Welcome, Rebecca!
Welcome to Dr. Rebecca Watts Hull, who joined the Center for Teaching and Learning in January 2023! Learn more about Rebecca’s role at CTL and background below.
What Is Your Role At CTL And What Are You Most Excited About Working On?
I am the Assistant Director, Faculty Development for Sustainability Education Initiatives in the Center for Teaching and Learning. In this role I work with faculty across campus to incorporate sustainability education and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into course design, innovative teaching practices, and assessment. Grounded in Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), Georgia Tech’s model for sustainability education has a strong focus on social sustainability (equity) and community-engaged learning. To continue to carry out and strengthen this model, this new position is housed in the Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) and collaborates closely with the Center for Serve-Learn-Sustain (SLS).
How Did You Become Interested In Supporting Faculty In Teaching and Learning? What Do You Enjoy Most About It?
As a sustainability educator, the diverse roles I have held all had at their core a focus on education and action for a more just and sustainable world. In my role with the Center for Serve-Learn-Sustain over the past several years I have had the privilege of working with students and supporting instructors to advance community-engaged sustainability education opportunities at Georgia Tech that prepare young people to address pressing societal challenges collaboratively. This new role with CTL will enable me to expand faculty development sustainability education initiatives and offer more students the opportunity to engage in real-world problem-solving as they build core competencies in their chosen fields. I particularly enjoy helping faculty identify exciting—and manageable–course innovations that help students identify ways they can become change agents, in whatever way makes sense for them.
What Is A Recommendation For A Resource On Sustainability Teaching And Learning You Have For Instructors at GT?
The SLS Teaching Toolkit has a wide variety of terrific faculty, graduate student, and SLS staff-generated resources and lesson ideas that can help instructors bring sustainability into virtually any discipline. Because many faculty appreciate the opportunity to learn from each other, I’ll recommend as a starting place Instructor-Created Resources for SDG Teaching. This page was created to showcase the work of faculty who participated in the Spring 2022 “Teaching with the SDGs” Fellows Program. CTL and SLS are collaborating to expand the models provided here to facilitate peer-to-peer learning (please get in touch if you have a syllabus, unit, lesson, or other teaching resource to share!). Another great resource for faculty who are just starting to think about bringing the SDGs into their teaching is Education for Sustainable Development: Learning Objectives published by UNESCO.
What Is A Fun Fact About Yourself That You’d Like To Share?
I love to hike and would be on the trails every weekend if I could manage it! If you swing by my office sometime (CULC 457H) you’ll see some reminders of the several years I spent in East Africa. Karibuni sana (you are most welcome)!
