An integrated approach to environmental education: James Madison University’s integrated science and technology program

H istorically, our educational system has not been designed to meet the demand for an environmental problem-solver who can integrate knowledge of science and technology within a social context. Yet today’s environmental problems require integrated problem-solvers who are also communicators and savvy information technologists. The existing disciplinary (i.e., major) approach of higher education tends to guide students into subject matter that is deep, yet isolated and disjointed, taught by faculty who are detached from one another, working in various departments across campus. Students rarely gain an appreciation for the true interconnection of disciplines when there is no explicit link between what is learned in a given science course and what is being learned in another class. The Integrated Science and Technology (ISAT) program at James Madison University (JMU) offers an alternative designed to develop problem-solvers who will meet the needs of an employer posting the Help Wanted announcement shown here.