Expanding the Living Laboratory: Enhancing experiential learning in sustainability using UBC food system assets

Hannah Wittman, Associate Professor / Academic Director, Centre for Sustainable Food Systems at UBC Farm, Faculty of Land and Food Systems
Kerry Greer, Instructor, Sociology, Faculty of Arts
Will Valley, Instructor / Academic Director, Land, Food, and Community Series, Applied Biology, Faculty of Land and Food Systems
Tara Ivanochko, Senior Instructor, Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences, Faculty of Science
Michael Griffin, Assistant Professor, Philosophy, Faculty of Arts
Susan Grossman, Director, Centre for Engaged Community Learning
Kyle Nelson, Officer, Community-Based Experiential Learning, Centre for Community Engaged Learning
Veronik Campbell, Academic Programs Manager, Centre for Sustainable Food Systems, UBC Farm
Susanna Klassen, MA Student, Integrated Studies in Land and Food Systems / Course Coordinator, Faculty of Land Food and Community
Melinda Yogendran, 4th year Environmental Sciences student; Work-Learn Academic Assistant, Centre for Sustainable Food Systems, UBC Farm
Derrick Pawlowski, 4th year Applied Biology student / 2015 Graduate from UBC Farm Practicum in Sustainable Agriculture Program

Expanding the Living Laboratory aims to optimize teaching and learning resources for sustainability and food systems education and make them more accessible across the university. The project will create flexible learning tools utilizing UBC’s food system assets across the food chain (e.g. UBC Farm, rooftop gardens, dining halls, organic waste facilities) to contribute to experiential learning opportunities related to sustainability. The project will first conduct a thematic analysis of the learning objectives of 60 courses from 12 faculties that utilized UBC Farm in 2014 for class visits and experiential learning activities. This analysis will inform the creation of new and enhanced flexible and self- guided learning tools related to sustainability and food systems, which will enhance capacity by supporting common thematic learning outcomes related to sustainability theory and practice identified by stakeholders from the Arts, Applied Sciences, Land and Food Systems, Education, and Sauder Business.

Hannah Wittman, Associate Professor / Academic Director, Centre for Sustainable Food Systems, UBC Farm, Faculty of Land and Food Systems
Kerry Greer, Instructor, Sociology, Faculty of Arts
Will Valley, Instructor and Academic Director of the Land, Food, and Community Series, Applied Biology, Faculty of Land and Food Systems
Tara Ivanochko, Senior Instructor, Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences, Faculty of Science
Michael Griffin, Assistant Professor, Philosophy, Faculty of Arts
Susan Grossman, Director, Centre for Engaged Community Learning
Kyle Nelson, Officer, Community-Based Experiential Learning, Centre for Community Engaged Learning
Veronik Campbell, Academic Programs Manager, Centre for Sustainable Food Systems, UBC Farm
Susanna Klassen, MA Student, Integrated Studies in Land and Food Systems, Course Coordinator, Faculty of Land Food and Community
Jaylin Melnichuk, Academic Assistant, Centre for Sustainable Food Systems

Expanding the Living Laboratory aims to optimize teaching and learning resources for sustainability and food systems education and make them more accessible across the university. In 2015/2016, the project conducted a thematic analysis of the learning objectives of courses that utilized UBC Farm for class visits and experiential learning activities. We also created profiles of courses, faculty instructors, and students that engage with campus food system assets. This analysis identified common food sustainability-themed learning outcomes, informing the development of flexible learning objects utilizing UBC’s food system assets across the food chain (e.g. UBC Farm, rooftop gardens, dining halls, organic waste facilities). The learning objects will be created from January to June 2016. The planned second year of the project (April 2016 to March 2017), will implement and evaluate new learning objects, and broadly communicate the availability of the objects to faculty and instructors across campus via our new online sustainable food systems teaching and learning platform.