Overall Rating Gold
Overall Score 68.50
Liaison Derek Nichols
Submission Date May 17, 2022

STARS v2.2

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?:
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:
Entire survey has been uploaded as a PDF.

A brief description of how the literacy assessment was developed and/or when it was adopted:
The survey was developed using the University of New Hampshire's assessment and adapted with permission to fit UB's needs. The survey was administered to all members of the freshman class in April of 2022. A follow up survey of the same sample will be conducted in late Oct/early Nov of 2022.

The assessment included questions on sustainability literacy (16/42 questions, 38%) and culture (26/42 questions, 62%).

A brief description of how a representative sample was reached (if applicable) and how the assessment(s) were administered :
This is a targeted sample and is fully representative of the population. We are surveying the entire population of degree-seeking freshman (regardless of full-time/part-time status).
The sustainability assessment was sent in collaboration with Institutional Analysis via email to all first year students in April of 2022. Students received an email which briefly explained the survey, with a link to participate.
The assessment included 42 items/questions, 16 of which or 38% related to sustainability literacy and 26 of which or 62% related to sustainability culture.
- Results from this survey remain completely anonymous.
The assessment schedule was:
April 14, 2022- send out initial invitation
April 21, 2022- follow up email
April 27, 2022- final email reminder
April 28, 2022- survey closes

A brief summary of results from the literacy assessment(s):
Survey results are used to determine a baseline of 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 the campus community's views about UB specific initiatives and priorities, along with the types and format of sustainability related learning opportunities.

The complete survey results have been uploaded as a PDF.

Optional Fields 

Website URL where information about the sustainability literacy assessment is available:
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Additional documentation to support the submission:
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.