University of Texas at Austin
AC-6: Sustainability Literacy Assessment
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
2.00 / 4.00 |
Jim
Walker Director of Sustainability, Financial, and Administrative Services University Operations |
Does the institution conduct an assessment of the sustainability literacy of its students?:
Which of the following best describes the literacy assessment? The assessment is administered to::
Which of the following best describes the structure of the assessment? The assessment is administered as a::
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:
A brief description of how the literacy assessment was developed and/or when it was adopted:
The Office of Sustainability partnered with Institutional Reporting, Research, & Information Systems (IRRIS) to administer the Assessment of Sustainability Knowledge (ASK) as published by Dr. Adam Zwickle at Michigan State University in the Handbook of Sustainability and Social Science Research (https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-67122-2_25). This assessment was chosen because there is published documentation of its efficacy at measuring sustainability knowledge across ecological, economic, and social domains using a small number of questions. The sustainability knowledge questions and the cultural assessment questions were combined into a single survey along with additional campus-specific questions.
A brief description of how a representative sample was reached (if applicable) and how the assessment(s) were administered :
The assessment was administered by Institutional Reporting, Research, & Information Systems (IRRIS). On October 26, 2021, the Sustainability Survey was emailed to a sample of 5,000 undergraduate and graduate students stratified by classification (e.g. Freshman, Sophomore, etc.) and college/school/unit (CSU). The survey remained open for about 3 weeks. Respondents who completed the survey were entered into a drawing to win one of twenty $40 Bevo Pay gift cards. 724 students completed 77% or more of entire survey and were included in the analysis and reporting of the results. This equates to a 14.5% response rate, and provides us with sufficient information to generalize the data to the population - based on a 95% confidence interval, 5% margin of error. The survey will be administered annually.
A brief summary of results from the literacy assessment(s):
o The Assessment of Sustainability Knowledge (ASK) survey consisted of twelve, multiple-choice items. For every item, respondents were given the opportunity to select ‘I don’t know.’
o The percentage of respondents who provided correct answers varied considerably from question to question. Specifically, the percent selecting the correct answer ranged from 34.3% to 90.9%, depending on the item, with the average percent correct equating to 66.1%.
o The item most likely to be answered correctly by respondents was:
Over the past 3 decades, what has happened to the difference between the wealth of the richest and poorest Americans? (90.9% answered correctly)
o Less than half of the respondents answered the following sustainability items correctly, which concerned economics and hydrology:
Which of the following is the most commonly used definition of economic sustainability? (45.9% answered correctly)
What is the most common cause of pollution of streams and rivers? (39.9% answered correctly)
Which of the following is a leading cause of the depletion of fish stocks in the Atlantic Ocean? (34.3% answered correctly)
o Regarding the ‘I don’t know’ answer options, selection of this option varied from item to item. The percentage choosing this option ranged from 0% to 31.2%, depending on the item.
o Respondents were most likely to select ‘I don’t know’ on the following items, both of which concern the intersection between economics and sustainability:
Which of the following is the most commonly used definition of economic sustainability? (31.2%)
Many economists argue that electricity prices in the U.S. are too low because… (20.7%)
Website URL where information about the sustainability literacy assessment is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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.