Join us! Curricular Framework Energy 101 Project Team More information Related material

EESI is working with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities (APLU) and the University of Maryland (UMD) to develop a freshman-level, interdisciplinary "Energy 101" course for colleges, universities and community colleges. The Energy 101 project is part of a broader set of initiatives being led by the Department of Energy in energy literacy and energy education. A curricular framework was unveiled on March 12, 2013.

The pressing need for such a curricular framework was one of the key findings of a June 2011 DOE summit that included faculty representatives from more than three dozen APLU member universities that offer energy-related courses. EESI is helping to engage educational professionals, energy and policy experts, students and others in a national conversation about energy by inviting them to participate in the development of an "introduction to energy" curricular framework. From this foundation, courses will be designed to meet general science requirements for undergraduate students in all fields of study. Schools that offer "Energy 101" courses based on the curricular framework will be able to create customized course modules to meet their needs. The goal is to provide today's students/citizens (and tomorrow's leaders!) with a solid understanding of basic energy principles and enable them to develop critical thinking skills that are essential to making informed decisions about energy production, energy use, sustainable development and other issues.

Course modules will be available through the DOE’s National Training and Education Resource (NTER), a cloud-based training tool that allows for content creation and sharing. With the help of APLU, EESI is looking for participants interested in reviewing curricula and modules, sharing their own energy-related curricula, providing expert advice, and piloting the model Energy 101 course.

The team has already developed a curricular framework based on energy literacy principles identified by the DOE in an extensive private/public sector process. We have set up an Energy 101 Forum on NTER to facilitate the sharing of ideas, resources, and materials and for interested individuals to post their comments. We welcome your participation! You can also email comments or questions to energy101 [at] eesi.org or call us at 202 662 1893.

Download the Curricular Framework (PDF) Recommend source materials, including energy textbooks that our team should take into consideration. Submit ideas for course modules at energy101 [at] eesi.org. Join the online discussion at the National Training and Education Resource (NTER). Spread the word about this effort, especially to those you know in the higher education community, and encourage others to contact us.

The Energy 101 project is funded by the Department of Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) through a contract with Oak Ridge Associated Universities, and is led by APLU. EESI and the University of Maryland are providing outreach, peer review, and content development.

	U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities (APLU) Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) University of Maryland (UMD)

	The Energy 101 webpage at the Department of Energy The Energy 101 webpage at APLU The Energy 101 forum on NTER The Energy 101 webcast presentation (pdf) Energy 101 webcast recording (mp4) Check out the flyer for the first undergraduate course, "Designing A Sustainable World," to incorporate a set of basic energy literacy principles (Spring 2013 at the University of Maryland)