| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 68.44 |
| Liaison | William Van Ausdal |
| Submission Date | July 9, 2024 |
Flinders University
AC-1: Sustainability Course Offerings
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
11.00 / 14.00 |
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:
Terminology
At Flinders University, units of study are referred to as 'topics'.
Each topic has a description and multiple modules, along with learning outcomes.
A course (e.g., a Bachelor's degree) consists of multiple topics. Each course has a description and course learning outcomes.
A standard topic equates to 4.5 units. A full-time year of study comprises 36 units. A typical Bachelor's degree spans 3 years of full-time study, totaling 108 units or 24 topics.
Departments
Teaching at Flinders is structured into Teaching Programs. Each topic is associated with a Teaching Program. A course may include topics from multiple Teaching Programs.
Manual inventory
The institution's sustainability-focused and sustainability-inclusive topics were identified manually using the Flinders University Handbook. Using the search function, keywords selected from the E-Handbook on Sustainable Development Goals Indicators were used to comprehensively identify all sustainability topics. The Deans Education were then asked to review the list for the Teaching Programs in their College.
Subsequently, we verified which Teaching Programs were associated with the identified sustainability-focused and sustainability-inclusive topics.
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-focused and sustainability-inclusive courses were identified manually using the Flinders University Handbook and study areas. Using the search function on course descriptions & course learning outcomes, keywords selected from the E-Handbook on Sustainable Development Goals Indicators were used to comprehensively identify all courses that potentially meet the definition for sustainability focused or sustainability inclusive.
For each course, we then checked the course learning outcomes, and checked if at least one of the core topics were identified as sustainability-focused under AC1.1.
The list is available on our Sustainability website as a resource for our students. It is kept up to date by the Sustainability team in consultation with the Deans Education and course coordinators.
For a longer term solution, a project is currently underway, as per our 2030 Sustainability Strategy, to formally designate sustainability topics across Colleges in the form of an identifying symbol or code in the Curriculum Handbook, to help students distinguish sustainability courses from other courses (owned by Deputy Vice-Chancellor - Students, expected implementation in 2025).
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:
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:
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.