University of Dayton
AC-6: Sustainability Literacy Assessment

Three literacy assessments ("Save a Watt, Spare a Lot", "Sustainability Culture at UD" and "Don't Be Trashy") were available to all undergraduate students. Students had to do a pre-assesment, watch a short video, complete a quiz (literacy assesment), and then complete a post-assessment. Sample questions from "Save a Watt, Spare a Lot" include: 1. What should you set your thermostat in the winter and the summer to reduce your energy usage? A) 68 in the Winter, 76 in the Summer B) 68 in the Winter, 78 in the Summer C) 72 in the Winter, 68 in the Summer D) 72 year round 3) What is vampire power? Please write your answer in all lowercase with no periods. Start your sentence like this: power drawn..... 6) What fraction of greenhouse gases are emitted by the meat industry? Sample questions from "Sustainability Culture at UD" include: 4. What does LEED construction standards do for buildings? A) Helps them become more energy efficient B) Monitors their energy consumption C) Creates a zero carbon footprint D) Uses only local employees and materials 9. How much energy does the solar panels on student housing provide? A) 80-100% B) 80-90% C) 75-100% D) 60-100% 11. Where is the University of Dayton's shared community garden located? A) North Dayton B) East Dayton C) South Dayton D) West Dayton Sample questions from "Don't Be Trashy" include: 1. How many plastic bags are thrown away every year by Americans? A) 100 million B) 10 million C) 100 billion D) 10 billion 5. How long does it take a styrofoam plate or cup to decompose? 10. How much did the average American throw away in 2013 according to the EPA? A) 4.40 pounds B) 1.51 pounds C) 2.3 pounds D) 1.1 pounds 11. Which object takes the longest to degrade? A) Paper B) Rope C) Tin can D) Aluminum Can E) Plastic Bag F) Glass Bottle

A fellow in the Hanley Sustainability Institute (HSI) developed curriculum for the Sustainability ACTIVATION programs for the AVIATE program. The fellow then worked with the Sustainability ACTIVATION student leadership team to teach the educational outreach programs, create the educational videos, and develop the literacy assessments. The online assessments were available to all undergraduate students from January 16, 2018 - February 16, 2018.

The three literacy assessments were available to all undergraduate students on the university student portal though the AVIATE program which is a housing assignment program that incentivizes students to participate in engagement opportunities. The assessments were available to all students from January 16, 2018 - February 16, 2018. Approximately, 2,000+ students completed one of the three assessments and since it was available to all students, it is assumed that a representative sample was reached. Exact results of the assessments are still being tabulated.

Exact results of the assessments are still being tabulated since the assessments were administered in January - February of this year, 2018. However, initial results seem to show that in the pre-assessment 71% could define sustainability and 85% stated that humans actions impact the environment. After the videos and the quizzes were completed, 99% could define sustainability and 85% felt that human activities impact the environment.