| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 76.02 |
| Liaison | Megan Litke |
| Submission Date | Sept. 17, 2024 |
American University
AC-4: Applied Learning
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
4.00 / 4.00 |
Lia
Gomez Sustainability Analyst Office of Sustainability |
4.1 Applied learning for sustainability program
List or sample of currently active/available applied learning or living laboratory experiences for students that address sustainability challenges:
AU offers several sustainability-focused immersion experiences through Alternative Breaks (Spring Break, Winter Break, and Summer) in themes of sustainable development, conservation, environmental film making, social justice, environmental justice, food security, women's empowerment, and public health.
https://www.american.edu/student-affairs/volunteer/alt-break-programs.cfm
Examples of sustainability related Community Based Learned courses:
SIS-296-002 (Fall 2024) Environment, Community, and Equity: As a part of this course, students will actively serve with a nonprofit agency or school in the DC area to apply their course knowledge. This course introduces students to social, political economic, (agri)cultural, and epistemic contexts and consequences of what are framed as environmental problems. This entails contextualizing ecological crises within histories of colonialism and anticolonialism and geographies of coloniality and decoloniality, from land defenders to water protectors. Drawing on geopolitical ecology, bioethics, and environmental justice, the class focuses on food and agricultural systems, policies, and equity movements.
ENVS-490- Independent Study Project in Environmental Studies & ENVS-492 Capstone in Environmental Studies. Students have the opportunity to apply skills and theoretical backgrounds in developed through environmental studies coursework to create independent study projects related to sustainability with guidance from environmental science faculty.
MGMT-720 Applied Sustainability Management (3) This course serves as the Sustainability Management (MS) capstone and encourages students to integrate previous course work in business, science, policy, and international issues. Students develop and implement a project to advance sustainability management in a selected business, governmental, non-profit organization, or a start-up organization they are initiating
Are three or more institutional departments or units currently supporting solutions-focused applied learning or living laboratory experiences for students?:
Are there processes or tools in place to assess the success of the applied learning projects?:
Description of the processes or tools used to assess the success of the applied learning projects:
The Community Based Learning program includes 8 required criteria for a course to count. The 8th item in the list is assessment. Evaluative feedback is needed from: (1) students, (2) community partner(s), and (3) the faculty member. The Center for Leadership and Community Engagement provides evaluation tools to achieve this criteria and requires access to this data.
https://www.american.edu/student-affairs/volunteer/cblr-course.cfm
The alternative breaks program implemented a Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) process to gain a deeper understanding of program outcomes. The M&E process complements the other evaluation efforts (which uses a google form) by focusing on feedback from trip leaders, advisors, community partners, and student participants. This approach aligns with the Break Away framework and provides a more structured way to assess and improve the program.
A robust M&E plan is critical for:
- Demonstrating program impact to stakeholders and donors.
- Identifying areas of success and opportunities for improvement.
- Informing resource allocation decisions in today’s economic climate.
- Promoting transparency and accountability through measurable achievements.
- Preserving institutional memory to ensure sustainability and replication.
The M&E process tracks key indicators, data collection methods, roles, and communication strategies to generate actionable insights. Reporting is structured as follows:
- Center for Leadership and Community Engagement (CLCE): Quarterly reports and an annual summary in July to guide program improvement and replication.
- Division of Student Affairs (DSA): Quarterly and annual updates to evaluate program impact and inform budgetary decisions.
Is there an online portal or equivalent vehicle that documents completed, current, and/or prospective applied learning projects?:
Description of and/or website URL for the online portal or equivalent vehicle that documents completed, current, and/or prospective applied learning projects:
Students use the following to find information on Community Based Learning and Research Courses and to log their hours which allows others to see what projects have happened in the past.
https://www.american.edu/student-affairs/volunteer/cbl-students.cfm
Program specific pages offer information on past projects and offerings:
https://www.american.edu/student-affairs/volunteer/alt-break-past-trips.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.