Appalachian State University
AC-6: Sustainability Literacy Assessment
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
2.00 / 4.00 |
Jim
Dees Data and Assessment Specialist Office of Sustailability |
"---"
indicates that no data was submitted for this field
Does the institution conduct an assessment of the sustainability literacy of its students?:
Yes
Which of the following best describes the literacy assessment? The assessment is administered to::
A subset of students or a sample that may not be representative of the predominant student body
Which of the following best describes the structure of the assessment? The assessment is administered as a::
Pre- and post-assessment to the same cohort or to representative samples in both a pre- and post-test
A copy of the questions included in the sustainability literacy assessment(s):
A list or sample of the questions included in the sustainability literacy assessment or the website URL where the assessment tool may be found:
see attachment listed above
A brief description of how the literacy assessment was developed and/or when it was adopted:
The first survey at Appalachian State concerning sustainability literacy was ASU First Year Seminar UCO 1200 (Contemporary Green Living) Sustainability Literacy Survey. This survey was conducted in two parts during the fall of 2010. The ten question survey was designed as a pilot survey used to access the sustainability literacy of a group of ASU freshman First Year Seminar students and is documented in our 2012 STARS report. The second was developed by the SD 3535 Outreach Skills for Sustainability class in the Sustainable Development Department during the spring 2013 semester. This survey is documented in our 2015 STARS report. Since then the survey has evolved to include faculty and staff as well as a recurring element offered to students during their thrid year at Appalachian. The survey is now housed in the Office of Sustainability and has been reimagined with STARS accreditation, the 17 UN sustainable development goals and research opportunities as guides for the survey’s improvement.
A brief description of how a representative sample was reached (if applicable) and how the assessment(s) were administered :
An email list of all first year students is generated by Office of Institutional Research, Assessment & Planning. Office of Sustainability then issues the survey tool to those on the list at the beginning of the fall semester. Three year later, that same cohort is surveyed again using the same tool. (IRAP generates a new list to account for any changes over the time period between surveys.)
A brief summary of results from the literacy assessment(s):
Students:
• 53% of students were influenced to come to Appalachian State because of its sustainability-themed majors and classes
• 74% of students were influenced to come to Appalachian State because of its sustainability reputation
• Sustainability has been discussed in 62% of students’ classes
• 42% of students either have taken or plan to take sustainability-themed courses while at Appalachian
• 96% of faculty believe it is important to discuss sustainability in higher education
Faculty:
• 68% of faculty discuss sustainability in their courses
• Most respondents who do not discuss sustainability cited difficulty relating sustainability to course content or a time pressure to cover all course topics
• Several respondents expressed an openness to discussing sustainability in their courses but were unsure how to tie sustainability into the course
Staff:
• 93% of staff believe it is important for their workplace to be sustainable
• 53% of students were influenced to come to Appalachian State because of its sustainability-themed majors and classes
• 74% of students were influenced to come to Appalachian State because of its sustainability reputation
• Sustainability has been discussed in 62% of students’ classes
• 42% of students either have taken or plan to take sustainability-themed courses while at Appalachian
• 96% of faculty believe it is important to discuss sustainability in higher education
Faculty:
• 68% of faculty discuss sustainability in their courses
• Most respondents who do not discuss sustainability cited difficulty relating sustainability to course content or a time pressure to cover all course topics
• Several respondents expressed an openness to discussing sustainability in their courses but were unsure how to tie sustainability into the course
Staff:
• 93% of staff believe it is important for their workplace to be sustainable
Optional Fields
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Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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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.