Laura Fowler
Evaluation Officer, EngineeringUK
Laura has worked in the third sector for the past 4 years and has been at EngineeringUK for nearly 2 years. She organises evaluations for our programmes and enjoys hearing from young people and educators who take part. They help to inform future programme design and delivery. Laura also produces evaluation resources for other organisations to support their own evaluations. In her spare time, Laura likes reading and trying out new food spots in her local area.
6 lessons we’ve learned for embedding environmental sustainability into outreach
Our recent thematic evaluation report highlights 6 lessons we’ve learned from embedding environmental sustainability content into our outreach resources and activities. Laura's written this blog in support of the report.
Environmental sustainability involves meeting the needs of now without compromising the needs of future generations. From rising global temperatures to the growing concern over waste and pollution, environmental sustainability has become a pressing topic.
The demand for STEM skills is also growing rapidly as we work towards a net zero future. EngineeringUK has created and updated activities and resources for schools around environmental sustainability. These programmes include Climate Schools Programme, Energy Quest, The Big Bang Fair, Tackling Climate Change and more. These programmes cover topics such as climate change, sustainability, green careers, and green initiatives.
I recently worked on a report which shares the lessons we've learned from incorporating environmental sustainability into our STEM outreach resources and activities so far. I hope that these 'lessons learned' can be used by anyone wanting to embed environmental sustainability into their own outreach.
There are 6 main things we’ve learned to support you embed environmental sustainability into outreach resources and activities:
1 – Positive student outcomes
Our findings suggest incorporating environmental sustainability content into our outreach activities helped students understand the role of engineers in creating solutions to environmental problems.
2 – Environmental sustainability is an important topic for students
Embedding environmental sustainability into resources and activities helped teachers and schools address what is an important topic for students. One teacher, who was interviewed as part of The Big Bang Blueprint evaluation, said “It [environmental sustainability] feels like a hot topic. It affects the world now and what they'll [students] have as a world in the coming years. So, I feel like sustainability is such a good thing to ingrain when they are young because then it becomes common practice. I really think sustainability would be a good focal point.”
3 – Schools take a holistic approach when integrating environmental sustainability content
Make sure to link your resources with other environmental sustainability activities and the curriculum. This could include linking your outreach resources and activities to awareness days and weeks such as Earth Day and Green Careers Week, as well as extracurricular clubs.
4 – Environmental sustainability content must be regularly adapted and updated to remain relevant and engaging
Examples of what can be included in updated content are new careers, policies, and discoveries, as well as making outreach events more environmentally conscious.
5 – Students need ongoing learning on environmental sustainability
Environmental sustainability content should be designed to be integrated into students’ learning journey, rather than being a one-off. Findings suggest environmental content had an immediate impact on students. This was in terms of their understanding of how people working in engineering and technology are working towards solutions and potential career pathways they could explore.
However, to embed this learning, students need to engage with the material repeatedly and in a variety of ways.
6 – Our team who work in programme creation give advice for designing outreach programmes that incorporate environmental sustainability content which includes:
- Develop content that is evidence-based by using research, such as the Science Education Tracker
- Use the 5-step model as a guide for how to promote engineering and technology careers through environmental sustainability
- Test the content with key stakeholders, and incorporate feedback from teachers and students into the design
- Ensure language around environmental sustainability is inclusive and accessible for students by providing definitions of words and phrases.
To learn more about embedding environmental sustainability into outreach programmes, read on!
It [environmental sustainability] feels like a hot topic. It affects the world now and what they'll [students] have as a world in the coming years. So, I feel like sustainability is such a good thing to ingrain when they are young because then it becomes common practice. I really think sustainability would be a good focal point
— Teacher, interviewed as part of The Big Bang Blueprint evaluation
