Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 65.09
Liaison Joseph Kahn
Submission Date Oct. 15, 2020

STARS v2.2

Central Michigan University
AC-6: Sustainability Literacy Assessment

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 4.00 / 4.00 Eric Urbaniak
Student Reviewer
OID
"---" 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::
The entire (or predominate) student body, directly or by representative sample

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:

The following link is the survey which was administered. It includes a 23 question survey with questions regarding demographics, prior education, civic engagement, sustainability knowledge, and applied sustainability skills:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1oM3rH9T5E-i3BNXusGlB2r4D6sBzV_Y2VIuwLtLcebw/edit


A brief description of how the literacy assessment was developed and/or when it was adopted:

The Central Sustainability Fall 2020 Survey was established in order to document and assess the sustainability culture and literacy knowledge within the campus community. The survey consists of a demographics section, civic engagement section, sustainability knowledge section, applied skills section, and recommendations section. Through the annual distribution of this survey each fall, Central Sustainability will be able to measure its own impact, and create new programs and educational tools specialized for the needs of the campus community.


A brief description of how a representative sample was reached (if applicable) and how the assessment(s) were administered :

The sustainability survey was sent to the campus community through a series of emails. One was sent to all students living on campus, another sent to several campus offices, and a third sent to a representative sample of off campus students and campus staff. The 23 question survey was administered through google survey, and was open for two weeks before the conclusion of the data collection period.


A brief summary of results from the literacy assessment(s):

In summary, The Central Sustainability Campus Sustainability Survey found that 88% of responders are registered to vote, and 84% are familiar with the term sustainability. Additionally, a vast majority of the campus community recycles, and strives to adhere to best practices including using a reusable water bottle and recycling. Unfortunately, 50% of responders indicated that their prior education has not informed them about current sustainability issues, which means that Central Sustainability must continue to work with partners and develop programs to accommodate for this gap in knowledge. Additional results can be found in the link to the survey results.


Website URL where information about the sustainability literacy assessment is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

In addition to the Central Sustainability Survey, The Environmental Perceptions Post-Test (EP-PT) was originally developed in 2003 as part of a research project related to the Action Team Project assignment associated with the RPL 216: Introduction to Outdoor Recreation class. The Action Team Project requires students to identify and research current outdoor recreation and environmental issues that have an impact on the profession. Students form teams based on an issue of interest and then work together throughout the semester to ‘make a difference’ in that issue. The research project associated with the assignment has been completed, however, the Environmental Perceptions Post-Test tool was retained for Outcome Assessment purposes. The EP-PT consists of thirteen questions about the perception of students toward their individual responsibility, knowledge, and the role of citizens related to environmental issues. Students are asked to respond to a series of statements using a five-point Likert Scale from strongly disagree to strongly agree. The posttest is administered anonymously at the end of the Fall and Spring semesters after the Action Team project is completed in the RPL 216 class. At the end of the Fall 2019 semester the EP-PT had been administered for 30 successive semesters and used as part of the Outcome Assessment process for 15 semesters. Over the last five academic years, average scores of the assessment have ranged from 3.89 to 4.65 with an n=208 students on a five point Likert Scale. A copy of the survey can be found in the optional fields section.


In addition to the Central Sustainability Survey, The Environmental Perceptions Post-Test (EP-PT) was originally developed in 2003 as part of a research project related to the Action Team Project assignment associated with the RPL 216: Introduction to Outdoor Recreation class. The Action Team Project requires students to identify and research current outdoor recreation and environmental issues that have an impact on the profession. Students form teams based on an issue of interest and then work together throughout the semester to ‘make a difference’ in that issue. The research project associated with the assignment has been completed, however, the Environmental Perceptions Post-Test tool was retained for Outcome Assessment purposes. The EP-PT consists of thirteen questions about the perception of students toward their individual responsibility, knowledge, and the role of citizens related to environmental issues. Students are asked to respond to a series of statements using a five-point Likert Scale from strongly disagree to strongly agree. The posttest is administered anonymously at the end of the Fall and Spring semesters after the Action Team project is completed in the RPL 216 class. At the end of the Fall 2019 semester the EP-PT had been administered for 30 successive semesters and used as part of the Outcome Assessment process for 15 semesters. Over the last five academic years, average scores of the assessment have ranged from 3.89 to 4.65 with an n=208 students on a five point Likert Scale. A copy of the survey can be found in the optional fields section.

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