| Overall Rating | Gold - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 66.76 |
| Liaison | Eric Meliton |
| Submission Date | Jan. 16, 2019 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
Wilfrid Laurier University
AC-6: Sustainability Literacy Assessment
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
4.00 / 4.00 |
Eric
Meliton Manager: Sustainability Office Facilities and Asset Management |
Does the institution conduct an assessment of the sustainability literacy of its students (i.e. an assessment focused on student knowledge of sustainability topics and challenges)?:
Which of the following best describes the literacy assessment? The assessment is administered to::
Which of the following best describes the structure of the assessment? The assessment is administered as a::
A copy of the questions included in the sustainability literacy assessment(s):
A sample of the questions included in the sustainability literacy assessment or the website URL where the assessment tool may be found:
Q5 What do the 4R's of waste management stand for?
o Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle (1)
o Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Rent (2)
o Refurbish, Renovate, Rescue, Recycle (3)
o None of the above (4)
Q6 What are some of the main consequences of deforestation? (select all that apply)
▢ Increased soil erosion (1)
▢ Potential loss of biodiversity (2)
▢ Impact on cultural practices of those who value forests (3)
▢ Production of carbon emissions (4)
Q9 Which of the following is NOT a sustainable Development Goal (SDG)?
Definition of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): A set of 17 goals established by the United Nations (UN) to be completed by 2030 that together are a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity.
o Quality Education for All (1)
o Affordable and Clean Energy for All (2)
o Responsible Consumption and Production (3)
o Continual Economic Growth in All Economies (4)
Q10 Which of the following is NOT one of the aspects of the triple bottom line approach of sustainability?
o Society (1)
o Democracy (2)
o Environment (3)
o Economy (4)
Q14 Over the past 3 decades, how has the level of income inequality changed between Canadians with the highest and lowest incomes?
o The difference has increased (1)
o The difference has stayed about the same (2)
o The difference has decreased (3)
o None of the above (4)
Q16 Approximately how many people in developing countries still do not have access to improved sanitation services as of 2012?
Definition of improved sanitation services: Hygienically separating human waste from human contact.
o 40 million (1)
o 400 million (2)
o 1 billion (3)
o more than 2 billion (4)
A brief description of how the literacy assessment was developed and/or when it was adopted:
The Laurier 2018 Sustainability Literacy Assessment (SLA) was developed in the Spring of 2018. The Assessment was designed within the framework of the criteria for the STARS 2.1 AC 6 credit. A review of publicly available Sustainability Literacy Assessments was conducted. The Ohio State University SLA, University of British Columbia SLA, and the UN Sulitest were key to guiding the development of questions for Laurier's SLA. The 2018 Laurier SLA was adopted in June of 2018 to follow on the first SLA test in 2013.
A brief description of how a representative sample was reached (if applicable) and how the assessment(s) were administered :
A representative sample for Laurier's SLA was reached through distributing the survey to students registered in multiple courses at Laurier with no relation to sustainability. Students registered in mandatory economic, business, psychology, and interdisciplinary courses formed the representative sample. The course descriptions had no particular relation to topics of sustainability, and as the courses were required for the degree, students of a range of interests and educational abilities were sampled.
The assessment was administered through posting an announcement on Laurier's online learning portal, MyLearningSpace, for the targeted courses. Professors teaching these courses were contacted and asked if they would be willing to share the information and link to the survey with the students in their class, requesting voluntary participation. When the link to the survey was accessed, students were taken to the survey in the Qualtrics site.
A follow up assessment is scheduled for the summer of 2019 to see if the release of our new 5 year action plan and other programs in the last year have had a measurable impact on the sustainability literacy of our student population.
A brief summary of results from the literacy assessment(s), including a description of any measurable changes over time:
The average score on the literacy assessment was 41% indicating that the average student has a low to medium level of knowledge and understanding on the topic of sustainability based on the questions asked in our survey. Approximately 10% had a good or very good understanding of sustainability and 20-25% had a poor understanding of sustainability based on the results of our survey.
The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
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.