Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 65.48
Liaison Amy Brunvand
Submission Date Oct. 21, 2020

STARS v2.2

University of Utah
AC-6: Sustainability Literacy Assessment

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.00 / 4.00 Adrienne Cachelin
Associate Director, Global Change and Sustainability Center
Environmental & Sustainability Studies
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

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::
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::
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:

1. Define sustainability and describe a response to a contemporary problem that incorporates all aspects of sustainability.
2. Compare the ways (at least two) different disciplines (e.g. political science, geography, sociology) approach answering a sustainability related challenge or problem. How might more than one discipline contribute to a solution?
3. Give an example of a local or global community working towards resilience. What might your actual or potential role be?
4. Describe the local and global environmental and social costs of an everyday product or behavior (e.g. clothing, driving). How is this challenge related to sustainability and environmental justice? What personal or collective actions would you advocate for to approach the issues you described?


A brief description of how the literacy assessment was developed and/or when it was adopted:

The assessment was done in the 2017-18 and 2018-19 academic years. Pre and post-tests were given to all students in the Environmental & Sustainability Studies Program, first in the introductory course and subsequently in their capstone course.


A brief description of how a representative sample was reached (if applicable) and how the assessment(s) were administered :

All Environmental & Sustainability Studies majors = 362 majors and pre-majors in 2018-19.


A brief summary of results from the literacy assessment(s):

See attached file for results.


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:

Sustainability Literacy for Every Student, 2019.
URL: https://sustainability.utah.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/19/2018/10/ActionPlan_Final.pdf
Also, attachment on credit AC-2.
As part of a commitment to sustainability literacy for every student, there is a planning to "Develop and implement an assessment tool and plan for sustainability literacy. Piloting limited instrument with Environmental & Sustainability
Studies."


Sustainability Literacy for Every Student, 2019.
URL: https://sustainability.utah.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/19/2018/10/ActionPlan_Final.pdf
Also, attachment on credit AC-2.
As part of a commitment to sustainability literacy for every student, there is a planning to "Develop and implement an assessment tool and plan for sustainability literacy. Piloting limited instrument with Environmental & Sustainability
Studies."

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.