Learning Outcomes

For details about this credit, including the criteria, reporting timeframe, applicability, scoring, and more, please review the full credit language.

Examples of sustainability learning outcomes include (but are not limited to):

• Students will be able to define sustainability and identify major sustainability challenges.
• Students will have an understanding of their ethical responsibility towards present and future generations.
• Students will have an understanding of the carrying capacity of ecosystems.
• Students will be able to apply concepts of sustainable development to address sustainability challenges in a global context.

Learning outcomes do not necessarily have to use the term “sustainability”, but they must collectively address sustainability as an integrated concept having social/economic dimensions of sustainability as well as environmental/ecological dimensions.

No. General program overview statements, mission/vision/values statements, or general methodology statements are not sufficient. According to the credit criteria, “learning outcomes are distinct from the aims of learning in that learning outcomes are concerned with the achievements of the learner rather than with the overall intentions of the teacher”.

To support the number of students claimed to graduate from programs that have adopted at least one sustainability learning outcome, a complete listing of programs and their respective sustainability learning outcomes is required.

Institutions must include at least one valid learning outcome for each program or division that includes students graduating with such outcomes. Indicating that sustainability learning outcomes exist for a program, but not also listing that learning outcome is not sufficient.

• Data tracking sheets

• California Polytechnic State University – Great example of an institutional learning outcome that focuses on sustainability and applies to all students.
• Lehigh University – Uploaded file provided under “Additional documentation to support the submission” outlines the number of graduates per program.
• Missouri State University – Unique approach of engaging an academic committee to identify sustainability-focused institutional and divisional learning outcomes.
• Southern Oregon University – Great documentation on reporting graduates from programs that require completion of at least one sustainability (focused) course (as reported under AC 1).
• South Seattle College – Good example of solid program-level learning outcomes from an associate degree granting institution.
• Stanford University – Uploaded list of departmental learning outcomes is very comprehensive.
• University of Central Florida – Great documentation on reporting graduates from programs that require completion of at least one sustainability (focused) course (as reported under AC 1).

• Score Outlier – Uncommon for institutions to earn full points or very close to it. If a high score is reported, check closely for the issues below.
• Response under “Total number of graduates from degree programs” must reflect all students. A common mistake is overlooking graduate student learning outcomes and reporting 100% for a sustainability-focused general education learning outcome that only applies to undergraduate students.  
• Responses should reference learning outcomes (e.g., “the student will demonstrate…”. General program overview statements, mission/vision/values statements, or general methodology statements are not sufficient. According to the credit criteria, “learning outcomes are distinct from the aims of learning in that learning outcomes are concerned with the achievements of the learner rather than with the overall intentions of the teacher”.
• In order to meet credit criteria, learning outcomes do not necessarily have to use the term “sustainability”, but they must collectively address sustainability as an integrated concept having social/economic dimensions of sustainability as well as environmental/ecological dimensions.
• If outcomes are not established for courses, institutions may count graduates from sustainability-focused programs that require the successful completion of one or more sustainability courses (i.e., courses in which the primary and explicit focus is on sustainability as reported for the Academic Courses credit). This means that graduates from programs that make such courses optional to complete the major or only require courses that include sustainability-related courses should be excluded.

• Resources related to learning outcomes in AASHE’s Campus Sustainability Hub
• Partners that can help improve your institution’s performance in Curriculum