Luther College
EN-6: Assessing Sustainability Culture

Luther College's Center for Sustainable Communities has developed a sustainability literacy assessment to be administered to students in spring 2019 by the Office of Assessment and Institutional Research. Input for the assessment was obtained by students, staff, faculty members in the Environmental Studies department, peer institutions, and members of the Sustainability Council. The purpose of the assessment is to allow the Center to measure current students' behaviors, beliefs, and knowledge of sustainable systems so that we may better understand the baseline of sustainability knowledge that students possess when we design curriculum, events, and learning goals. The survey will allow the Center to assess whether or not Luther students are meeting the all-college learning goals related to sustainability. The results will help us understand the parts of our work that are reaching students and the parts where we could be more strategic in our outreach. Although this is the first assessment we are administering to measure sustainability knowledge and beliefs, we intend for this survey to be given every three years to representative samples of the student body. A longitudinal study will allow us to measure the change in behaviors and beliefs over time.

17. Have you engaged in any of the following activities as part of your academic courses in the fall of 2018 or spring of 2019? Check all that apply. Used the campus or college farm to learn about sustainability. Interacted with Carlisle residents to learn about the local community. Went on a field trip to learn about local resources. Conducted experiments in a lab to examine sustainability­ related concepts. Developed and tested a solution to a sustainability problem on campus or in a community. Examined civic responsibilities, ethical questions or personal values in relation to sustainability. Examined sustainability perspectives or approaches in a non­ U.S. context. Created an artistic work to explore or communicate sustainability concepts. Conducted a significant research project on a sustainability­ related topic. 18. Have you engaged in any of the following activities in the past year that were not part of a course? Check all that apply. Made conscious efforts to create an inclusive and welcoming climate on campus. Participated in a workshop that gave you hands-on experience with sustainability-related skills Taken steps to reduce energy use, water use or consumption of new goods Advocated for action by elected or other public officials 19. How often do you practice the following behaviors? When possible, use means other than a car to get around town. Buy bottled water. Take care of belongings so they last a long time. Turn off lights, computers and other electronics when not in use. Recycle Eat meals with little or no meat. 20. How strongly do you agree or disagree with the following statements? I take pride in Luther’s commitment to sustainability. Luther’s sustainability efforts have enriched my education and college experience. Too much emphasis is given to sustainability at Luther. Sustainability was an important factor in my decision to come to Luther Luther’s sustainability performance meets or exceeds my expectations. I will incorporate sustainability values and practices in my future professional, civic and personal life.

This assessment will be administered in April 2019. The assessment will be administered by our Office of Assessment and Institutional Research. Luther College is a member of the Higher Education Data Sharing (HEDS) Consortium, which consists of 129 small, private, nonprofit institutions around the country that are committed to sharing and using information to more fully enact their missions and promote effective liberal arts education.

This assessment will be administered in April 2019.