Overall Rating Bronze - expired
Overall Score 35.51
Liaison Jessica Thompson
Submission Date March 2, 2017
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Northern Michigan University
AC-1: Academic Courses

Status Score Responsible Party
-- 9.43 / 14.00 Sarah Mittlefehldt
Professor
Earth, Environmental & Geographical Sciences
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Figures required to calculate the percentage of courses offered by the institution that are sustainability course offerings:
Undergraduate Graduate
Total number of courses offered by the institution 1,172 116
Number of sustainability courses offered 23 1
Number of courses offered that include sustainability 131 8

Percentage of courses that are sustainability course offerings:
12.66

Total number of academic departments (or the equivalent) that offer courses (at any level):
29

Number of academic departments (or the equivalent) that offer at least one sustainability course and/or course that includes sustainability (at any level):
19

Percentage of academic departments with sustainability course offerings:
65.52

A copy of the institution’s inventory of its sustainability course offerings and descriptions:
Do the figures reported above cover one, two, or three academic years?:
Three

A brief description of the methodology used to determine the total number of courses offered and to identify sustainability course offerings, including the definitions used and the process for reviewing and/or validating the course inventory :

Members of the Sustainability Advisory Council contacted the heads of all 29 departments on campus and requested time to present information about STARS and to request information about course offerings, research, and engagement at one of their upcoming department meetings. We were able to meet with nearly all departments and gave a 15-20 minute talk about the STARS process and the information we needed from them about sustainability and “sustainability-related courses.” This process provided a fruitful conversation about the value of sustainability in our curriculum, and we were delightfully surprised by the number of faculty who reported that they teach sustainability-related topics in their courses and work on sustainability challenges in their research.

After we presented and discussed the STARS process and AASHE’s definition of sustainability at department meetings, we had faculty members take a questionnaire that contained the information we needed for the Academics and Research and Engagement sections. We then compiled this information into a comprehensive inventory that will be useful to the University not only for the purposes of STARS, but for future sustainability planning efforts on campus. In addition to uploading our inventory, we have attached a copy of the questionnaire that faculty members filled out in the space below.

After we collected the questionnaires, we followed up with faculty members via email to pursue more information on specific initiatives that weren’t clear from their responses. We are still waiting to hear back from a few faculty members in order to get a richer description of their sustainability-related work.


How were courses with multiple offerings or sections counted for the figures reported above?:
Each course was counted as a single course regardless of the number of offerings or sections

A brief description of how courses with multiple offerings or sections were counted (if different from the options outlined above):

We simply counted each course once, even if there were multiple offerings.


Are the following course types included in the inventory? :
Yes (included) or No (not included)
Internships No
Practicums No
Independent study No
Special topics Yes
Thesis / dissertation No
Clinical Yes
Physical education Yes
Performance arts Yes

The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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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.