| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 67.16 |
| Liaison | Scott Doyle |
| Submission Date | Oct. 25, 2022 |
Ithaca College
AC-2: Learning Outcomes
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
4.83 / 8.00 |
Scott
Doyle Director Energy Management and Sustainability |
Has the institution adopted one or more sustainability learning outcomes that apply to the entire student body or, at minimum, to the institution's predominant student body?:
Which of the following best describes the sustainability learning outcomes?:
A list of the institution level sustainability learning outcomes:
The Integrative Core Curriculum (ICC) is Ithaca College’s liberal arts education program, which contributes to achieving the College’s expectation that IC graduates should become integrative thinkers, critical and analytical problem solvers, and reflective learners. To fulfill the requirements of the ICC and to graduate from Ithaca College, all students must complete the “Themes and Perspectives sequence”, which requires 12 credit hours in four broad disciplines: creative arts, humanities, natural sciences, and social sciences. All students are required to complete 3 credit hours in each of the disciplines. Within each perspective, students are provided a list of courses that fulfill the ICC Perspective requirements.
In order to quantify the number of graduates that have received a sustainability-supportive education, we examined the course offerings within the Natural Science Perspective and compared them to the “sustainability course” qualifications in AC-1. Based on the parameters outlined in AC-1, we identified the following course selections within each theme:
- Inquiry, Imagination, and Innovation -
ANTH 10300: Biological Anthropology
ANTH 2500: Human Biological Diversity
BIOL 10100: Plagues and Peoples
BIOL 10600 Plants People and Food Production
BIOL 11800: Island Biology
BIOL 10400: Environmental Biology
CHEM 10500: Energy and Environment
ENVS 11000: The Environmental Crisis: Causes and Solutions
ENVS 11200: Sustainability Principles and Practice
ENVS 20400: Belize Case Study: SystemsRainforests, Reefs and Ruins
ENVS 20900: London, People and the Planet
HEALTH 21400: Sustainable Living
Once we identified the sustainability courses within the ICC that are available to students, we then accessed registration information for each course during the 2021-22 academic (reporting) year. Because ICC Perspectives courses may not count towards credits for a student’s major, there should not be double-counting of students. Additionally, we did not count sustainability courses in any of the other Perspectives to avoid double-counting. The attached spreadsheet includes registration for each section of each sustainability-inclusive course within the Natural Science Perspective of the ICC.
Additional information on the ICC and the Perspectives sequence can be found here:
https://www.ithaca.edu/icc/themes/
Total number of graduates from degree programs:
Number of graduates from degree programs that require an understanding of the concept of sustainability:
A brief description of how the figure above was determined:
Analyzed the updated ICC offerings in Natural Sciences that were identified as sustainability focused in AC-1 and enrollment numbers for those numbers were pulled and compared against the 2022 Undergraduate degrees conferred.
A list of degree programs that require an understanding of the concept of sustainability:
The Environmental Studies program and Environmental Sciences program are both identified as sustainability-focused programs per AC-3 and the STARS technical manual.
Environmental Studies: "majors develop the broad knowledge, analytical tools, teamwork, practical experience, and leadership skills necessary to become effective professionals in this burgeoning field. Students learn to assess environmental concerns critically and to explore the interplay among economic, political, social, and scientific factors in environmental issues through a variety of hands-on courses."
Environmental Sciences: "program pairs the social and policy strengths of our environmental studies major with a rigorous science curriculum to give you the broad knowledge and the scientific and technical skills necessary to address global environmental problems successfully."
Note - moving forward the Environmental Sciences and Studies major will not be combined
Documentation supporting the figure reported above (upload):
Do the figures reported above cover one, two, or three academic years?:
Percentage of students who graduate from programs that require an understanding of the concept of sustainability:
Website URL where information about the sustainability learning outcomes is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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.