As the new ES3 Benchmark is published we explore how changes in guidance translate into practical delivery in your programmes.
This year’s FREE online CHES Forum, on Tuesday 24th May, will be a great opportunity to hear from a range of practitioners and engage in collaborative group discussions around the strengthened focus on Sustainability and Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (ED&I) required in your programmes, along with ways to promote Employability and Entrepreneurship in Higher Education.
Speakers will present on their own experiences of embedding Sustainability, ED&I and Employability and Entrepreneurship into curricula, including student voice and good practice examples from within the sector.
Each presentation will be followed by open discussion groups, allowing all attendees an opportunity to contribute.
The Forum will spotlight the strengthened focus on Employability, Sustainability and ED&I in Higher Education that will enhance environmental science into the future.
Tuesday, 24 May 2022 – 10:00am – 2:15pm, followed by the CHES AGM (15:00 – 16:30). All CHES Members are invited to attend the AGM and the details will be included with your Forum ticket.
Programme and agenda (pdf)
This year’s AGM will be an opportunity to hear about last year’s activities, find out what CHES is planning for the next academic year, meet the Executive Committee and network with others currently engaged in teaching environmental science and related subjects at degree level.
All those working at CHES member institutions are welcome to attend the AGM. The event will be hosted online allowing all of our members, regardless of geographical location, to participate.
Please register by midday (12pm) on Monday 17th May to receive the meeting joining details.
If you would like to know more or have any questions, please email rhiannon@the-ies.org.
COVID-19 has disrupted teaching and learning across the board, requiring a never-before-seen level of flexibility and adaptability from both practitioners and students.
Join us at 10am, Tuesday 18th May for this year’s online CHES Forum to hear from a range of practitioners and engage in collaborative group discussions.
Speakers will present on their experiences of the pandemic, share success stories, reflect on elements that did not go to plan, and consider how these adaptations present opportunities for broader aspects of environmental science higher education. Each presentation will be followed by open discussion groups, allowing all attendees an opportunity to contribute.
The Forum is free to attend for all those working at a CHES member institution.
Our speakers include:
Dr Alison Stokes, University of Plymouth
As Vice Chair of CHES, Alison will be presenting the results of the CHES’ members survey exploring how the pandemic has impacted environmental science teaching, delivery and assessment.
Dr Naomi Holmes & Anna Hawkins, Sheffield Hallam University
Naomi and Anna will be delivering two presentations, the first exploring innovative methods for engaging students in online sessions to encourage them to find their voice, and the second presenting their experience of developing an online portfolio assessment with a range of tasks, encouraging students to engage in a variety of communication methods, learning from diverse sources and using their local environment.
Dr Rachel Dunk, Manchester Metropolitan University
Rachel will be presenting on her experience developing the Carbon Literacy for Staff and Students model for online delivery, and its subsequent national impact now that the University and College Carbon Literacy Toolkit has been shared with all UK universities, helping staff and students to become Carbon Literate.
The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way in which further and higher education is delivered in the UK. The impacts of these changes have been particularly significant for many of our accredited members as programmes have a substantial component of experiential learning, such as fieldwork, lab work, and work placements.
As the main accrediting body for FE and HE environmental science programmes in the UK, CHES has a responsibility to support its member institutions and ensure that its environmental programme accreditation continues to benefit environmental science higher education.
We have developed an online survey to understand your experiences of delivering higher and further education throughout the pandemic, including topics like blended learning, impacts on graduate employability, and how best CHES can support you.
The survey is now open and can be completed any time before 31st March 2021. The findings of the survey will be presented at the CHES Annual Forum on 18th May 2021.
COVID-19 has disrupted teaching and learning across the board, requiring a never-before-seen level of flexibility and adaptability from both practitioners and students.
With the possibility of a return to normalcy in the Spring, the conference will be an excellent opportunity to spotlight key innovations that will continue to enhance environmental science higher education after the pandemic, helping us to ensure that the past year, although challenging, has only strengthened the discipline.
We are inviting practitioners to present their experience of the pandemic, sharing success stories, the challenges of blended learning, exploring the effects on student engagement and looking at how practitioners have coped over the course of the pandemic. We will also explore the impact on graduate employability and what the expectations of environmental science graduates now look like in a post-COVID world. In addition to all of that, we’ll be exploring the opportunities that blended learning has provided with increasing accessibility and arguably the sustainability of our programmes too.
Proposals for short presentations can relate to the variety of ways in which the experience of both practitioners and students has been impacted, including:
Further details about the presentations and how to submit yours can be found here.
Submit your proposal by 28th January 2021