| Overall Rating | Gold - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 68.17 |
| Liaison | Ian Johnson |
| Submission Date | March 4, 2020 |
Colorado College
AC-6: Sustainability Literacy Assessment
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.00 / 4.00 |
Ian
Johnson Sustainability Director Office of Sustainability |
Does the institution conduct an assessment of the sustainability literacy of its students?:
Which of the following best describes the literacy assessment? The assessment is administered to::
Which of the following best describes the structure of the assessment? The assessment is administered as a::
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:
Climate dilemma and questions (LESA101)
Many people agree that fossil fuels like coal, natural gas, and oil, release chemicals into the air that are causing global warming. They argue that climate change will lead to great suffering, and believe we should reduce the use of fossil fuels immediately. Other people deny that global warming is such a big problem. They argue that if we stop burning fossil fuels, the harm done to the economy would cause even greater suffering.
1. Do you think that burning fossil fuels is causing global warming? Why or why not?
2. Do you think global warming will be bad for humanity? Why or why not?
3. Do you think global warming will be bad for the planet? Why or why not?
4. Would you be willing to take action to help stop or slow global warming? Why or why not?
5. Most people agree that sacrifices must be made if we wish to put a stop to global warming. For example, they may have to live in smaller homes, reduce their use of electricity, and travel less. Would you be willing to give up these things in order to stop global warming? Why or why not?
Swamp management dilemma and questions (LESA102)
Many plants and animals can live only in wetlands. When wetlands are destroyed, many of these plants and animals are endangered. Some people are concerned about the loss of wetlands and the life they support, claiming that health of the planet depends on the health of wetlands. Other people argue that wetlands and their inhabitants—such as mosquitoes—are a nuisance and health risk. They think it would be better to use the land more productively.
1. Do you think it's important to preserve wetlands? Why or why not?
2. Do you think that the loss of wetlands and the species they support would be harmful to humanity? Why or why not?
3. Do you think that the loss of wetlands and the species they support would be harmful to the planet? Why or why not?
4. Would you be willing to take action to preserve wetlands? Why or why not?
5. If we preserve wetlands, some communities that are surrounded by wetlands would not be able to expand, and people would be exposed to diseases carried by mosquitoes and other wetland inhabitants. Would you be willing preserve wetlands knowing that you or your children might catch a mosquito borne disease? Would you be content to live in a community that could not build a much-needed new hospital because the only land available was protected wetland? Why or why not?
A brief description of how the literacy assessment was developed and/or when it was adopted:
- The Lectical Ecological Stewardship Assessment (LESA) is being developed in a partnership between Colorado College (Professor Howard Drossman) and Lectica, Inc. (Dr. Theo Dawson and Shanti Gaia). Three beta test versions have been developed for elementary school students, high school students, and adults (including college students). Each version includes three open-ended dilemmas (forest use, swamps, and climate change) followed by five open-ended response prompts that are coded and analyzed with a new developmental scoring scheme (Lectical Assessment scale). The assessment is being tested for three different age groups, as described below. We are still using the college students and fifth -grade student versions.
A brief description of how a representative sample was reached (if applicable) and how the assessment(s) were administered :
The college-level test has been piloted on 28 students and three graduates over three years (2015-2017). The assessments have been administered in four different college classes:
As a required assignment for 9 students and 3 Fellows enrolled in the Teaching and Research in Environmental Education Semester (LESA 2; 2015)
As a required assignment for 7 students enrolled in the Teaching and Research in Environmental Education Semester (LESA 2; 2016)
As a required assignment for 12 students enrolled in the Teaching and Research in Environmental Education Semester (LESA 2; 2017)
A 5th grade version of LESA has been tested since 2014:
64 5th grade students form Columbine Elementary School (v1.0; AY 2014-15) (spring)
74 5th grade students form Columbine Elementary School (v 2.0; AY 2015-16) (fall & spring)
74 5th grade students form Columbine Elementary School (v 2.0; AY 2016-17) (fall & spring)
A high school version of LESA has been tested since 2015:
80 high school students form Tesla EOS (v 2.0; AY 2015-16) (fall)
80 high school students form Tesla EOS (v 2.0; AY 2015-16) (fall)
A brief summary of results from the literacy assessment(s):
The two versions of the College level test have been coded by a senior thesis student to look for how differences in questions changed the nature of affective responses. We are currently developing a lexical dictionary so that we can assign developmental scores to all performances. A complete scoring system will likely not be finished for 2-4 years depending on funding for the project, but ongoing research is in progress to refine the questions, code responses to developmental level, and gain enough responses to provide a developmental score.
We have presented preliminary work on the 5th grade assessment in a conference proceedings, which will soon be published in the Journal of Integral Theory and Practice:
Drossman, H., Gaia, S., Dawson, T., Development of an Integral-Motivated Lectical® Ecological Stewardship Assessment, Integral Theory Conference, Sonoma State University, CA, 2015.
In the 2018 and 2019 versions, we integrated the questions to align with assignments done in an ecology class. The college data has not yet been published.
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:
Howard Drossman's research focuses on developing sustainability literacy assessments which assess not only knowledge about sustainability concepts, but also a sense of environmental ethic. However, the assessment is extensive and expensive to administer and score. Therefore, it has been used in a limited capacity, e.g. for select classes and thesis projects.
Howard Drossman's research focuses on developing sustainability literacy assessments which assess not only knowledge about sustainability concepts, but also a sense of environmental ethic. However, the assessment is extensive and expensive to administer and score. Therefore, it has been used in a limited capacity, e.g. for select classes and thesis projects.
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