Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 61.04
Liaison Tina Woolston
Submission Date March 1, 2019
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Tufts University
AC-6: Sustainability Literacy Assessment

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 4.00 / 4.00 Shoshana Blank
Education and Outreach Program Administrator
Office of Sustainability
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Does the institution conduct an assessment of the sustainability literacy of its students (i.e. an assessment focused on student knowledge of sustainability topics and challenges)?:
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 sample of the questions included in the sustainability literacy assessment or the website URL where the assessment tool may be found:

1) The 2015 Paris Climate Agreement included a commitment to prevent the average global temperature from increasing more than how many degrees Celsius above pre-industrial revolution levels?
a. 2 degrees
b. 4 degrees
c. 10 degrees
d. 0 degrees

2) By 2050, the projected global human population will be approximately…
a. 7.6 billion
b. 8.9 billion
c. 9.8 billion
d. 11.2 billion

3) In 2014, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reported that which of the following sectors produced the highest portion of greenhouse gas emissions in the US?
a. Agriculture, Forestry and other Land Use
b. Electricity and Heat Production
c. Industry
d. Transportation

4) Which of the following places the greatest demand on US freshwater resources?
a. Domestic consumption
b. Agriculture
c. Manufacturing
d. Thermoelectric power generation (boiling water to create steam)

5) According to the World Bank, what percentage of the world’s population in 2013 lived in extreme poverty (earning less than US $1.90 a day )?
a. 7.6%
b. 10.7%
c. 12.4%
d. 24.5%


A brief description of how the literacy assessment was developed and/or when it was adopted:

This survey was generated using several other institutions' sustainability surveys as examples and using current knowledge of global sustainability topics. This selection of questions was created and adopted for the purpose of this STARS certification credit in April 2018 and will be administered annually to achieve longitudinal study results.


A brief description of how a representative sample was reached (if applicable) and how the assessment(s) were administered :

This survey is an optional module attached to a transportation survey. The transportation survey is sent repeatedly until response rate meets requirements under MA state law. The module itself was incentivized by entry into a gift card raffle. The results should be representative because the entire Tufts community had the opportunity to respond and had equal incentive.


A brief summary of results from the literacy assessment(s), including a description of any measurable changes over time:

This survey has only been administered once so far, but is intended for annual use to achieve longitudinal results. Current results show significant familiarity with general sustainability concepts like the SDGs, the 2 degree Celsius goal of the Paris Agreement, courses of GHG emissions, and predicted effects of global warming. Areas of less familiarity include knowledge of poverty and population under the WHO definition of poverty.


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:

This survey is an optional module attached to a transportation survey. The transportation survey is sent repeatedly until response rate meets requirements under MA state law. The module itself was incentivized by entry into a gift card raffle. The results may not be representative since students self-select to take the sustainability module.


This survey is an optional module attached to a transportation survey. The transportation survey is sent repeatedly until response rate meets requirements under MA state law. The module itself was incentivized by entry into a gift card raffle. The results may not be representative since students self-select to take the sustainability module.

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.