Rowan University
AC-6: Sustainability Literacy Assessment
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
Reporter |
Shante
Walker Institutional Research Analyst Office of Institutional Research & Analytics |
Does the institution conduct an assessment of the sustainability literacy of its students?:
Which of the following best describes the literacy assessment? The assessment is administered to::
Which of the following best describes the structure of the assessment? The assessment is administered as a::
A copy of the questions included in the sustainability literacy assessment(s):
A list or sample of the questions included in the sustainability literacy assessment or the website URL where the assessment tool may be found:
Rowan Core is Rowan University's general education program. Effective Fall 2018, Rowan Core is the product of years of collaborative planning, beginning with the articulation of six literacies with goals and outcomes for each, and progressing to a University Senate proposal that established the foundation of the program. While Rowan Core is the general education program, students develop the Rowan Core literacies not only in their general education courses but in their major coursework as well.
Global Literacy and Outcomes (specific to sustainability)
- Cultural Engagement – Students can navigate ambiguity and complexity through engagement in various cultural contexts (language learning, study abroad, dialogue, and other immersive experiences).
- Sustainability – Students can identify sustainable social, environmental, and economic practices to implement in their communities and in their own lives.
- Justice, Equity and Inclusion – Students can understand and promote social justice, equity and inclusion.
Assessment Requirements
Faculty teaching Rowan Core courses are required to use the assessment methods that were proposed by the course director and approved by the Rowan Core Committee. These assessment methods are graded components of the course.
Faculty then submit their evaluations of each of their students’ work using an online form within TracDat, the University’s assessment management system. The form mirrors the assessment method developed by the course director, meaning student performance on each set of objective questions and/or each rubric dimension is reported separately in the assessment management system. Faculty are sent links to the forms by email; no login is required.
A brief description of how the literacy assessment was developed and/or when it was adopted:
The Sulitest (sulitest.org) is a free online global test designed to measure and improve sustainability literacy. The test consisted of two modules. The International Core Module consists of 30 international questions randomly selected from a bank of questions for each student and the Specialized Local Module for USA which consists of 20 additional questions specific to the USA (i.e., laws, environment, practices). The test is designed to assess four key knowledge areas: sustainable humanity and ecosystems on planet Earth, global and local constructed systems, transition towards sustainability, roles to play to create and maintain individual and systemic changes.
A brief description of how a representative sample was reached (if applicable) and how the assessment(s) were administered :
Students received two different performance measures for each of the modules. Scores are automatically generated by the Sulitest website. For each of the knowledge areas, the test reports the percentage of questions for each area that the student answered correctly. These knowledge area percentages are given for both the Core International Module and the USA Module.
A brief summary of results from the literacy assessment(s):
This is a numeric score calculated for each student for the International Core Module questions only. Students’ answers are given 4 points if they matched the expected answer, 1 point if the student responded that they didn’t know, and 0 points if they selected an unexpected answer. This score gives students some credit for having the awareness that they don’t know some of the sustainability information.
Optional Fields
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.