Virginia Tech
AC-2: Learning Outcomes

Part 1. Institutional sustainability learning outcomes

Institution has adopted one or more sustainability ​learning outcomes​ that apply to the entire student body (e.g., general education requirements covering all students) or, at minimum, to the institution'spredominant student body​ (e.g., learning outcomes that cover all undergraduate students).

The learning outcome(s) may be explicitly ​focused on sustainability​ or ​supportive of sustainability​ (see Standards and Terms). Mission, vision, and values statements do not qualify.

Part 2. Program-level sustainability learning outcomes

Institution’s students graduate from degree programs that require an understanding of the concept of sustainability, i.e., programs that:

• Have been identified as sustainability-focused programs in the Undergraduate Program or Graduate Program credit,

• Have adopted one or more ​sustainability-focused learning outcomes​ (i.e., student learning outcomes that explicitly focus on the concept of sustainability or the interdependence of ecological systems and social/economic systems), OR

• Require successful completion of a sustainability-focused course as identified in the Academic Courses credit.

This credit includes graduate as well as undergraduate programs. 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 to the program.

Part 1 and Part 2 of this credit are scored together. An institution earns the maximum of 8 points available for this credit when:

• It has adopted one or more sustainability-focused learning outcomes that apply to the entire (or predominant) student body (Part 1) AND at least 25 percent of students graduate from degree programs that require an understanding of sustainability (Part 2);

• It has adopted learning outcomes that are supportive of sustainability and apply to the entire (or predominant) student body (Part 1) AND at least 75 percent of students graduate from degree programs that require an understanding of sustainability (Part 2); OR

• All students graduate from degree programs that require an understanding of sustainability (Part 2).

Each part is scored as follows:

Part 1

Institutions earn the maximum of 6 points available for Part 1 of this credit for having adopted one or more sustainability-focused learning outcomes that apply to the entire (or predominant) student body. Partial points are available. An institution that has adopted learning outcomes that are supportive of sustainability, but not explicitly focused on sustainability, earn 2 points (one-third of the points available in Part 1).

Part 2

Institutions earn the maximum of 8 points available for this credit when all students graduate from degree programs that require an understanding of sustainability. Incremental points are available for Part 2 based on the percentage of students who graduate from such programs. For example, if half of all students graduate from programs that have adopted sustainability-focused learning outcomes, an institution would earn 4 points (half of the points available).

Timeframe

Part 1

Report on sustainability learning outcomes that have been adopted as of the anticipated date of submission.

Part 2

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