| Overall Rating | Gold - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 72.89 |
| Liaison | Meredith Moore |
| Submission Date | Feb. 27, 2019 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
AC-1: Academic Courses
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
11.50 / 14.00 |
Micah
Kenfield Sustainability Coordinator Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment |
Figures required to calculate the percentage of courses offered by the institution that are sustainability course offerings:
| Undergraduate | Graduate | |
| Total number of courses offered by the institution | 4,486 | 1,339 |
| Number of sustainability courses offered | 184 | 18 |
| Number of courses offered that include sustainability | 696 | 77 |
Percentage of courses that are sustainability course offerings:
Total number of academic departments (or the equivalent) that offer courses (at any level):
Number of academic departments (or the equivalent) that offer at least one sustainability course and/or course that includes sustainability (at any level):
Percentage of academic departments with sustainability course offerings:
A copy of the institution’s inventory of its sustainability course offerings and descriptions:
Do the figures reported above cover one, two, or three academic years?:
A brief description of the methodology used to determine the total number of courses offered and to identify sustainability course offerings, including the definitions used and the process for reviewing and/or validating the course inventory :
Total number of courses was determined both by getting a general headcount via the University of Illinois Division of Management Information as well as a department-by-department review by sustainability staff (cross checked by multiple parties). The definition of sustainability courses and sustainability content took past guidance from a chancellor-level task force and integrated inclusion of core concepts in the UN's Sustainable Development Goals to ensure an inclusive - but not overly broad - definition of sustainability was used. Many courses, especially technical ones like GIS and Biostatistics, were included if the datasets used for examples and assignments involved climate change impacts. Given the U of I's efforts toward treating campus as a living lab, a number of other opportunities arose for inclusion of courses in areas like Food Science, where food for on-campus production comes from our on-campus Sustainable Student Farm, and every class touches on principles of organic food production.
How were courses with multiple offerings or sections counted for the figures reported above?:
A brief description of how courses with multiple offerings or sections were counted (if different from the options outlined above):
Each course was counted as a single course regardless of the number of offerings or sections on a semester by semester basis; however, there is some duplication across the Fall 2018 and Spring 2019 lists. Since this duplication includes non-sustainability courses as well, however, the total ratio of sustainability courses to non-sustainability courses remains consistent with how things were addressed in years past.
Are the following course types included in the inventory? :
| Yes (included) or No (not included) | |
| Internships | No |
| Practicums | No |
| Independent study | No |
| Special topics | No |
| Thesis / dissertation | No |
| Clinical | No |
| Physical education | No |
| Performance arts | No |
The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
In a departure from previous methodology, the total number of departments was determined based on host department instead of course heading. Many departments (from Earth, Society, and Environment to Linguistics) have multiple course prefixes administered by a single department. In this case, shifting to a department-based model more accurately represents the number of programs and points of contact the average student has for sustainability education.
To specifically address points from STARS Review, there has been a significant uptick in courses designated as matching scoring criteria for sustainability due to an enhanced review process and significantly increased amount of time dedicated to the course audit.
In a departure from previous methodology, the total number of departments was determined based on host department instead of course heading. Many departments (from Earth, Society, and Environment to Linguistics) have multiple course prefixes administered by a single department. In this case, shifting to a department-based model more accurately represents the number of programs and points of contact the average student has for sustainability education.
To specifically address points from STARS Review, there has been a significant uptick in courses designated as matching scoring criteria for sustainability due to an enhanced review process and significantly increased amount of time dedicated to the course audit.
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.