Ideas that Matter Instructor/Course Challenge

'25-'26 Climate Change & the Individual

Climate change is a global crisis that affects our daily lives and is one of the most critical problems we face today and in the future. Instructors across all disciplines are encouraged to participate in a campus-wide challenge focused on the ‘25-’26 Ideas that Matter theme: Climate Change and the Individual.

The Charge to Instructors:

Design an activity/project related to climate change for students in one or more of your courses during the 2025-2026 academic year (including Intersession). The scope of the activity/project is at the instructor’s discretion. We encourage instructors from all disciplines to think about ways to engage students, even in courses where the topic of climate change is not normally discussed, and to explore why public liberal arts education matters to climate change and the individual. Course activities/projects focused on climate change actions, advocacy, awareness, and outreach are particularly promising. For further ideas, consider these “problems and possibilities” from the 25-’26 Common Read selection What If We Get It Right? by Ayana Elizabeth Johnson. Instructors participating in the challenge will receive a free copy of the book.

As part of the challenge, we ask that the activity/project results in 2026 GREAT Day posters/presentations/performances by some or all of the students in your course(s). This may include, but is not limited to, posters/presentations/performances in which students reflect on their participation in the activity/project.

To Participate:

  • Fill out this brief course challenge interest form by April 30, 2025 (for fall courses; November 20th for Intersession and spring courses).
  • By April 1, 2026 submit a complete entry form (forthcoming), which will ask you for:
    • A description of the activity/project to be shared via Knight Scholar.
    • A reflection on how the activity/project went (prompts will be provided) to be shared via Knight Scholar.
    • The names of the students from the course who will be participating in GREAT Day posters, presentations, or performances.
    • Optional: a representative sample of your students' work resulting from the activity/project to share via Knight Scholar (this sample may include, but is not limited to, a reflection on their participation in the activity/project).

Benefits of Instructor Participation:

  • Copy of the ‘25-’26 Common Read book What If We Get It Right? by Ayana Elizabeth Johnson.
  • Opportunity to participate in a peer-reviewed anthology published by Milne Library Publishing, that would not preclude participation in a discipline-specific journal/volume.