Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 51.83
Liaison Leslie North
Submission Date Jan. 9, 2015
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.0

Western Kentucky University
AC-1: Academic Courses

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 6.03 / 14.00 Elizabeth McGrew
Graduate Research Assistant
Social Responsibility & Sustainable Communities
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Figures required to calculate the percentage of courses with sustainability content::
Undergraduate Graduate
Total number of courses offered by the institution 2,380 639
Number of sustainability courses offered 58 22
Number of courses offered that include sustainability 78 13

Number of academic departments (or the equivalent) that offer at least one sustainability course and/or course that includes sustainability (at any level):
26

Total number of academic departments (or the equivalent) that offer courses (at any level):
46

Number of years covered by the data:
One

A copy of the institution’s inventory of its course offerings with sustainability content (and course descriptions):
An inventory of the institution's course offerings with sustainability content (and course descriptions):
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The website URL where the inventory of course offerings with sustainability content is publicly available:
A brief description of the methodology the institution followed to complete the course inventory:

The Department of Institutional Research provided data on total undergraduate and graduate course offerings in the Fall (324 & 1199, respectively) and Spring (315 & 1191, respectively) semesters; therefore, some courses (For example, Biology) were counted once in Fall and once in Spring. For this reason, in our "inventory of courses with sustainability content" that we compiled for STARS, we have listed in each course description whether the course was offered in the Spring, Fall, or both. To be consistent, if the course was offered in both Spring and Fall, the course was counted twice, as these courses were counted by Institutional Research twice, as well. Additionally, courses that have a "G" in the course number were counted twice as well, both in our inventory and by Institutional Research, as courses with a "G" component are listed twice (For example, once as GEOG 474 and again as GEOG 474G).
It should be noted that spring and fall courses are not always taught by same instructor, so course may be different, but both will have sustainability content. Additionally, "G" or graduate versions of a course have added research or project components for those students taking them for graduate credit, so are not the same as non-G versions.

+ Date Revised: Jan. 21, 2015

How did the institution count courses with multiple offerings or sections in the inventory?:
Each course was counted as a single course regardless of the number of offerings or sections

A brief description of how courses with multiple offerings or sections were counted (if different from the options outlined above):

Course sections were not counted separately. Labs were counted separately if they had a different course number than the course number. Similarly, courses with a "G," or "Graduate" component were counted as a separate course, as they were counted separately in "Total Courses Offered," as well.


Which of the following course types were included in the inventory?:
Yes or No
Internships No
Practicums No
Independent study No
Special topics No
Thesis/dissertation No
Clinical No
Physical education Yes
Performance arts Yes

Does the institution designate sustainability courses in its catalog of course offerings?:
No

Does the institution designate sustainability courses on student transcripts?:
No

Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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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.