| Overall Rating | Platinum |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 85.88 |
| Liaison | Sam Lubow |
| Submission Date | March 3, 2022 |
Stanford University
AC-6: Sustainability Literacy Assessment
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
4.00 / 4.00 |
Melissa
Maigler Sustainability Analytics Manager Office of Sustainability |
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Does the institution conduct an assessment of the sustainability literacy of its students?:
Yes
Which of the following best describes the literacy assessment? The assessment is administered to::
The entire (or predominate) student body, directly or by representative sample
Which of the following best describes the structure of the assessment? The assessment is administered as a::
Pre- and post-assessment to the same cohort or to representative samples in both a pre- and post-test
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:
Please see the uploaded file with a complete list of questions included in the survey.
A brief description of how the literacy assessment was developed and/or when it was adopted:
In 2016-17, it became a new goal of the Provost’s Committee on Sustainability to better measure the combined impact of the countless sustainability initiatives at Stanford on the student experience. With this goal in mind, the Provost’s Committee on Sustainability formed a Sustainability Literacy Working Group comprised of students, faculty and staff. The working group assisted with the development of a sustainability literacy survey. The survey became available to all students on campus, including both undergraduates and graduate students in Fall 2017, at the start of the 2017-18 academic year. As an incentive, students were offered points via the My Cardinal Green online engagement platform for taking the survey. The post-survey was then administered only to students who had taken the pre-survey in Spring 2018, towards the end of the 2017-18 academic year. This pre- and post- survey pattern is now administered and evaluated annually. Completion of the post-survey is also still eligible for points in My Cardinal Green.
A brief description of how a representative sample was reached (if applicable) and how the assessment(s) were administered :
The survey is available to all students and can be accessed online at: http://sustainable.stanford.edu/cardinal-green/my-cardinal-green Respondents access the survey with their Stanford online IDs, which allows the survey to be mapped to each individual. The link above is regularly pushed out via multiple channels, including emails to student listservs and promotions in the Stanford Report. Taking the sustainability literacy survey is marked as a "promotional action" in My Cardinal Green, so it is located at the top of each user's dashboard once they log in with their Stanford ID.
A brief summary of results from the literacy assessment(s):
The initial literacy assessment for academic year 2021 demonstrated student knowledge of the definition of sustainability, the definition of sustainable development, and how to reduce their carbon footprint the most. Students were least familiar with the sources of energy in California and understanding how forests help mitigate climate change. The average correct response rate on the 13 questions included in the survey was 59%. This figure includes graduate students, who comprised 47% of the survey participants. The average correct response rate for undergraduate and graduate students was very similar.
The follow-up literacy assessment for academic year 2021 demonstrated strong student knowledge of the overall concepts and definitions of sustainability and sustainable development, sources of renewable energy, and environmental externalities. On the other hand, students were less familiar with more nuanced concepts like the benefits of forests and the specific actions that contribute most to climate change. The average correct response rate on the 13 questions included in the survey was 87%. This figure includes graduate students, who comprised 58% of the survey participants. The average correct response rate for undergraduate and graduate students was almost exactly the same.
As shown by these results, the correct response rate did notably increase from 59% to 87% over the course of time from the initial survey to the follow-up survey.
The follow-up literacy assessment for academic year 2021 demonstrated strong student knowledge of the overall concepts and definitions of sustainability and sustainable development, sources of renewable energy, and environmental externalities. On the other hand, students were less familiar with more nuanced concepts like the benefits of forests and the specific actions that contribute most to climate change. The average correct response rate on the 13 questions included in the survey was 87%. This figure includes graduate students, who comprised 58% of the survey participants. The average correct response rate for undergraduate and graduate students was almost exactly the same.
As shown by these results, the correct response rate did notably increase from 59% to 87% over the course of time from the initial survey to the follow-up survey.
Optional Fields
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Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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