| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 67.27 |
| Liaison | Jesse Russell |
| Submission Date | Dec. 30, 2024 |
Canadore College
AC-5: Sustainability Literacy Assessment
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.58 / 4.00 |
5.1 Sustainability literacy assessment design and administration
Narrative and/or website URL providing an overview of of the instruments/tools used to assess sustainability literacy:
The sustainability literacy assessment was conducted through an anonymous email-based survey, distributed to all staff and students on December 9, 2024, with a response window closing on December 20, 2024. To encourage participation, the survey offered an incentive: a draw for 10 $50 gift cards for the Sodexo cafeteria.
While names and student/employee numbers were collected, this was solely for administering the draw, ensuring anonymity and confidentiality of the responses. The survey served as a tool to measure sustainability awareness and understanding within the institution's community, targeting both staff and students to gain a comprehensive perspective.
Our survey can be found here
Description of the institution’s recent sustainability literacy assessment findings and any notable trends:
Three Pillars of Sustainability:most participants correctly identified the three pillars as Environmental, Social, and Economic. However, some confusion exists, with a few incorrectly substituting "Technological" for "Environmental."
Awareness of SDGs: most students identified the correct number of SDGs.
Misconceptions about SDGs:there is consensus that "Space Exploration" is not an SDG, showcasing understanding of SDG categories.
Understanding of Carbon Neutrality:the was a consensus amongst almost all respondents of what carbon neutrality meant.
Cause of Climate Change: almost all participants recognized carbon dioxide and greenhouse gases as the primary cause, indicating accurate understanding of climate science fundamentals.
Threshold for Global Catastroph: Most responses highlighted the critical temperature increase range as 1°C–2°C. However, a subset identified ranges up to 5°C, showing variance in understanding the severity of temperature thresholds.
Institutional Action on Climate Change: agreement on the importance of institutional efforts to mitigate climate change suggests strong support for proactive measures.
Actions with the Greatest Impact:Reducing or eliminating meat consumption was the most frequently cited impactful action, reflecting awareness of the environmental cost of dietary choices. Some participants mentioned walking or cycling, indicating varied perspectives on individual contributions.
Were academic staff engaged in sustainability education at the institution involved in developing and/or adopting the methodologies used to assess sustainability literacy?:
Description of the process through which academic staff were involved in developing and/or adopting the methodologies used to assess sustainability literacy:
Are the literacy assessments designed and administered in such a way that the results can be used to evaluate the success of the institution’s sustainability education initiatives?:
Description of how the design and administration of the sustainability literacy assessments supports the evaluation of the success of the institution’s sustainability education initiatives:
The sustainability literacy assessment supports the evaluation of Canadore College's sustainability education initiatives by focusing on foundational and critical questions, such as identifying the three pillars of sustainability, the number of United Nations SDGs, and the meaning of carbon neutrality. Questions about the primary cause of climate change, global temperature thresholds, and impactful actions to reduce climate change measure both knowledge and personal values.
Additionally, asking about the importance of institutional efforts to reduce GHG emissions provides insights into the effectiveness of initiatives in fostering awareness and engagement. These assessments directly align with evaluating the institution’s sustainability education success.
The Reporting Tool will automatically calculate the following figure:
5.2 Percentage of students assessed for sustainability literacy
Description of the process used to measure or estimate the percentage of students assessed for sustainability literacy:
This was assessed based on the total number of surveys received.
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.