| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 76.02 |
| Liaison | Megan Litke |
| Submission Date | Sept. 17, 2024 |
American University
AC-1: Sustainability Course Offerings
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
12.97 / 14.00 |
Megan
Litke Sustainability Manager Office of Sustainability |
1.1 Percentage of academic departments with sustainability course offerings
Number of academic departments with at least one sustainability course offering:
Annotated list or inventory of the institution’s sustainability course offerings by department:
Description of the process used to identify the institution’s sustainability course offerings by department:
The Office of Sustainability sent out a survey to faculty asking them to report any classes they teach that are sustainability focused or inclusive. The survey included the definitions from STARS for the faculty to use when self identifying if their courses met the critera.
The course catalog was then reviewed by sustainability staff to identify course departments and any courses that were not found from the survey.
The survey and catalog review was for the 2022-2023 academic year.
The Reporting Tool will automatically calculate the following two figures:
Points earned for indicator AC 1.1:
1.2 Published sustainability course listings
Online location where the institution’s sustainability course listings are maintained:
Publication where the institution’s sustainability course listings are maintained:
Description of the process used to create and maintain the institution’s sustainability course listings:
The Office of Sustainability sent out a survey to faculty asking them to report any classes they teach that are sustainability focused or inclusive. The course catalog was then reviewed for sustainability related terms or concepts to identify any courses that were not found from the survey.
The survey was for the 2022-2023 academic year.
The sustainability course listings are available on the "Academics" page of the Office of Sustainability website. In the "Resources" section, the "Sustainability Courses and Research" provides a dropdown textbox that links to the listing of over 400 courses focused on or inclusive of sustainability.
The Reporting Tool will automatically calculate the following figure:
1.3 Support for academic staff to integrate sustainability into the curriculum
Narrative and/or website URL providing an overview of the incentives provided for individual academic staff to integrate sustainability into the curriculum:
The Office of Sustainability provides bi-annual workshops focused on helping faculty incorporate sustainability into any class. Resources and ideas are offered as well as examples. The workshops are incorporated into faculty-focused on-campus conferences that are offered at no cost through the university's Center for Teaching, Research, and Learning.
Does the institution host an ongoing multidisciplinary community of practice, sustainability across the curriculum training program, or equivalent support program for academic staff who are working to integrate sustainability into the curriculum?:
Narrative and/or website URL providing an overview the institution’s sustainability-focused community of practice, sustainability across the curriculum training program, or equivalent support program:
Sustainability staff are available to support the inclusion of sustainability into classes upon request. The Office of Sustainability has a ready to use lesson plan available online and hosts regular conversations for faculty to connect and share successes or ask for feedback. The sessions rotate between virtual options and in person. During the sessions a faculty member kicks off the conversation by sharing examples from a class they teach and inviting other participants to share as well.
https://www.american.edu/about/sustainability/curriculum.cfm
The Reporting Tool will automatically calculate the following figure:
Optional documentation
Additional documentation for this credit:
The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.