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2017 Conference

June 21–24, 2017

Tuscon, AZ

AESS 2017 Draft Conference Session Schedule

Challenges to interdisciplinary environmental education in Canada

Friday, June 23, 2017 at 3:30 PM–5:00 PM MDT
ENR2 604
Abstract

This paper presents the results of a project examining interdisciplinarity in environmental education across Canadian universities. Within environmental education and research, interdisciplinarity is required to address complex problems in the changing world. The wellness of the environmental education community depends on the working relationships between disciplines and agreed understanding of what interdisciplinarity means. Interdisciplinarity within environmental programs has changed across the decades, yet still has challenges to address. As part of this study, a Survey was sent out to administrators and faculty (n=38) across thirty different Canadian universities.  The survey consisted of closed and open-ended questions. A thematic analysis was conducted for the open-ended responses. The respondents were asked questions such as to describe the changing landscape of environmental studies in Canada and the challenges of interdisciplinarity within universities. Results suggests that environmental studies in Canada has become broader with an expanding focus. Although a systems approach has been around for years, many respondents felt that the understanding has progressed to be more inclusive and concerned with the human element and influence. The practice of interdisciplinarity was considered to have grown to be more accepted as a practice needed to address current environmental concerns. However, some also commented that the meaning of interdisciplinarity within different academic bodies was not always agreed upon and understood. Some challenges to interdisciplinary programming in universities identified were a competition for limited resources (financial and human), tensions with traditional university structures that favour disciplinarity, and difficulties with design and management. All of these were seen to hinder the ability of programs to be truly interdisciplinary.

Primary Contact

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Simone Hausknecht, Simon Fraser University

Presenters

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Simone Hausknecht, Simon Fraser University
Title of paper

Challenges to interdisciplinary environmental education in Canada

Co-Authors

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Dr Ingrid Stefanovic, Simon Fraser University
Title of paper

Challenges to interdisciplinary environmental education in Canada

Chair, Facilitator, Or Moderators

Discussants

Workshop Leaders

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