Technical education for high performance in landscaping, operations, construction, and architectural design/drafting/interior design (LOCATE)

Abstract

Portland Community College’s Technical Education for High Performance in Landscaping, Operations, Construction, and Architectural De-sign/Drafting/Interior Design (LOCATE) project trains educators in the latest advances in high performance and sustainable design and practices. The project is supported by an Advanced Technological Education Program (ATE) grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF). Through externships and summer institutes, secondary and postsecondary faculty members connect with and learn from experts in their teaching fields. Back on campus, project participants integrate what they learned into their syllabi and curricula and share their training experiences with students and colleagues. The following goals guide the project’s activities:

- Improve educator’s knowledge and understanding of sustainability issues, trends, technologies, and best practices.

- Translate this new knowledge into curriculum changes so that students in a variety of technical programs are better prepared to work in fields where sustainability is emerging.

- Create a community of sustainability-focused technical educators and provide these educators with a venue for scholarly interaction and dissemination of education materials.

- Increase access to and diversity in high performance design building operations (HP-DBO)-related programs for traditionally underrepresented populations.