Concordia University
AC-1: Sustainability Course Offerings
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
12.00 / 14.00 |
Manon
Raby STARS Coordinator Office of Sustainability |
1.1 Percentage of academic departments with sustainability course offerings
Number of academic departments with at least one sustainability course offering:
Annotated list or inventory of the institution’s sustainability course offerings by department:
Description of the process used to identify the institution’s sustainability course offerings by department:
1. List of courses (“All courses” tab in excel file)
Obtained a list of all courses offered between 2022 and 2025 (2022-23, 2023-24, 2024-25 academic years) from IITS. The original list included 22, 776 entries. IITS could not provide a complete list of all courses with their course descriptions, so a separate worksheet with course descriptions was provided and a manual cross-reference and merging of the two documents had to be conducted.
2. Data cleaning
a) Courses with multiple offerings were counted as one course. To remove courses with multiple offerings, duplicate course ID numbers were removed
b) According to the STARS methodology, the following course types may be excluded at the institution’s discretion, as long as they are excluded from both the count of sustainability course offerings and the count of total courses:
-
Individually-directed courses (e.g., thesis, independent study, practicum)
-
Courses of four or fewer students
-
Special topics courses (e.g., courses that address emerging issues or specialized content and that are not offered on an ongoing basis)
-
Required courses for which the content is dictated by external bodies or legislation and not under institutional control (e.g., legally mandated courses on research ethics)
-
Courses that are strictly practice-oriented, e.g.:
-
Medical courses dedicated to clinical practice.
-
Arts courses dedicated to performance, technique, or composition.
-
Physical education courses that are activity-based.
-
Trades courses dedicated to hands-on learning or practice.
To remove individually-directed courses, course titles were filtered using the following prompts and then manually scanned and removed if applicable: "Indepen", "Thesis", "Master". For courses that are strictly practice-oriented, course titles were filtered using the following prompts and then manually scanned and removed if applicable: "Composition", "Technique", "Painting", “Drawing”, and “Private Study”. There is potential to remove more courses that meet the criteria above. After removing individually-directed, practice-oriented and duplicate courses, the list was reduced from 22,776 to 5,980 courses. Whilst the complete course list was being compiled, course descriptions were added in manually wherever they were missing or incomplete (e.g. in cases where it was simply stated “Please refer to undergraduate/graduate course calendar description”).
3. Keyword selection
The keyword list was compiled by using the same keywords that were used for the last inventory as well as any new words proposed by the STARS 3.0 support document. They are included in the excel file under three separate tabs and the methodology for selecting the keywords is outlined below:
-
Sustainability-inclusive courses were identified using the keyword list of 251 independent entries from the STARS 3.0 support document list (tab “All Keywords” in excel file).
-
Sustainability-focused courses were identified using a narrowed-down list of 42 keywords that imply both social/economic and environmental elements (tab “Focused Keywords” in excel file).
-
SDG courses: Each keyword in the original keyword list was labelled with one or more of the United Nations SDGs using keywords in the description of each SDG on the found on the UN SDG website (https://sdgs.un.org/goals).
4. Keyword search
The keyword search was performed on a table that included both course titles and course descriptions. Courses were then manually reviewed to ensure that they included actual sustainability content, as defined in the STARS 3.0 technical manual (see tab “Criteria” in excel spreadsheet). The resulting sustainability course inventory included 583 sustainability inclusive or focussed courses.
The Reporting Tool will automatically calculate the following two figures:
Points earned for indicator AC 1.1:
1.2 Published sustainability course listings
Online location where the institution’s sustainability course listings are maintained:
Publication where the institution’s sustainability course listings are maintained:
Description of the process used to create and maintain the institution’s sustainability course listings:
The institution's sustainability course listings webpage is based on the sustainability course inventory used for STARS. The methodology is as follows:
1. List of courses (“All courses” tab in excel file)
Obtained a list of all courses offered between 2022 and 2025 (2022-23, 2023-24, 2024-25 academic years) from IITS. The original list included 22, 776 entries. IITS could not provide a complete list of all courses with their course descriptions, so a separate worksheet with course descriptions was provided and a manual cross-reference and merging of the two documents had to be conducted.
2. Data cleaning
a) Courses with multiple offerings were counted as one course. To remove courses with multiple offerings, duplicate course ID numbers were removed
b) According to the STARS methodology, the following course types may be excluded at the institution’s discretion, as long as they are excluded from both the count of sustainability course offerings and the count of total courses:
-
Individually-directed courses (e.g., thesis, independent study, practicum)
-
Courses of four or fewer students
-
Special topics courses (e.g., courses that address emerging issues or specialized content and that are not offered on an ongoing basis)
-
Required courses for which the content is dictated by external bodies or legislation and not under institutional control (e.g., legally mandated courses on research ethics)
-
Courses that are strictly practice-oriented, e.g.:
-
Medical courses dedicated to clinical practice.
-
Arts courses dedicated to performance, technique, or composition.
-
Physical education courses that are activity-based.
-
Trades courses dedicated to hands-on learning or practice.
To remove individually-directed courses, course titles were filtered using the following prompts and then manually scanned and removed if applicable: "Indepen", "Thesis", "Master". For courses that are strictly practice-oriented, course titles were filtered using the following prompts and then manually scanned and removed if applicable: "Composition", "Technique", "Painting", “Drawing”, and “Private Study”. There is potential to remove more courses that meet the criteria above. After removing individually-directed, practice-oriented and duplicate courses, the list was reduced from 22,776 to 5,980 courses. Whilst the complete course list was being compiled, course descriptions were added in manually wherever they were missing or incomplete (e.g. in cases where it was simply stated “Please refer to undergraduate/graduate course calendar description”).
3. Keyword selection
The keyword list was compiled by using the same keywords that were used for the last inventory as well as any new words proposed by the STARS 3.0 support document. They are included in the excel file under three separate tabs and the methodology for selecting the keywords is outlined below:
-
Sustainability-inclusive courses were identified using the keyword list of 251 independent entries from the STARS 3.0 support document list (tab “All Keywords” in excel file).
-
Sustainability-focused courses were identified using a narrowed-down list of 42 keywords that imply both social/economic and environmental elements (tab “Focused Keywords” in excel file).
-
SDG courses: Each keyword in the original keyword list was labelled with one or more of the United Nations SDGs using keywords in the description of each SDG on the found on the UN SDG website (https://sdgs.un.org/goals).
4. Keyword search
The keyword search was performed on a table that included both course titles and course descriptions. Courses were then manually reviewed to ensure that they included actual sustainability content, as defined in the STARS 3.0 technical manual (see tab “Criteria” in excel spreadsheet). The resulting sustainability course inventory included 583 sustainability inclusive or focussed courses.
The Reporting Tool will automatically calculate the following figure:
1.3 Support for academic staff to integrate sustainability into the curriculum
Narrative and/or website URL providing an overview of the incentives provided for individual academic staff to integrate sustainability into the curriculum:
The institution incentivizes faculty to integrate sustainability into their curricula through the Sustainability Co-Design Project. The intent as stated in the call for participation is to develop and integrate sustainable learning outcomes and related learning resources and activities into a course curriculum. Faculty members collaborate with hired students to develop sustainability-focused modules, providing indirect funding as an additional incentive. Participants receive training in sustainability content and pedagogy, with ongoing support from the curriculum developer to ensure alignment with existing courses. This initiative also fosters professional development as faculty enhance their expertise in sustainability. This project led to the revision of 15 courses that now integrate new or revamped units on sustainability . Faculty members are recognized for their participation through letters of attestation. https://www.concordia.ca/ctl/pedagogy/sustainability/co-design-project.html
Does the institution host an ongoing multidisciplinary community of practice, sustainability across the curriculum training program, or equivalent support program for academic staff who are working to integrate sustainability into the curriculum?:
Narrative and/or website URL providing an overview the institution’s sustainability-focused community of practice, sustainability across the curriculum training program, or equivalent support program:
"Faculty Interest Group on Education for Sustainability: https://www.concordia.ca/ctl/pedagogy/sustainability/teaching-sustainability.html;
Sustainability Co-designe Showcase event: https://www.concordia.ca/ctl/pedagogy/sustainability/co-design-project.html;
Sustainability Sparks webinar: chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://www.ptidej.net/seminars/2024/240503%20-%20Sustainability%20Sparks%20Webinar/240503%20-%20Sustainability%20Sparks%20presentation%20May%203%202024.pdf;
Guide to embedding education for sustainability in higher education courses: https://opentextbooks.concordia.ca/education-sustainability/ "
"Concordia’s CTL hosted an ongoing multidisciplinary community of practice, called the Faculty Interest Group on Education for Sustainability. It is a dynamic collective of 11 dedicated faculty members across the faculties who gathered regularly in 2023-2024 to champion education for sustainability at Concordia University. They actively engaged in shaping a roadmap for the integration of sustainability principles across our institution's curriculum. One outcome is the publication of a co-created resource to illustrate key aspects of sustainability through sharing exemplary resources on several themes. LINK. This resource will support faculty members across the curriculum by providing materials for teaching sustainability to be used in the classroom. Title: Faculty-curated sustainability content for teaching.
The following resources and events hosted at Concordia University aim at supporting faculty who are seeking to increase and integrate sustainability learning outcomes and content into their courses. With those resource combined, we offer a support program across the curriculum for academic staff who are working to develop and incorporate sustainability into the curriculum.
Showcase event. This hybrid event brought together several Co-Design Teams who participated in the Sustainability Co-Design Project. They presented on their journey and outcomes. We aimed to showcase inspiring success stories form faculty members at embedding sustainability into their curriculum. The recording is available online.
https://www.concordia.ca/ctl/pedagogy/sustainability/co-design-project.html
Sustainability Sparks webinar. Full title of the session: Sustainability Sparks: Faculty Resources for infusing Sustainability in the Curriculum. Soon accessible online on the CTL website. It included an explanation on why and how to teach and learn sustainability, mentioning a few disciplinary examples. It also showcased the outcomes of the Sustainability Co-Design Project, inspiring faculty to include sustainability content in their own curriculum.
https://www.concordia.ca/ctl/pedagogy/sustainability/co-design-project.html
Pressbooks publication. A guide to embedding education for sustainability in higher education courses. This substantial online guide is a comprehensive go-to resource for anyone interested in embedding sustainability in their course and should help promote education for sustainability at Concordia.
https://opentextbooks.concordia.ca/education-sustainability/
Sustainability Co-Design Project Stories and case studies. Includes a series of 5 blog posts and 5 matching one-pagers summarizing the story and process of several Co-Design Teams and their outcomes (goals, learning outcomes, assignments and assessments). The case studies will also showcase one artefact the teams produced. The goal of these resources is to showcase faculty who have successfully embedded sustainability in various disciplines, even though they were not seasoned in sustainability teaching. It should also inspire other faculty to start incorporating sustainability by showing its feasibility and added value.
"
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.