Overall Rating Silver
Overall Score 45.94
Liaison Robin Frederick
Submission Date July 21, 2022

STARS v2.2

Indiana University Southeast
AC-6: Sustainability Literacy Assessment

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.00 / 4.00 Robin Frederick
Coordinator of STARS Assessment
Administrative Affairs
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Does the institution conduct an assessment of the sustainability literacy of its students?:
Yes

Which of the following best describes the literacy assessment? The assessment is administered to::
The entire (or predominate) student body, directly or by representative sample

Which of the following best describes the structure of the assessment? The assessment is administered as a::
Standalone evaluation without a follow-up assessment of the same cohort or representative samples

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:
Different people have different levels of knowledge about sustainability issues. We are interested to learn which topics are well known and which are less known. Please answer the following questions to the best of your knowledge. Please choose “Don’t know” if you are uncertain about the answer to a question, rather than guessing.
33. What is the most common cause of pollution of streams and rivers?

<1> Dumping of garbage by cities
<2> Surface water running off yards, city streets, paved lots, and farm fields
<3> Litter near streams and rivers
<4> Waste dumped by factories
<5> Don't know

34. Ozone forms a protective layer in the Earth’s upper atmosphere. What does ozone protect us from?

<1> Acid rain
<2> Climate Change
<3> Sudden changes in temperature
<4> Harmful UV rays
<5> Don't know

35. What is the name of the primary federal agency that oversees environmental regulation?
<1> Environmental Protection Agency (the EPA)
<2> Department of Health, Environment, and Safety (the DHES)
<3> National Environmental Agency (the NEA)
<4> Federal Pollution Control Agency (the FPCA)
<5> Don't know
By sliding the button to the right, please indicate the percentage of time you recycle. [sliding scale of 0-100%, starting at 0%]

23. I know which materials can and cannot be recycled
<1> Strongly disagree
<2> Somewhat disagree
<3> Neither agree nor disagree
<4> Somewhat agree
<5> Strongly agree

24. I know where to recycle on campus
<1> Strongly disagree
<2> Somewhat disagree
<3> Neither agree nor disagree
<4> Somewhat agree
<5> Strongly agree

25. It is convenient to recycle on campus
<1> Strongly disagree
<2> Somewhat disagree
<3> Neither agree nor disagree
<4> Somewhat agree
<5> Strongly agree

A brief description of how the literacy assessment was developed and/or when it was adopted:
More information on the OSU ASK tool may be found here:
http://ess.osu.edu/research/assessment-sustainability-knowledge-ask

The Indiana University – Bloomington Office of Sustainability (IUOS) contracted with the Center for Survey Research (CSR) to conduct a survey assessing the knowledge of sustainability-related issues and sustainability behaviors across eight Indiana University campuses. Indiana University Southeast was one of those campuses.

IUB chose to utilize the OSU ASK tool in order to compare the sustainability literacy of students across all eight institutions. The survey was created in the fall of 2019 and administered from 3 February 2020 through 6 March 2020.

A brief description of how a representative sample was reached (if applicable) and how the assessment(s) were administered :
A representative sample was reached using Spring 2020 FTE figures provided by the Registrar's Office.

A brief summary of results from the literacy assessment(s):
IU Southeast administered its first literacy assessment in the spring of 2020. The results indicated knowledge of environmental, social, and economic issues as well as related behaviors and attitudes towards printing double-sided, turning off the lights, eating vegetarian meals, recycling, using a refillable water bottle, and utilizing public transportation.

The attached table outlines literacy score results.

*A post survey with a representative sample in spring 2023 is currently planned, with ongoing assessments anticipated at regular intervals."

Optional Fields 

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:
Data for this credit was pulled from IU Bloomington's report and changes were made to make it IU Southeast Specific. All Indiana University campuses gathered to create a survey that would be able to asses the sustainability culture on each campus. The survey was distributed system-wide.

Addtional Information
Additional documentation is a draft report of the IU Southeast-specific results from the survey. This can include demographics, respondent counts, and rates.

Link to IUB survey that was done in collaboration with IUB and distributed to regional campuses.
https://surveys.indiana.edu/approved-surveys/index.html?term=4202

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.