Ohio University
AC-6: Sustainability Literacy Assessment

3 What is the most common gas in the Earth's atmosphere?
o Nitrogen
o Oxygen
o Argon

4 Which of these is not a greenhouse gas?
o Carbon Dioxide
o Nitrogen
o Water Vapor

5 According to NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies, what is the hottest year on record?
o 1986
o 2009
o 2016
o 2019

7 Will precipitation rates increase, decrease or stay the same if the Earth's global temperatures continue to rise?
o Increase
o Decrease
o Stay the same

A pilot program occurred in FY 12 where a larger set of questions was asked to over 250 first year students through the Ohio University Cooperative Institutional Research Program (CIRP). For 4 years, the Office of Sustainability surveyed graduates through an emailed survey in the Spring. In FY16, it was decided to transition to a campus-wide survey that captured more data and more demographics (students, faculty, staff and alumni/community) to better tailor education and outreach efforts. A 16-question survey is now emailed regularly (usually annually) to every individual with an Ohio University email address. 6 questions (38%) on the survey directly addresses sustainability literacy, while 6 questions (38%) address sustainability engagement or culture. The remaining 4 questions (25%) on the survey are demographic questions utilized for data analysis and internal tracking.

The original surveying method included in-person surveying of first-year students in a pilot survey (CIRP) in the fall and then emailed surveying of all graduates each spring. When it was determined that more complete and consistent surveying needed to happen, the Office of Sustainability worked with Information Technology to ensure that a representative sample of the entire campus community could be reached annually through emailed surveying.

The surveying does require that the respondent identifies one's self as 1.) first year student 2.) graduating student 3.) other student population 4.) University employee, or 5.) Alumni/community member. Such classifications allow us to compare changes in knowledge between demographics and to determine if exiting students are acquiring new knowledge after their time at the University. The results of the current surveying method show that the Sustainability Literacy rate of the overall campus community was 74% in FY21. That number has fluctuated between 67% and 74% in the past five years. Such fluctuations suggest that the University has some consistent outreach on the topics of sustainability and carbon neutrality but that increased outreach efforts do need to occur. Surveying results analyzed for changes in knowledge from first-year students to graduates yield varying data, showing that, perhaps, the knowledge gained while on campus may not specifically address the questions on this survey and the Office of Sustainability should, therefore, create a pointed engagement campaign that addresses these questions.

Since the survey is conducted annually, data from four years ago is able to supplement a pre- and post-assessment analysis. FY17 first-years had a literacy rate of 68%, while in FY21 this same group had a literacy rate of 70%. This slight increase of 2% may indicate that sustainability knowledge provided by the University and was retained, but still shows room for improvement on the university’s part.

The website URL provided is the page that survey respondents are directed to after completing the survey. This page provides them with the answer to the questions which have specific answers and offers more information about how to incorporate sustainability into one's life.

Updated 7/13/2021 by Xander Stultz with 2021 Literacy Survey Report and brief description and summary.