| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 69.27 |
| Liaison | Mark Klapatch-Mathias |
| Submission Date | Feb. 29, 2024 |
University of Wisconsin-River Falls
AC-6: Sustainability Literacy Assessment
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
4.00 / 4.00 |
Tovah
Flygare Sustainability Specialist & Instructional Academic Staff Member Sustainability Office |
"---"
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::
The entire (or predominate) student body, directly or by representative sample
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:
See upload.
A brief description of how the literacy assessment was developed and/or when it was adopted:
UWRF conducted a pilot literacy assessment through the Honors Program from 2020-2022. In 2023, the Sustainability Office contracted with the Survey Research Center to facilitate a survey to incoming and outgoing students.
A brief description of how a representative sample was reached (if applicable) and how the assessment(s) were administered :
Target Population
The target population for this survey was the cohort of Fall 2023 first semester and last semester students. This juxtaposition allowed the SRC to determine whether students’ understanding of sustainability improves over the course of their college career. The target population included a total of 1,879 students, including 1,280 first semester students and 599 last semester students. Email addresses for all students in the target population were provided by UWRF Institutional Research.
Survey Distribution
Survey distribution began on September 26, 2023. All 1,879 students were invited to participate in the survey through direct email. Data collection was conducted over a 10-day period, during which three reminders were sent to non-respondents. The survey was officially closed on October 6, after which no additional responses were recorded.
Survey Sample
Given the size of the population, the SRC needed to collect a total of 320 responses to develop statistically valid estimates (5% margin of error and 95% confidence interval). After dropping mostly incomplete responses, the sample size equaled 468 responses, which represents a 25% response rate. The sample included a total number of 364 responses from first semester students (28% response rate) and 104 responses from last semester students (17% response rate). The sample size of 468 responses exceeds, by a wide margin, the minimum sample size required and allows for the development of estimates with a 3.85% margin of error. Therefore, the estimates shown in this report are substantially more accurate than the statistical standard (5% margin of error).
Margin of Error
The margin of error indicates the accuracy of a survey’s results. The smaller the margin of error, the greater the accuracy of the results. For example, a margin of error of 5% at the 95% confidence level means that there is a 95% probability that if the opinions of everyone in the population were measured, the result would fall within 5 percentage points of the result of the survey sample.
Statistical Significance
Statistical significance indicates the reliability of an estimate. If differences between statistics are labeled as “statistically significant,” this indicates that there is a 95% probability that the difference is not the result of random chance. However, it does not mean the difference between the average
values is necessarily large or meaningful. In this report, we determine statistical significance by relying on the statistical standard of 5% level. Statistical significance at a level higher than 5% (or weak statistical significance) is not considered in this report.
The target population for this survey was the cohort of Fall 2023 first semester and last semester students. This juxtaposition allowed the SRC to determine whether students’ understanding of sustainability improves over the course of their college career. The target population included a total of 1,879 students, including 1,280 first semester students and 599 last semester students. Email addresses for all students in the target population were provided by UWRF Institutional Research.
Survey Distribution
Survey distribution began on September 26, 2023. All 1,879 students were invited to participate in the survey through direct email. Data collection was conducted over a 10-day period, during which three reminders were sent to non-respondents. The survey was officially closed on October 6, after which no additional responses were recorded.
Survey Sample
Given the size of the population, the SRC needed to collect a total of 320 responses to develop statistically valid estimates (5% margin of error and 95% confidence interval). After dropping mostly incomplete responses, the sample size equaled 468 responses, which represents a 25% response rate. The sample included a total number of 364 responses from first semester students (28% response rate) and 104 responses from last semester students (17% response rate). The sample size of 468 responses exceeds, by a wide margin, the minimum sample size required and allows for the development of estimates with a 3.85% margin of error. Therefore, the estimates shown in this report are substantially more accurate than the statistical standard (5% margin of error).
Margin of Error
The margin of error indicates the accuracy of a survey’s results. The smaller the margin of error, the greater the accuracy of the results. For example, a margin of error of 5% at the 95% confidence level means that there is a 95% probability that if the opinions of everyone in the population were measured, the result would fall within 5 percentage points of the result of the survey sample.
Statistical Significance
Statistical significance indicates the reliability of an estimate. If differences between statistics are labeled as “statistically significant,” this indicates that there is a 95% probability that the difference is not the result of random chance. However, it does not mean the difference between the average
values is necessarily large or meaningful. In this report, we determine statistical significance by relying on the statistical standard of 5% level. Statistical significance at a level higher than 5% (or weak statistical significance) is not considered in this report.
A brief summary of results from the literacy assessment(s):
See upload for full survey report.
Optional Fields
---
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.