| Overall Rating | Silver - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 55.06 |
| Liaison | Michael Amadori |
| Submission Date | Feb. 27, 2017 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
Hobart and William Smith Colleges
AC-6: Sustainability Literacy Assessment
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
2.00 / 4.00 |
Tarah
Rowse Former Sustainability Director Office of Sustainability |
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:
A brief description of how the literacy assessment was developed and/or when it was adopted:
This assessment was developed by Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies Robin Lewis in coordination with other faculty members teaching in the HWS Sustainable Living and Learning Program (SLLC) for first-year students. With the help of an undergraduate research assistant, Lewis queried the literature and internet to find examples of sustainability literacy surveys. From these, Lewis and the research assistant compiled a list of possible questions and then circulated to the SLLC faculty as well as the HWS Sustainability Manager. Following their feedback, the sustainability literacy survey instrument was finalized and submitted to the HWS Institutional Review Board for review and approval.
A brief description of how a representative sample was reached (if applicable) and how the assessment(s) were administered :
Surveys were administered during the first month of the fall 2014 semester. Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies Robin Lewis and other members of her research team, which included undergraduate students and staff, visited the first-year seminars of those faculty members who agreed to host them. After reading a brief disclaimer statement that explained the project as well as the roles and responsibilities of study participants, researchers provided first-year students with a paper copy of the sustainability literacy to complete over a period of 10 to 15 minutes. Once students were done, the researchers collected the completed survey instruments and returned them to Lewis for data entry.
A follow-up (post) survey was administered using an online survey tool (Baseline/Campus Labs) in May 2015. The survey link was emailed to all first-year students (n=636), of which only .02% (n=12) completed the post survey.
A brief summary of results from the literacy assessment(s), including a description of any measurable changes over time:
With regard to the level of familiarity with sustainability terminology, first-year students varied greatly in answering questions correctly. Students correctly answered questions about what it means to eat seasonally (88.3%), the definition of a carbon footprint (84.4%), and the relationship between sustainability and natural resources (70.7%) at the highest frequencies. Meanwhile, first-year students were less familiar with the basics of greenhouse gases (24.2%), water footprints of various foods (22.9%), and the definition of ecosystem services (22.2%) with less than a quarter of these students answering these questions correctly.
The top five sustainability related activities/choices first-year students reported are turning off lights when not in use (84.4%), using a reusable water bottle (70.5%), practicing the three R’s (reduce/reuse/recycle; 69.3%), drinking tap water instead of bottled water (61.0%), and using reusable shopping bags (60.7%).
First-year students were also asked to rate their level of concern of a range of issues as they pertain to sustainability (1=not concerned at all; 5=very concerned). Of the six direct variables measured, first-year students are most concerned with water use (58.5%) and energy use (52.93%). Interestingly, climate change was the lowest ranked direct variable with only 41.7% of first-year students ranking this variable with a 4 or higher.
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.