Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 60.20
Liaison Jonathan Rausseo
Submission Date March 29, 2018
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

University of Ottawa
AC-6: Sustainability Literacy Assessment

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.00 / 4.00 Jonathan Rausseo
campus sustainability manager
physical resources service
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Does the institution conduct an assessment of the sustainability literacy of its students (i.e. an assessment focused on student knowledge of sustainability topics and challenges)?:
Yes

Which of the following best describes the literacy assessment? The assessment is administered to::
A subset of students or a sample that may not be representative of the predominant student body

Which of the following best describes the structure of the assessment? The assessment is administered as a::
Standalone evaluation without a follow-up assessment of the same cohort or representative samples

A copy of the questions included in the sustainability literacy assessment(s):
A sample of the questions included in the sustainability literacy assessment or the website URL where the assessment tool may be found:
https://sustainable.uottawa.ca/sites/sustainable.uottawa.ca/files/results_of_the_sustainability_literacy_survey_2015.pdf

A brief description of how the literacy assessment was developed and/or when it was adopted:
This survey is composed of two parts. The first part consists of Questions 1 through 4, which aim to gauge the demographic characteristics and identity of the participants. The second part consists of questions 5 through 19, for which there is an answer key and a previously agreed upon correct answer for each. These questions focus on several different aspects of sustainability, from waste to climate change and energy. They also focus on either Canada or North America for questions related to environmental law, economics, and geography-specific questions

A brief description of how a representative sample was reached (if applicable) and how the assessment(s) were administered :
1,196 people responded to the survey. The participants in this survey were chosen based on a snowball sampling method. The survey was presented to approximately 170 students who were taking course ENV1101, and they were instructed to administer the survey to at least ten people who should represent different aspects of the university (i.e., not just students).

A brief summary of results from the literacy assessment(s), including a description of any measurable changes over time:
The average score on the literacy test was 40%, not passing. Questions which asked for specific numerical figures consistently scored poorly. A basic understanding of the negative impacts associated with over-consumption and over-development were revealed through the responses. The results from our surveys since 2012 can not be compared over time because the survey has changed every year.

The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
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.