| Overall Rating | Gold - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 67.47 |
| Liaison | Aaron Klemm |
| Submission Date | Aug. 26, 2016 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
San Jose State University
AC-1: Academic Courses
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
8.06 / 14.00 |
Katherine
Cushing Director of Sustainability Office of the President |
"---"
indicates that no data was submitted for this field
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Figures required to calculate the percentage of courses with sustainability content::
| Undergraduate | Graduate | |
| Total number of courses offered by the institution | 3,457 | 1,081 |
| Number of sustainability courses offered | 134 | 21 |
| Number of courses offered that include sustainability | 151 | 17 |
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Number of academic departments (or the equivalent) that offer at least one sustainability course and/or course that includes sustainability (at any level):
50
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Total number of academic departments (or the equivalent) that offer courses (at any level):
64
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Number of years covered by the data:
One
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A copy of the institution’s inventory of its course offerings with sustainability content (and course descriptions):
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An inventory of the institution's course offerings with sustainability content (and course descriptions):
Please refer to the excel sheet attached for the inventory of the institution courses offering sustainability and associated descriptions. The following conventions were used to develop the list: Courses at the 100 level or below are UNDERGRADUATE; courses at the 200 level or above are GRADUATE; the term "focused" in the inventory indicates a sustainability course per the AASHE 2.0 STARS definition; the term "related" in the inventory indicates a course that includes sustainability per the AASHE 2.0 STARS definition.
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The website URL where the inventory of course offerings with sustainability content is publicly available:
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A brief description of the methodology the institution followed to complete the course inventory:
The SJSU Sustainability Board and STARS team reviewed the initial list of courses developed for the 2011 STARS audit. During the '15-16 academic year, this list was vetted and finalized by faculty members in each of SJSU's academic colleges. Where necessary, a review of course green sheets, online information, and personal communication with course instructors and department chairs was conducted. The final list of sustainability-related and -focused courses is available on the SJSU sustainability website. Please note that we used the metric of each offering or section of a course to count as a course offering (not that each class was counted as a single course) so as to get a more accurate understanding of current course offerings. STARS team assembled an up to date list of sustainability-related and -focused courses to its Institutional Effectiveness and Analytics Department. This list was based off of an original list generated for the 2010-11 STARS assessment, then updated by faculty members of the AY '15-'16 Sustainability Board. Institutional Effectiveness and Analytics subsequently ran the query to identify the number of course sections offered during the 2015-2016 academic year. Comparison with two previous years indicate a consistency in course offerings.
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How did the institution count courses with multiple offerings or sections in the inventory?:
Each offering or section of a course was counted as an individual course
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A brief description of how courses with multiple offerings or sections were counted (if different from the options outlined above):
Cross-listed courses were not double counted.
Which of the following course types were included in the inventory?:
| Yes or No | |
| Internships | Yes |
| Practicums | Yes |
| Independent study | Yes |
| Special topics | Yes |
| Thesis/dissertation | Yes |
| Clinical | Yes |
| Physical education | Yes |
| Performance arts | Yes |
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Does the institution designate sustainability courses in its catalog of course offerings?:
No
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Does the institution designate sustainability courses on student transcripts?:
No
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
Please note the following responses to reviewer comments:
Comment: "The count of courses in the inventory should match the counts under the "courses with sustainability content" section of the credit. While a total of 638 courses are referenced under AC 1, the inventory upload includes 341 courses. Please clarify why there is a discrepancy, revise the inventory to include the remaining courses, or revise the number of courses offered that include sustainability to reflect the current inventory upload."
Response: Our method for counting courses is to count each instance a class is offered (e.g., if we offer 7 sections of Introduction to Environmental Issues it counts as 7 courses). Our inventory lists individual courses by name. This difference explains why there is a difference in the course inventory versus the number of courses. We list individual course descriptions on our website because this is more useful to site visitors.
Comment: AC 1 lists 64 total academic departments while IC 3 lists 67.
Response: We have spoken with our counterparts in Institutional Analytics and Effectiveness and agreed that SJSU has 64, not 67 academic departments, since some departments do not offer distinctive degree programs or a oversee significant number of their own classes (e.g., physical education, undergraduate studies).
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.