Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 48.11
Liaison David Husemoller
Submission Date Jan. 31, 2011
Executive Letter Download

STARS v1.0

College of Lake County
ER-5: Sustainability Course Identification

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 3.00 / 3.00 Dara Reiff
Sustainability Coordinator
Educational Affairs
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Has the institution developed a definition of sustainability in the curriculum?:
Yes

A copy of the institution's definition of sustainability in the curriculum?:

Identifying Sustainability Courses at College of Lake County:
Developed by: Curriculum Subcommittee of the Environmental Action Committee

Sustainability: Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs
- Brundtland Commission Report, United Nations, 1987

Once a course has been identified as one that includes sustainability within the curriculum, a distinction is made between sustainability-focused courses, and sustainability-related courses.

Sustainability-focused courses: Concentrate on the concept of sustainability, including its social, economic, and environmental dimensions, or examine an issue or topic using sustainability as a lens.
Sustainability-related courses: Incorporate sustainability as a distinct course component or module, or concentrate on a single sustainability principle or issue.

In order to distinguish which category a course belongs to, a list of learning objectives has been compiled below. If a course meets at least one of these goals it can be identified as a sustainability-related course. If five or more of the learning objectives are accomplished in a course, it can be identified as a sustainability-focused course.

Student Learning Objectives in Sustainability:
- Develop technical skills that are necessary to pursue a career in a sustainability
- Build an understanding and be able to effectively impart concepts of sustainability
- Become aware and understand the impact of environment issues today that are the result of mismanaged practices in the past; reinforcing the importance of sustainable techniques
- Evolve and implement an ethical perspective of an interconnected world in which we each are embedded
- Be able to identify where their chosen field of study and sustainability are, or can become, connected
- Construct an understanding of how decision-making encompassing sustainability creates solutions for current and emerging social-environmental issues
- Become able to analyze real-world challenges to environmental systems from a holistic perspective and formulate practical sustainable solutions

A list of sustainability-focused courses and sustainability-related courses offered at College of Lake County, identified by faculty using the above guidelines can be found on the Sustainability Center website (www.clcillinois.edu/gogreen/)


Has the institution identified its sustainability-focused and sustainability-related course offerings?:
Yes

A brief description of the methodology the institution followed to complete the inventory:

The Curriculum Subcommittee of the Environmental Action Committee developed an institutional definition of sustainability based on concurrent learning outcomes. The Office of Institutional Effectiveness, Planning, and Research then performed a search through the college course catalog of all courses that may cover sustainability-related topics, and confirmed this list with each academic department dean. Committee members then categorized sustainability courses found using the criteria established in the definition.


Does the institution make its sustainability course inventory publicly available online?:
Yes

The website URL where the sustainability course inventory is posted:
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.