Education

The purpose of this study was to find what knowledge the student and faculty population of Michigan State University lacked about their campus recycling efforts in order to develop an education program that focuses on addressing these gaps.

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Methods:

• Researchers, with the help of the heads of Michigan State University’s sustainability programs, developed a series of 50 questions used in interviews of 40 students and 18 faculty members.
• The questions were aimed at gaining insights about what they already knew about recycling on campus, as well as what they did not understand. 
• Mental models, or visual representations of the participants' range of knowledge about the topic, were developed to help showcase what was well understood as well as what needed to be taught more effectively.

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Results:

•  Little information was known about what types of materials can be recycled on campus, where they can be recycled, what specific benefits recycling holds, what goes into the process of recycling, and how people can reduce their waste in the first place.
• An education campaign addressing these factors should be implemented to help make students and faculty feel more comfortable participating in on-campus recycling as well as to inform them on how to do so properly.

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Olson, L., Arvai, J., & Thorp, L. (2011). Mental models research to inform community outreach for a campus recycling program. International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, 12(4), 322-337. doi: http://dx.doi.org.proxy.lib.umich.edu/10.1108/14676371111168250