Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 69.58
Liaison Derek Nichols
Submission Date Dec. 14, 2018
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

University at Buffalo
AC-6: Sustainability Literacy Assessment

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 4.00 / 4.00 Erin Moscati
Environmental Educator
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):
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A 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 assessment was developed in collaboration with UB Sustainability and the Office of Assessment and Evaluation. A team met to first set the priorities for the project which included collecting information that was both useful for the institution to move forward as well as meeting the requirements for the STARs application. A balance between assessing learning, literacy, behavior, perceptions and values was set as a goal. From there, questions were pulled by looking at best practices and examples from other campuses through the community site on Campus Labs Baseline and by examining questions developed by other institutions as part of the STARS process. Questions were adapted to fit our needs and priorities and new questions were written when best practices could not be found.


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

The sustainability assessment was included as part of an email sent to all of UB announcing Sustainability Week on campus. All enrolled students received the email to participate in the survey.


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

The survey results are used to determine a baseline of student knowledge, familiarity, and interest in sustainability concepts and practices. Results are also used to identify trends in behaviors and attitudes around both personal and collective sustainable behaviors. Finally, results indicate students' views about UB specific initiatives and priorities, along with the types and format of sustainability related learning opportunities. The pre-survey was issued in April of 2018 and the post survey was issued in November of 2018.


The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
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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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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.