Overall Rating Gold
Overall Score 83.37
Liaison Ruairi O'Mahony
Submission Date Feb. 11, 2022

STARS v2.2

University of Massachusetts Lowell
AC-6: Sustainability Literacy Assessment

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 4.00 / 4.00 Craig Thomas
Assistant Director
Sustainability
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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:
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A brief description of how the literacy assessment was developed and/or when it was adopted:
The Office of Sustainability reengaged our partners at the Center for Program Evaluation in the School of Education, the Rist Institute for Sustainability & Energy, and the UMass Lowell Climate Change Initiative to restart campus literacy assessments upon our return to in-person campus operations in fall 2021. Our goals were to build off the successful 2019 literacy assessment and create a survey that can be used as a post-survey to that work. In addition, we worked together to develop new questions about campus literacy to guide the development of the university sustainability program and define key focus areas. A second use of the survey tool is planned for fall 2022 to begin annual assessments to further development and refine our longitudinal data. For 2022, the literacy assessment and cultural assessment were combined into a single survey.

A brief description of how a representative sample was reached (if applicable) and how the assessment(s) were administered :
The assessment was administered through Qualtrics, an online survey management tool and sent to the entire campus community through email and featured prominently in campus announcements. A prize-drawing incentive was offered to participants in the initial post-survey and will be offered again in fall 2022 to ensure a representative sample was achieved. Follow-up was conducted as needed.

A brief summary of results from the literacy assessment(s):
The Sustainability Literacy and Cultural Assessment was sent out the entire campus population when spring semester classes resumed in January 2022. Data collection is complete, and analysis is underway of the survey in comparison to the initial literacy assessment in 2019 to create a pre/post data set. Final data will be shared with the campus partners to guide program development and may be published. The analysis is structured to build in ongoing assessment information with the second survey administration in fall 2022 and annual fall surveys moving forward.

Optional Fields 

Website URL where information about the sustainability literacy assessment 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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