may initially have to rely on college courses or general education requirements to fulfill this requirement. This suggests that students in majors with limited electives may indeed have fewer options for fulfilling this requirement, at least in the short term.
The 5-year review will be crucial in assessing whether this requirement is unduly burdening certain groups of students and if adjustments need to be made.
1. No additional courses: The JTCCER is designed to not add to the total number of courses required for graduation. It can be fulfilled by courses that also meet other requirements.
2. College courses: The undergraduate colleges have committed to offering courses that fulfill this requirement within their required programs, at least for the first few years. This provides an option for students in majors with limited electives.
3. General Education overlap: The requirement can be fulfilled through courses that also meet general education requirements, which all students, including those in engineering and sciences, must take.
4. Major-specific courses: The workgroup encourages departments to develop courses within majors that meet this requirement. However, they noted that engineering currently has few such courses.
5. Flexibility in timing: Students can fulfill this requirement at any point in their undergraduate career, allowing them to fit it in when their schedule allows.
6. 5-year review: The requirement will be assessed after 5 years, which will include evaluating its impact on different majors.
Despite these considerations, it could still pose challenges for some students. The workgroup noted that engineering students, in particular, may initially have to rely on college courses or general education requirements to fulfill this requirement. This suggests that students in majors with limited electives may indeed have fewer options for fulfilling this requirement, at least in the short term.
The 5-year review will be crucial in assessing whether this requirement is unduly burdening certain groups of students and if adjustments need to be made.
A knowledge of climate change is required of all candidates for a Bachelor’s degree who are admitted to UC San Diego as a first-time, first-year student in Fall 2024 or thereafter.
About the Jane Teranes Climate Change Education Requirement
The establishment of this new graduation requirement for incoming first-year students, beginning fall 2024, is designed to empower our students with the knowledge and skills needed to confront the urgent global challenge of climate change. UC San Diego has long been a leader in climate change research. The JTCCER builds upon the faculty’s commitment by expanding educational engagement with climate change across a range of disciplines and responds to the growing demand by undergraduates for climate-related courses and content.
Starting with the first-year student cohort entering in fall 2024, candidates for the Bachelor’s degree will be required to complete a one-quarter course approved by the Academic Senate to fulfill the JTCCER.
A few important notes:
- The JTCCER does not increase the number of courses required for graduation. Many courses approved to satisfy the JTCCER overlap with existing general education or Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion courses, as well as courses that apply to major and minor requirements.
- Incoming transfer students are exempt from completing the JTCCER. We will explore applying the requirement to transfer students in the future.
- Satisfaction of the JTCCER does not apply to students matriculated prior to Fall 2024. Students not subject to the requirement, but interested in climate change are welcomed and encouraged to enroll in one of these courses but are not required to do so. The list of currently approved courses can be [found here].
See campus announcement for more info: https://adminrecords.ucsd.edu/Notices/2023/2023-11-16-3.html
Current List of JTCCER Approved Courses:
Please check the UCSD catalog for details on when courses are offered.
OFFICE OF THE EXECUTIVE VICE CHANCELLOR
ACADEMIC SENATE: SAN DIEGO DIVISION
November 16, 2023
|
|
|
|
Elizabeth H. Simmons
Executive Vice Chancellor
John A. Hildebrand
Chair, Academic Senate, San Diego Division
Chair, Academic Senate, San Diego Division
Olivia A. Graeve
Vice Chair, Academic Senate, San Diego Division
Christine AlvaradoVice Chair, Academic Senate, San Diego Division
Acting Dean, Division of Undergraduate Education
Comments
Post a Comment