Pearl Zeng is a key part of the Michigan Sustainability Cases (MSC) team, which is redesigning sustainability education through the production of multimodal, experience-oriented teaching cases co-created by students, faculty, and practitioners. The initiative aims to create an open-access, case-based curriculum that will serve as a model and resource for sustainability education globally.

Zeng has been on the MSC team since day one – in fact, she designed a prototype for what the cases would look like, came up with the preliminary assessment plan, and helped shape the grant proposal. Each case tells a story that presents a real-world problem with a challenging decision, complete with podcasted conversations with relevant actors on various sides of each issue, curated multimedia resources that provide diverse insights for deeper exploration, and interactive exercises to foster the practice of analytical, communication, and intercultural competencies.

"We hope to build experience-oriented learning that is inclusive of different learners and encourages students' active participation in the learning process," Zeng said. “Our goal is to make classes in the sustainability field more active, fun, and engaging.” Zeng credits her success in her current role to her SEAS degree in Behavior, Education & Communication.