| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 66.71 |
| Liaison | Christie-Joy Hartman |
| Submission Date | Sept. 13, 2024 |
James Madison University
EN-6: Assessing Sustainability Culture
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
0.50 / 1.00 |
Sarah
Blackstone Assistant Director Planning, Analytics and Institutional Research |
Does the institution conduct an assessment of sustainability culture?:
Which of the following best describes the cultural assessment? The assessment is administered to::
Which of the following best describes the structure of the cultural assessment? The assessment is administered::
A brief description of how and when the cultural assessment(s) were developed and/or adopted:
Assessment of sustainability culture is included in the Continuing Student Survey (CSS). The purpose of the CSS overall is to gain a better understanding of the student experience. Accordingly, current JMU students share their perceptions and degree of satisfaction with JMU, and their self-perceptions, attitudes, values, and beliefs. The environment questions also address behaviors. The survey covers a multitude of topics/areas.
The majority of environmental sustainability questions were first added in 2009 and have been changed several times since, with subsets of questions being asked in different years. Preliminary, partial results were available for the 2024 questions and were used for this report. Responses to the environment questions were compared between 2018/2019 cohorts (depending on when the questions were given) and the 2024 cohort of students. At the time of completion of this STARS report, results for civic engagement and social values were not yet available for 2024, so 2022 values were used. Offices responsible for specific areas develop the questions for the area, often with the help of committees as in the case of the environment questions.
A copy or sample of the questions related to sustainability culture:
A sample of the questions related to sustainability culture or the website URL where the assessment tool is available:
Because of the CSS's length, not all items are contained in this STARS report.
A sample 2024 environment question is:
During the last 12 months, about how often have you done each of the following? 1. Very often 2. Often 3. Sometimes 4. Never
- Intentionally prevented waste through reduction and reuse.
- Considered environmental impacts when making daily choices.
- Learned about environmental sustainability in a course.
- Participated in environmental activities outside of courses.
A sample 2022 social question is:
Based on the scale below, indicate the personal importance to you concerning each of the following: 1. Essential 2. Somewhat important 3. Very important 4. Not important
- Promoting racial understanding
- Working to promote social change
- Becoming a leader in my field
- Becoming involved in my community
- Becoming involved with politics
- Being well-off financially
- Contributing to science and innovation
- Developing a meaningful philosophy of life
- Ethical behavior
A brief description of how representative samples were reached (if applicable) and how the cultural assessment is administered:
For each survey administration, the Office of Planning, Analytics & Institutional Research documents the areas (e.g., gender) in which participants in the survey are representative of the JMU undergraduate population. https://jmu.edu/oir/oir-research/surveys.shtml.
In 2019, for example, for the comparison group, with the support of the Provost and the academic deans, a representative sample of approximately 20 percent of the JMU undergraduate student body was selected. Five separate forms of the survey were developed with each student in the sample receiving one of the five forms. Through the cooperation of faculty, Survey 2019-20 was administered during class time and 3,424 usable surveys were returned.
Comparing information received from the respondents to data from the Office of Institutional Research, participants in the Survey 2019 are representative of the JMU undergraduate population in the following areas: gender, race/ethnicity, college credits earned, and permanent residence.
In 2024, administration of the CSS was changed to the university's Assessment Day in February. A representative sample was again obtained.
This credit includes data from students with 45-70 credits who completed the environment questions between February 6-8, 2024. Students were randomly assigned to complete one of four forms; the environment questions were on one form. A total of 863 students completed the environment questions at the time of analysis for this report. Those selecting no basis to judge were removed from the analysis as they had been in the past. The students completing the CSS in 2019 were different from those completing in 2024, so the comparison over time is between student groups at particular times. The comparison does not reflect how one cohort of students changes over time.
A brief summary of results from the cultural assessment:
Some results of the Continuing Students Survey are publicly available at https://www.jmu.edu/pair/ads/survey_research/continuing-survey/index.shtml
With regard to the social sustainability question given in the example portion of this credit, in terms of promoting racial understanding, 76% answered essential or very important in 2019 and 2022. And in response to working to promote social change, 44% answered essential or very important in 2022 v. 55% in 2019. Response choices: essential, somewhat important, very important, not important.
Website URL where information about the assessment of sustainability culture is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
Completed by CJ Hartman in consultation with Christine DeMars, Senior Assessment Specialist, CARS, March 12, 2024. Data analysis and review by Sarah Blackstone, Assistant Director, PAIR, April 16, 2024.
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.