Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 81.34
Liaison Mary Whitney
Submission Date Nov. 26, 2018
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Chatham University
AC-2: Learning Outcomes

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 5.98 / 8.00 Mary Whitney
University Sustainability Coordinator
Office of Sustainability
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Total number of graduates from degree programs (i.e. majors, minors, concentrations, certificates, and other academic designations):
663

Number of students that graduate from programs that have adopted at least one sustainability learning outcome:
496

Percentage of students who graduate from programs that have adopted at least one sustainability learning outcome:
74.81

Do the figures reported above cover one, two, or three academic years?:
One

Does the institution specify sustainability learning outcomes at the institution level (e.g. covering all students)?:
Yes

Does the institution specify sustainability learning outcomes at the division level (e.g. covering particular schools or colleges within the institution)?:
Yes

A list or brief description of the institution level or division level sustainability learning outcomes:

Chatham University's mission statement states that we prepares students to build lives of purpose, value, and fulfilling work. Through professional skill development and liberal arts learning, Chatham prepares its graduates to be informed and engaged citizens in their communities; to recognize and respect diversity of culture, identity, and opinion; and to live sustainably.

In support of that mission, the General Education curriculum required of all undergrads provides courses that cumulatively impart the broad skills needed to be World Ready Students and immerse students in Chatham's mission initiatives: Engagement and Responsibility, Sustainability and the Environment, and International and Global Understanding.

Specific learning objectives:
*Students will gain knowledge of the natural environment, the principles of sustainability, and our place in its global ecosystems.
*Students will articulate the impact that humans have on their environment and how this affects health and social justice issues.
*Students will describe sustainable process and evaluate the impact of those processes on social, environmental, and/or economic systems.
*Students will discuss global interdependence and cultural values from multiple perspectives (e.g.social, economic,political, religious, and environmental)


Does the institution specify sustainability learning outcomes at the program level (i.e. majors, minors, concentrations, degrees, diplomas, certificates, and other academic designations)?:
Yes

A list or brief description of the program level sustainability learning outcomes (or a list of sustainability-focused programs):

Most Master's degrees have sustainability learning outcomes at the program level. A few (such as those that have state-mandated and unchangeable curricula, i.e. Teaching and Nursing) do not have required sustainability outcomes at the program level.

Chatham University
Program-level Sustainability Learning Outcomes – all Master’s degree programs
(# = no program level learning outcome)
2018-19

Accounting (MAcc)
• Enable students to solve new and emerging accounting problems in a global perspective;
• Communicate professionally as a business leader both orally and in writing to bridge diverse perspectives, cultures, and disciplines

#Biology (MS) (focus is on human biology)

Business Administration (MBA)
• Sustainability- Demonstrate knowledge, skills and techniques to lead sustainable businesses and organizations
Communication (MComm)
• Demonstrate knowledge of communication law and ethics, particularly with regard to social responsibility in the communications field;
• Solve concrete communication problems within organizations and larger social systems.
• Students in the Environmental Communication Track will be able to:
o Adapt complex environmental and scientific messages for specific publics, thereby indicating applied scientific literacy
o Demonstrate knowledge of the role of media in prompting behavioral and attitudinal change
o Demonstrate knowledge of risk perception and crisis communications play in defining environmental problems and policy
o Critically evaluate an environmental communications campaign
o Demonstrate comprehensive awareness of sustainability as a social construction

Counseling Psychology (MSCP)
• Understands the social/organizational/community basis of behavior.
• Demonstrates awareness of problems as possessing social, political, economic and cultural factors that impact individuals, systems and institutions.
• Demonstrates knowledge of individuals in the context of their environment and how the environment (e.g., geographical, ideological, demographic, familial, institutional) affects functioning.
• Demonstrates understanding of the use of systems changes (whether by prevention or intervention) to enhance the functioning of individuals, families, groups, organizations, and/or institutions.

Counseling Psychology (PsyD)
• Understands the social/organizational/community basis of behavior.
• Demonstrates awareness of problems as possessing social, political, economic and cultural factors that impact individuals, systems and institutions.
• Demonstrates knowledge of individuals in the context of their environment and how the environment (e.g., geographical, ideological, demographic, familial, institutional) affects functioning.
• Demonstrates understanding of the use of systems changes (whether by prevention or intervention) to enhance the functioning of individuals, families, groups, organizations, and/or institutions.

Creative Writing (MFA)
• Recognize and write within the genres of nature, environmental or travel writing.

#Film and Digital Technology (MFA)

Food Studies & Business Administration (MAFS-MBA)
• Systems knowledge: Graduates will have a command of food systems as a conceptual and practical tool for understanding the connections between agriculture and food production, social configurations, cultural meanings, and environmental conditions. This goal includes understanding and applying various research methods to real-world problems.

Food Studies (MAFS)
• Comprehensive awareness of sustainability: Graduates will be versed in the complexities of defining and enacting sustainable practices related to food production and consumption. Using a systems analysis, they will be able to map the relationships between environment, social life, and sustenance.
• Integrate knowledge: Graduates will demonstrate an overview of the literature of local, national, and global issues in community, food, and agriculture.

#Healthcare Informatics (MHI)
#Interdisciplinary Design (MA/MFA)

Interior Architecture (MIA)
• Demonstrate a sustainable approach to interior design;
• Make informed design decisions based on aesthetics, building technologies, human needs and the health, safety and the welfare of the public.
• Student work demonstrates understanding of how environmental responsibility informs the practice of interior design.
• Student work demonstrates understanding of the relationship between the natural and built environment as it relates to the human experience, wellbeing, performance and behavior.
• Student work demonstrates understanding of appropriate design or specification of products and materials in relation to project criteria and human and environmental wellbeing.
• Students select and apply products and materials on the basis of their properties and performance criteria, including ergonomics, environmental attributes, life safety, and life cycle cost.
• (there are a lot more specific to understanding building energy, lighting, HVAC, etc.)

Interior Architecture (MSIA)
• Students who have completed the Master of Science in Interior Architecture will be engaged stewards of the environment.

#Nursing (MSN)
#Nursing Practice (DNP)
#Occupational Therapy (MOT) program goals promotes sustainable health and wellness for all persons, communities and populations. Students will think and reflect critically about local, national, and global issues impacting occupational therapy practice. Students will demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary for current and future practice….in order to enhance and/or sustain the quality of human life. Students will show a respect for cultural diversity and individual similarities and differences through the use of a client centered approach. Students will sustain professional growth through life-long learning via engagement in service, professional leadership, and ongoing scholarly pursuits. The specific learning outcomes to meet these program goals are expressed at the course level and a curricular map tracks them through the program.

Physical Therapy (DPT) PT has program goals to promote an academic community of students, faculty, and clinical instructors who are committed to clinical excellence, scholarly activity, professional development, and community service that contributes to current and future societal needs. The specific learning outcomes to meet these program goals are expressed at the course level and a curricular map tracks them through the program.

Physician Assistant Studies (MPAS)
Problem-based learning is the basis for the entire curriculum. In this learning process, the student encounters a clinical problem that serves as stimulus for the application of clinical-reasoning, self-directed learning, and teamwork skills. Sustainability outcomes are mapped to outcomes in health promotion, disease prevention, health literacy, cultural competency, and the responsible and evidence-based use of medical resources. More information about PBL and the curriculum map is available at http://www.chatham.edu/mpas/problem-based-learning.cfm

#Professional Doctorate of Occupational Therapy (OTD)
#Professional Writing (MPW)

Psychology (MAP)
• Demonstrates awareness of problems as possessing social, political, economic and cultural factors that impact individuals, systems and institutions.
• Understands the differences between individual and institutional level interventions and system change.

#Special Education (M.Ed)

Sustainability & Business Administration (MSUS-MBA)
• TEAMWORK AND TRANSFORMATIVE LEADERSHIP: Students will be prepared to take an active role in advancing sustainability, with the understanding that to do so will require behavioral, cultural, institutional, and other changes at multiple spatial and temporal scales.
• CREATIVITY: Students will understand that facilitating sustainable attitudes and practices requires creativity in conceptualizing existing conditions and generating and implementing sustainable solutions to complex problems.
• ETHICS: Students will understand ethical implications of decisions and actions across diverse cultural, political, and temporal perspectives and be prepared to choose and act with integrity in their careers.
• CONCEPTUALIZING SUSTAINABILITY: Students will be able to explain the origins, meanings, and applications of sustainability, and by extension, explain the interrelationships among environmental, societal, and economic well-being. They will do this in a framework that recognizes the cultural dimensions of sustainability.
• SYSTEMS THINKING: Students will develop tools to model complex systems, describe the impact of changes within systems, consider the impacts of decision-making on systems, and analyze a system's strengths and weaknesses.
• TRANSDISCIPLINARITY AND COLLABORATION: Students will work across knowledge bases to better understand how different individuals and groups make decisions and work collaboratively with partners in the private sector, public sector, and academia. In these contexts, students will also learn how to apply the appropriate resources and methods to sustainability projects.
• APPLICATION AND ASSESSMENT: Students will develop the necessary analytical skills for applying and assessing sustainability in a range of settings.
Sustainability (MSUS)
• Conceptualizing Sustainability: Students will be able to explain the origins, meanings, and applications of sustainability.
• Systems Thinking: Students will construct tools to model complex systems and evaluate changes in such systems.
• Transdisciplinary and Collaboration: Students will determine how individuals and groups make decisions and work collaboratively with partners in pursuit of sustainability objectives.
• Application and Assessment: Students will develop the necessary analytical skills for applying and assessing sustainability in a range of settings.
• Communication: Students will evaluate and implement appropriate communication strategies to become effective communicators of sustainability.
• Transformative Leadership: Students will elaborate and maximize their roles in advancing sustainability, with the understanding that to do so will require behavioral, cultural, institutional, and other changes at multiple spatial and temporal scales.
• Creativity: Students will discover that facilitating sustainable attitudes and practices requires creativity in conceptualizing existing conditions and generating and implementing sustainable solutions to complex problems.
• Ethics: Students will be able to explain the ethical implications of decisions and actions across diverse cultural, political, and temporal perspectives and be prepared to choose and act with integrity in their careers.
• Professional application of sustainability principles: Students demonstrate an ability to apply the principles of sustainability in a professional setting

#Teaching (MAT)


Do course level sustainability learning outcomes contribute to the figure reported above (i.e. in the absence of program, division, or institution level learning outcomes)?:
Yes

A list or brief description of the course level sustainability learning outcomes and the programs for which the courses are required:

Health Sciences: The Physician Assistant (MPAS) program has program-level sustainability outcomes incorporated into the problem-based curricular map. The other programs, with the exception of the state-mandated Nursing program, have all incorporated program-level sustainability goals, with specific learning outcomes attached to at least one required sustainability course within their curriculum:
Occupational Therapy requires all students to take OTH 645 Management and Leadership. Learning outcome: Students will understand the mission of their community agency placement, how it is operationalized, and what elements of sustainability are evidenced in that mission.

Physical Therapy requires all students to take PTH 741: Principles of Practice I: Introduction to Physical Therapy Practice. Learning outcomes: Students will be able to 1. Outline the reliance of human health on the global ecosystem. 2. Describe direct and indirect mechanisms of climate health risks. 3. Define sustainable health systems. 4. Examine the relationship between climate variables and specific health problems. 5. Identify social and economic policies that may improve health equity.

While it is not required, the Nursing program does offer an elective course, HSC210: This one-credit course provides a basic understanding of climate change and its influence on human health in the 21st century. The learning outcomes for this course are:
At the conclusion of the course, the students will be able to: 1. Define climate change and describe its causes. 2. Analyze how climate change influences human health.


The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
---

Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

Chatham Mission Statement: https://www.chatham.edu/about/

Neither the Nursing or Teaching programs were counted in the number of students that graduate from programs that have adopted at least one sustainability learning outcome.


Chatham Mission Statement: https://www.chatham.edu/about/

Neither the Nursing or Teaching programs were counted in the number of students that graduate from programs that have adopted at least one sustainability learning outcome.

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.