Worldwide, there is growing interest in education using the Food-Energy-Water (FEW)-Nexus, which serves as a framework to describe and aid in addressing natural resource challenges in complex coupled human-natural systems. As this framework gains traction in informal, non-formal, K-12, and higher education spaces, educators see the potential of the FEW-Nexus to prompt systems thinking and interdisciplinary problem-solving. Implementation of FEW-Nexus-based education, however, is not without its challenges, such as lack of resources for educators on topics like effective ways to use the FEW-Nexus. Scholarship of teaching and learning (SOTL) efforts can help provide solutions to problems of practice by generating new knowledge about how and why a novel approach works the way it does. The goal of this workshop is to define new priority areas for SOTL in support of FEW-Nexus-based education. Facilitated by the director and a member of the National Collaborative for Research on Food, Energy, and Water Education (NC-FEW; https://serc.carleton.edu/nc-few; NSF-Funded RCN: ECR-EHR Core Research # 2242276), the workshop will bring together college/university educators in agricultural, environmental, natural, and life sciences disciplines who are (or would like to be) engaged in FEW-Nexus-based education with agricultural education researchers to share expertise. Recent NC-FEW work will be shared as a starting point, adding additional perspectives from workshop participants throughout. The objectives are: 1) define FEW-Nexus-based education, 2) identify and describe challenges with FEW-Nexus-based education, and 3) ideate ways in which SOTL can generate new knowledge to address these challenges. These objectives will be met through a learner-centered workshop with interactive activities aimed at generating small-group discussion and collaboration amongst participants. Participants will gain new insights into FEW-Nexus-based education to inform their own education or SOTL practice, with opportunities for continued engagement with NC-FEW beyond the workshop.
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United States