Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 46.59
Liaison Bambi Ingram
Submission Date July 29, 2016
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

University of Alabama at Birmingham
AC-2: Learning Outcomes

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 0.52 / 8.00 Julie Price
Sustainability Coordinator
Sustainability
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Total number of graduates from degree programs (i.e. majors, minors, concentrations, certificates, and other academic designations):
4,322

Number of students that graduate from programs that have adopted at least one sustainability learning outcome:
279

Percentage of students who graduate from programs that have adopted at least one sustainability learning outcome:
6.46

Do the figures reported above cover one, two, or three academic years?:
One

Does the institution specify sustainability learning outcomes at the institution level (e.g. covering all students)?:
No

Does the institution specify sustainability learning outcomes at the division level (e.g. covering particular schools or colleges within the institution)?:
Yes

A list or brief description of the institution level or division level sustainability learning outcomes:

The School of Engineering is accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET). The criteria for accreditation includes student outcomes, including (c) below requiring sustainability learning outcomes for all engineering programs.

GENERAL CRITERION 3. STUDENT OUTCOMES
The program must have documented student outcomes that prepare graduates to attain the program educational objectives.
Student outcomes are outcomes (a) through (k) plus any additional outcomes that may be articulated by the program.
(a) an ability to apply knowledge of mathematics, science, and engineering
(b) an ability to design and conduct experiments, as well as to analyze and interpret data
(c) an ability to design a system, component, or process to meet desired needs within realistic constraints such as economic, environmental, social, political, ethical, health and safety, manufacturability, and sustainability
(d) an ability to function on multidisciplinary teams
(e) an ability to identify, formulate, and solve engineering problems
(f) an understanding of professional and ethical responsibility
(g) an ability to communicate effectively
(h) the broad education necessary to understand the impact of engineering solutions in a global, economic, environmental, and societal context
(i) a recognition of the need for, and an ability to engage in life-long learning
(j) a knowledge of contemporary issues
(k) an ability to use the techniques, skills, and modern engineering tools necessary for engineering practice.

http://www.abet.org/accreditation/accreditation-criteria/criteria-for-accrediting-engineering-programs-2016-2017/

Furthermore, many departments within Engineering have individual governing bodies. For example, the Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering follows the associated canons of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) in curriculum instruction and must demonstrate that their graduates are equipped to follow the ASCE's Code of Ethics. The first Canon of the Code specifies compliance with sustainable development in the performance of their professional duties (see link below). Therefore, all students graduating from the department are considered to have graduated from a program with formally adopted sustainability learning outcomes.

http://www.asce.org/uploadedFiles/About_ASCE/Ethics/Content_Pieces/CodeofEthics2006.pdf


Does the institution specify sustainability learning outcomes at the program level (i.e. majors, minors, concentrations, degrees, diplomas, certificates, and other academic designations)?:
Yes

A list or brief description of the program level sustainability learning outcomes (or a list of sustainability-focused programs):

1 program at UAB has sustainability learning outcomes at the program level:

BS and MS in Public Health with Enviro Health Sciences concentration:
1. Understand historical milestones in the public health and how they influence current practice.
2. Explain disease processes from a biological, environmental, social and behavioral perspective.
3. Identify the role of health disparities in studying the health needs of communities and improving population health.
4. Describe how data and study design methodology are utilized in quantifying public health problems.
5. Communicate public health approaches, messages, and findings effectively both orally and in writing.
6. Explain the toxicological basis for environmental and occupational agents in disease.
7. Apply environmental justice principles and ethical thinking to environmental and occupational settings.
8. Communicate to various audiences how occupational and environmental health professionals protect worker and public health.


Do course level sustainability learning outcomes contribute to the figure reported above (i.e. in the absence of program, division, or institution level learning outcomes)?:
Yes

A list or brief description of the course level sustainability learning outcomes and the programs for which the courses are required:

The Peace Justice and Ecology Minor does not have formal learning outcomes for sustainability. However, the coursework within the minor has sustainability learning outcomes with each syllabus. The framework for the minor is below:

The Peace, Justice, and Ecology minor, housed in the College of Arts and Sciences, is an interdisciplinary program for students seeking a broad learning experience in human-ecological interactions, bio-cultural diversity, and strategies to foster social justice, peace, and environmental sustainability from a holistic perspective. The Peace, Justice, and Ecology studies minor offers students the opportunity to examine themes of ecological adaptation and sustainability as well as environmental health and human rights in local, cross-cultural, and global contexts, and to apply scientific, philosophical, and ethical reasoning to real-world problems.


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.