| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 71.99 |
| Liaison | Aaron Klemm |
| Submission Date | Jan. 19, 2024 |
San Jose State University
AC-6: Sustainability Literacy Assessment
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
4.00 / 4.00 |
Hunter
Cordova OOS Intern Office of Sustainability |
Does the institution conduct an assessment of the sustainability literacy of its students?:
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 list or sample of the questions included in the sustainability literacy assessment or the website URL where the assessment tool may be found:
Q15. Out of these options, which do you think is the biggest sustainabilitychallenge we should be working on today?
Plastic waste/zero waste
Climate change/ global temperature rise
environmentally friendly agriculture/food practices
environmental justice
clean, accessible water
Q8. What is the primary source of energy on Earth?
Fossil fuels
Wind
Sun
Caffeine
Q9. What is the most common Greenhouse Gas?
Water vapor
Nitrous oxide (laughing gas)
Ozone
Methane (natural gas)
Q10. What is the average total home water use for each person in the U.S.
20 gallons per day
30 gallons per day
40 gallons per day
50 gallons per day
More than 60 gallons per day
A brief description of how the literacy assessment was developed and/or when it was adopted:
The surveys were sent out to randomly selected classes that were offered within every department within the Fall 2022 and Spring 2023 semesters. We used a random number generator to select one course within each SJSU department to identify “sample points” within the student population. To observe the change over time, we began by distributing the survey to freshmen who have not been exposed to sustainability topics directly through SJSU. We then distributed the survey to seniors who had been attending the university for multiple years. We compared the results to understand how sustainability topics were understood as students progressed through the university and what areas made a particular improvement.
A brief description of how a representative sample was reached (if applicable) and how the assessment(s) were administered :
We used a random number generator to select one course within each SJSU department to identify “sample points” within the student population. The Qualtrics survey was sent out to the randomly selected faculty members that were randomly selected from each department and were encouraged to share the survey with the students of the indicated class. Students were incentivized for participating in the survey,
A brief summary of results from the literacy assessment(s):
The results from the literacy assessment were quite astonishing. First, it is clearly evident that as students progress in their academic careers, they have either consciously or unconsciously improved their common knowledge regarding topics such as GHG emissions, pollutants, and resource consumption. Seniors, on average, correctly answered more questions regarding carbon emissions and resource consumption in comparison to their freshman counterparts. San Jose State has drastically improved its efforts to educate the student population on topics surrounding sustainability literacy. Programs like the Office of Sustainability and the Environmental Resource Center have improved students' engagement and understanding of sustainability, which is reflected in the results of this survey.
Website URL where information about the sustainability literacy assessment is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
detailed results of the survey(s) are available upon request
detailed results of the survey(s) are available upon request
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.