Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 81.45
Liaison Lindsey Lyons
Submission Date March 1, 2018
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Dickinson College
AC-2: Learning Outcomes

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 8.00 / 8.00 Lindsey Lyons
Assistant Director
Center for Sustainability Education
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Total number of graduates from degree programs (i.e. majors, minors, concentrations, certificates, and other academic designations):
532

Number of students that graduate from programs that have adopted at least one sustainability learning outcome:
532

Percentage of students who graduate from programs that have adopted at least one sustainability learning outcome:
100

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

Institution and Division Level Learning Outcomes

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:
Students are required to take one sustainability course as part of the graduation requirement. This was passed by Dickinson faculty through the Academic Programs and Standards Committee (APSC) in May 2015 and continues to remain in effect. We formally adopted sustainability learning outcomes at the institution level to support this initiative. Sustainability courses offered across the curriculum address the question, "How do we improve the human condition equitably in this and future generations, while conserving environmental systems necessary to support healthy and vibrant societies?" Sustainability Investigations courses engage students in deep and focused exploration of sustainability as a major theme of the course, through which students gain a rich understanding of multiple dimensions of sustainability. Sustainability Connections courses build competencies in knowledge and methods of a field that is relevant to understanding sustainability and demonstrate connections between the subject matter of the course and sustainability. Students are introduced to sustainability, sustainable development or related concepts. Students will build competencies and dispositions in at least one of the following areas (as approved by faculty November 2012): 1. Think critically about problems of improving the human condition equitably in this and future generations, while conserving environmental systems necessary to support healthy and vibrant societies; 2. Solve problems by applying sustainability concepts and principles; 3. Communicate effectively to raise awareness, increase understanding and motivate action for sustainability; and 4. Collaborate with others, working with and leading groups to advance shared sustainability goals.

Program Level Learning Outcomes

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):
Each program and department has the opportunity to offer courses that fulfill the Dickinson Sustainability Graduation requirement. They apply the institutionally adopted learning outcomes to their programs and identify which courses best meet this learning outcomes. Programs are also working to create pathways, within the major/minor, that support the sustainability learning outcomes. Examples of this include the Globalization and Sustainability concentration in International Studies and the Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship certificate in International Business and Management. 1. Think critically about problems of improving the human condition equitably in this and future generations, while conserving environmental systems necessary to support healthy and vibrant societies; 2. Solve problems by applying sustainability concepts and principles; 3. Communicate effectively to raise awareness, increase understanding, and motivate action for sustainability; and 4. Collaborate with others, working with and leading teams or groups to advance shared sustainability goals.

Course Level Learning Outcomes

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:
Faculty then apply the institutional learning outcomes to their specific course sections and nominate their courses as sustainability courses. Each course has it's own distinct learning outcomes that map to one of the four listed here. 1. Think critically about problems of improving the human condition equitably in this and future generations, while conserving environmental systems necessary to support healthy and vibrant societies; 2. Solve problems by applying sustainability concepts and principles; 3. Communicate effectively to raise awareness, increase understanding, and motivate action for sustainability; and 4. Collaborate with others, working with and leading teams or groups to advance shared sustainability goals.

Optional Fields 

The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
http://www.dickinson.edu/info/20052/sustainability/2219/sustainability_courses

Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
All sustainability courses can be viewed online at: http://www.dickinson.edu/info/20052/sustainability/2219/sustainability_courses Sustainability-related courses explore social, economic and environmental dimensions of sustainability challenges and solutions. The courses vary in the degree to which sustainability is a focus of study and are classified into two categories. Sustainability Investigations courses (SINV) engage students in a deep and focused study of problems with sustainability as a major emphasis of the course. Sustainability Connections courses (SCON) engage students in making connections between the main topic of the course and sustainability. Sustainability is related to but is not a major focus of SCON courses. At Dickinson, all students must complete a sustainability course as a graduation requirement. Longitudinal data is available on the Sustainability Dashboard for this credit: http://marcomm.dickinson.edu/dashboard/across_the_curriculum.html

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