ERIC Number: EJ1474614
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2025
Pages: 8
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0047-231X
EISSN: EISSN-1943-4898
Available Date: 0000-00-00
Education for Sustainable Development: Model-Based Inquiry Using Composting Toilets and Microbiome Data Science in Higher Education
Jeff Meilander1,2; Ron Gray3; Josephine Gross2; J. Gregory Caporaso1,2
Journal of College Science Teaching, v54 n4 p279-286 2025
Sustainability education, as endorsed by the United Nations to address the economic, social, and environmental dimensions of sustainable development, poses challenges due to the extensive spatial and temporal scales of global issues. In this novel, semester-long project, "The Poo-tastic Project: A Deep Dive into Sustainable Sanitation with Composting Toilet Microbiology," course content was anchored to microbiome bioinformatics and composting toilets (CT) through Model-Based Inquiry (MBI) and a central driving question (CDQ). Throughout multiple iterations, student groups progressively linked course content to group illustrations and individual papers, increasing in complexity and detail with each version. This prepared them for the final group presentation, where students applied their acquired knowledge to an environmental or human health issue of their choosing. Student feedback demonstrates the value of the project's innovative course design and its ability to promote global, critical, and creative thinking. This article presents the design and implementation of the project and is accompanied by examples of student work and supporting assignments.
Descriptors: Sustainable Development, Conservation (Environment), Sanitation, Student Projects, Educational Innovation, Creative Thinking, Science Education, Biology, Data Science, College Students
Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Data File: URL: http://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.25432339
Author Affiliations: 1Center for Applied Microbiome Science, Pathogen and Microbiome Institute, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona, United States; 2Department of Biological Sciences, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona, United States; 3Department of STEM Education, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona, United States