Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 76.79
Liaison Mike Wilson
Submission Date Jan. 27, 2017
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

University of Victoria
AC-2: Learning Outcomes

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.53 / 8.00
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Total number of graduates from degree programs (i.e. majors, minors, concentrations, certificates, and other academic designations):
9,700

Number of students that graduate from programs that have adopted at least one sustainability learning outcome:
3,065

Percentage of students who graduate from programs that have adopted at least one sustainability learning outcome:
31.60

Do the figures reported above cover one, two, or three academic years?:
One

Does the institution specify sustainability learning outcomes at the institution level (e.g. covering all students)?:
No

Does the institution specify sustainability learning outcomes at the division level (e.g. covering particular schools or colleges within the institution)?:
No

A list or brief description of the institution level or division level sustainability learning outcomes:
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Does the institution specify sustainability learning outcomes at the program level (i.e. majors, minors, concentrations, degrees, diplomas, certificates, and other academic designations)?:
Yes

A list or brief description of the program level sustainability learning outcomes (or a list of sustainability-focused programs):

Bachelor of Commerce
Goal 5: Sustainability/Social Responsibility
Gustavson graduates are socially responsible..

Master of Business Administration
Goal 5: Sustainability/Social Responsibility
Gustavson MBA graduates will recognize that organizations and their members have a responsibility to the broader society of which they are a part, and act accordingly.

Bachelor of Mechanical, Electrical, Computer and Software Engineering
(from the Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board): Impact of engineering on society and the environment: An ability to analyze social and environmental aspects of engineering activities. Such ability includes an understanding of the interactions that engineering has with the economic, social, health, safety, legal, and cultural aspects of society, the uncertainties in the prediction of such interactions; and the concepts of sustainable design and development and environmental stewardship.

Bachelor of Science and Arts in Geography requires students to take Geography 101a, which contains the following “course objective”:
The goal of Geography 101A is to introduce students to the way in which the ecosphere functions, the ways in which society interacts with the natural environment and the implications for sustainability. There is a strong emphasis on gaining understanding of key environmental problems and developing more sustainable approaches to societal interactions with the environment.

Bachelor of Science and Arts in Environmental Studies requires students to complete ES 200: Introduction to Environmental Studies which introduces students to the symptoms and sources of environmental problems and approaches to resolving them. The three main focus areas within the School of Environmental Studies' are ethnoecology, ecological restoration, and political ecology. All of which are directly related to environmentalism which have sustainability learning outcomes.

Bachelor of Science in Biology requires students complete Bio 215: the Principles of Ecology which tests students on areas including the following:
Biodiversity- global patterns in species abundance, causes for global trends- evapotranspiration, spatial heterogeneity, geological history, complexity, stability
Human impact on ecosystems – population growth, habitat loss, fragmentation, atmospheric contaminants, global temperature changes, extreme weather events, freshwater and marine pollution, ocean acidification, ocean sea levels, overhunting and overfishing, introduced (exotic) species, extinctions
Conservation ecology- history, ecological footprint, International categories of protection on the land and sea, benefits and limitations of protected areas, SLOSS, minimum viable population (MVP), critical habitats, hotspots, endemic species, park design, restoration
Ecological options for the future

Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology requires students complete Anth 200 which includes the following learning outcomes:
learn to see the cultural dimension of human life and understand the role of culture in shaping our everyday lives.
learn about the value of cross-cultural comparison and be able to apply anthropological theories and concepts to real-world problems.
learn about global economic, political, and cultural processes and their consequences for local systems.

Bachelor of Science in Earth and Ocean Science requires students to take the EOS 110, which contains the following learning outcomes:
share the scientific methods of gathering, assessing, and learning information about the Earth, provide a summary of the major areas of investigation in atmospheric & ocean sciences,
challenge you to assess the current state of these environments to help build your own futures.

Bachelor of Science in Nursing
Nursing 350 is required to complete a Bachelor of Nursing at UVic and this course mandates the following “Learning Experiences”:
Exploration of the role of the nurse in promoting health in relation to environmental issues
Exploration of the interconnectedness of global and environmental health (e.g. ecological connections between health in diverse areas of the world)


Do course level sustainability learning outcomes contribute to the figure reported above (i.e. in the absence of program, division, or institution level learning outcomes)?:
No

A list or brief description of the course level sustainability learning outcomes and the programs for which the courses are required:
---

The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
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Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

Learning outcomes are not constructed as a matter of process at UVic. However, UVic has at least 7 programs for which learning outcomes are articulated, and 5 of those programs contain sustainability related outcomes. These include three programs from UVic's Gustavson School of Business, and several accredited engineering programs at UVic. The learning outcomes for the engineering programs contain one sustainability related outcome and all of the outcomes are provided by Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board. Graduates of the three environmental studies programs (undergraduate, MA, and PhD) are also considered to have sustainability learning outcomes, as those are sustainability focused programs. Because learning outcomes are not articulated for each program, it is unclear what percentage of the total graduates have completed their studies with sustainability learning outcome integrated into their programs.

UVic also contains a number of programs for which sustainability related learning outcomes are articulated within required courses. These Bachelor of Arts and Science programs include Anthropology, Biology, Geography, Environmental Studies, Earth and Ocean Sciences, and Nursing.

*All graduate figures were obtained from UVic Institutional Planning and Analysis for the 2015 Calendar year


Learning outcomes are not constructed as a matter of process at UVic. However, UVic has at least 7 programs for which learning outcomes are articulated, and 5 of those programs contain sustainability related outcomes. These include three programs from UVic's Gustavson School of Business, and several accredited engineering programs at UVic. The learning outcomes for the engineering programs contain one sustainability related outcome and all of the outcomes are provided by Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board. Graduates of the three environmental studies programs (undergraduate, MA, and PhD) are also considered to have sustainability learning outcomes, as those are sustainability focused programs. Because learning outcomes are not articulated for each program, it is unclear what percentage of the total graduates have completed their studies with sustainability learning outcome integrated into their programs.

UVic also contains a number of programs for which sustainability related learning outcomes are articulated within required courses. These Bachelor of Arts and Science programs include Anthropology, Biology, Geography, Environmental Studies, Earth and Ocean Sciences, and Nursing.

*All graduate figures were obtained from UVic Institutional Planning and Analysis for the 2015 Calendar year

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.