| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 69.61 |
| Liaison | Tina Woolston |
| Submission Date | Nov. 2, 2022 |
Tufts University
AC-6: Sustainability Literacy Assessment
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
2.00 / 4.00 |
Shoshana
Dodge Education & Outreach Program Administrator Office of Sustainability |
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:
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. Additionally, we wanted to create questions that were based on presentations that the Office of Sustainability typically gives to the student body, to see if they were learning from that.
This survey was administered in December 2021. A slightly different set of questions was administered in April 2018. We plan to continue administering this optional sustainability survey 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 2021 transportation survey was only sent to graduate/professional school students, and therefore is not representative since it was not offered to the undergraduate students that make up half of the student body.
A brief summary of results from the literacy assessment(s):
This survey has only been administered twice so far, but is intended for annual use to achieve longitudinal results.
We were able to see some results between the 2018 to 2021 surveys, however they are not the exact populations since the 2018 survey included undergrads.
There was a huge increase in the percentage of students who knew the UN definition of sustainability, jumping from 63% to 94%.
62% of students know the three pillars of sustainability, which stayed the same over time.
76% of students can spot something that is not included as a UN SDG.
88% of students know the definition of carbon neutrality.
36% of students know that humans are not better off without greenhouse gases, despite the greenhouse effect.
88% of students are familiar with the many ways recycling is related to climate change.
93% of students know the definition of environmental justice.
80% of students know that access to public transit, living close to a landfill, and availability of fresh produce are related to the neighborhood ones lives in.
84% of students know that income disparity has increased over the last 3 decades.
73% of students know that the Paris Climate Agreement set a goal to reduce emissions by 2050 to keep global temperature rise to 1.5 - 2 degrees Celsius.
Website URL where information about the sustainability literacy assessment 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 commuting survey. The transportation survey is sent repeatedly until response rate meets requirements under MA state law. In 2021 the survey was only sent to graduate students and employees. 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 commuting survey. The transportation survey is sent repeatedly until response rate meets requirements under MA state law. In 2021 the survey was only sent to graduate students and employees. 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.