University of Wisconsin-Madison
AC-2: Learning Outcomes

Institution’s students graduate from degree programs that include sustainability as a learning outcome or include multiple sustainability learning outcomes. Sustainability learning outcomes (or the equivalent) may be specified at:

• Institution level (e.g., covering all students)
• Division level (e.g., covering one or more schools or colleges within the institution)
• Program level (e.g., covering all graduates from a degree program)
• Course level (if successful completion of the course is required to complete a degree program)

This credit includes graduate as well as undergraduate programs. For this credit, “degree programs” include majors, minors, concentrations, certificates, and other academic designations. Extension certificates and other certificates that are not part of academic degree programs do not count for this credit; they are covered in the: Continuing Education credit in Public Engagement. Programs that include co-curricular aspects may count as long as there is an academic component of the program.

This credit is inclusive of learning outcomes, institutional learning goals, general education outcomes, and graduate profiles that are consistent with the definition of “sustainability learning outcomes” included in G. Standards and Terms. While they do not necessarily have to use the term “sustainability”, learning outcomes must collectively address sustainability as an integrated concept having social, economic, and environmental dimensions for a program’s graduates to count. Mission, vision and values statements are not sufficient unless the above criteria are met. 

Institutions that do not specify learning outcomes as a matter of policy or standard practice may count graduates from sustainability-focused programs (i.e., majors, minors, concentrations and the equivalent as reported for the Undergraduate Program and Graduate Program credits) and other degree programs that do not have specified sustainability learning outcomes, but require the successful completion of one or more sustainability courses (i.e., courses in which the primary and explicit focus is on sustainability as reported for the Academic Courses credit).

This credit applies to all institutions that have degree programs.

Institutions earn the maximum of 8 points available for this credit when all students graduate from programs that have adopted at least one sustainability learning outcome. Incremental points are available based on the percentage of students who graduate from such programs. For example, if half of all students graduate from programs that have specified sustainability learning outcomes, an institution would earn 4 points (half of the points available for this credit).

Points for this credit are calculated automatically in the STARS Reporting Tool as follows:

Timeframe

Report the most recent data available within the three years prior to the anticipated date of submission. Institutions may choose to report data from one, two, or three academic years, as long as both the total number of graduates and the number of graduates from programs that have sustainability learning outcomes are measured during the same time period.

Sampling and Data Standards

Not applicable