| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 75.28 |
| Liaison | Chris Frantsvog |
| Submission Date | Feb. 25, 2022 |
Luther College
EN-6: Assessing Sustainability Culture
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
0.50 / 1.00 |
Chris
Frantsvog Sustainability Coordinator Center for Sustainable Communities |
"---"
indicates that no data was submitted for this field
Does the institution conduct an assessment of sustainability culture?:
Yes
Which of the following best describes the cultural assessment? The assessment is administered to::
A subset of the campus community or a sample that may not be representative of the entire community
Which of the following best describes the structure of the cultural assessment? The assessment is administered::
Longitudinally to measure change over time
A brief description of how and when the cultural assessment(s) were developed and/or adopted:
More than one-third (six out of sixteen questions) of the survey focused on questions of sustainability values, behaviors, and/or beliefs.
Luther College's Center for Sustainable Communities has developed a sustainability literacy assessment to be administered to all first year and junior students. The survey was given in the spring of 2021 to Junior, and in the fall of 2021 to first year students. Input for the assessment was obtained by students, staff, faculty members in the Environmental Studies department, peer institutions, and members of the Sustainability Council. The purpose of the assessment is to allow the Center to measure current students' behaviors, beliefs, and knowledge of sustainable systems so that we may better understand the baseline of sustainability knowledge that students possess when we design curriculum, events, and learning goals. The survey will allow the Center to assess whether or not Luther students are meeting the all-college learning goals related to sustainability. The results will help us understand the parts of our work that are reaching students and the parts where we could be more strategic in our outreach. We anticipate this survey will be administered every two years so that the current first years would take the study again as juniors. A longitudinal study will allow us to measure the change in behaviors and beliefs over time.
Luther College's Center for Sustainable Communities has developed a sustainability literacy assessment to be administered to all first year and junior students. The survey was given in the spring of 2021 to Junior, and in the fall of 2021 to first year students. Input for the assessment was obtained by students, staff, faculty members in the Environmental Studies department, peer institutions, and members of the Sustainability Council. The purpose of the assessment is to allow the Center to measure current students' behaviors, beliefs, and knowledge of sustainable systems so that we may better understand the baseline of sustainability knowledge that students possess when we design curriculum, events, and learning goals. The survey will allow the Center to assess whether or not Luther students are meeting the all-college learning goals related to sustainability. The results will help us understand the parts of our work that are reaching students and the parts where we could be more strategic in our outreach. We anticipate this survey will be administered every two years so that the current first years would take the study again as juniors. A longitudinal study will allow us to measure the change in behaviors and beliefs over time.
A copy or sample of the questions related to sustainability culture:
A sample of the questions related to sustainability culture or the website URL where the assessment tool is available:
Q4 - Please note how much you engage in the following practices. Move the slider all the way left for not at all and all the way right for as much as possible.
- Use means other than a car to get around town
- Use a refillable water bottle
- Take care of belongings so they last a long time
- Turn of lights, computers and other items when not in use
- Recycle
- Eat meals with little or no meat
- Make conscious efforts to create an inclusive and welcoming climate on campus
- Explore Luther’s natural areas
- Shop at local thrift stores
- Advocate for action by elected or other public officials
Q8 - Please note how strongly you associate each goal below with creating a sustainable society. Move the slider all the way left for not at all and all the way right for the strongest association possible
- Strengthening the economy
- Reducing income inequality
- Improving access to healthcare
- Improving access to local, nutritious foods
- Protecting the environment
- Ending fossil fuel consumption
- Increasing renewable energy consumption
- Achieving carbon neutrality by 2050
- Conserving resources for future generations
- Decreasing crime
- Ending discrimination
- Improving public education
- Keeping taxes low
- Limiting government
Q13 - What is your primary mode of daily transportation to and from campus?
- Live on campus so I don’t commute
- Drive a car with only myself in it
- Walk, bicycle or other non-motorized means of transportation
- Vanpool or carpool
- Ride motorcycle or motorized scooter
- Other
Q13 - What is your primary mode of daily transportation to and from campus?
- Live on campus so I don’t commute
- Drive a car with only myself in it
- Walk, bicycle or other non-motorized means of transportation
- Vanpool or carpool
- Ride motorcycle or motorized scooter
- Other
Q15 – Have you engaged in any of the following activities as part of your academic courses at Luther college?
- Visited an area of campus or the college farm to learn about sustainability.
- Interacted with Decorah residents to learn about the local community.
- Participated in a field trip in the area to learn about local resources.
- Conducted experiments in a lab to examine sustainability-related concepts.
- Developed and tested a solution to a sustainability problem on campus or in a community.
- Examined civic responsibilities, ethical questions, or personal values in relation to sustainability.
- Examined sustainability perspectives or approaches in a non-U.S. context.
- Created an artistic work to explore or communicate sustainability concepts.
- Conducted a significant research project on a sustainability-related topic.
Q16 - How strongly do you agree or disagree with the following statements? Since coming to Luther I have . . .
- Gained greater understanding of sustainability.
- Become more sustainable in my personal lifestyle.
- Developed greater motivation for promoting sustainability in the communities of which I am a member.
- Gained confidence in my abilities to create positive change in the world.
- Use means other than a car to get around town
- Use a refillable water bottle
- Take care of belongings so they last a long time
- Turn of lights, computers and other items when not in use
- Recycle
- Eat meals with little or no meat
- Make conscious efforts to create an inclusive and welcoming climate on campus
- Explore Luther’s natural areas
- Shop at local thrift stores
- Advocate for action by elected or other public officials
Q8 - Please note how strongly you associate each goal below with creating a sustainable society. Move the slider all the way left for not at all and all the way right for the strongest association possible
- Strengthening the economy
- Reducing income inequality
- Improving access to healthcare
- Improving access to local, nutritious foods
- Protecting the environment
- Ending fossil fuel consumption
- Increasing renewable energy consumption
- Achieving carbon neutrality by 2050
- Conserving resources for future generations
- Decreasing crime
- Ending discrimination
- Improving public education
- Keeping taxes low
- Limiting government
Q13 - What is your primary mode of daily transportation to and from campus?
- Live on campus so I don’t commute
- Drive a car with only myself in it
- Walk, bicycle or other non-motorized means of transportation
- Vanpool or carpool
- Ride motorcycle or motorized scooter
- Other
Q13 - What is your primary mode of daily transportation to and from campus?
- Live on campus so I don’t commute
- Drive a car with only myself in it
- Walk, bicycle or other non-motorized means of transportation
- Vanpool or carpool
- Ride motorcycle or motorized scooter
- Other
Q15 – Have you engaged in any of the following activities as part of your academic courses at Luther college?
- Visited an area of campus or the college farm to learn about sustainability.
- Interacted with Decorah residents to learn about the local community.
- Participated in a field trip in the area to learn about local resources.
- Conducted experiments in a lab to examine sustainability-related concepts.
- Developed and tested a solution to a sustainability problem on campus or in a community.
- Examined civic responsibilities, ethical questions, or personal values in relation to sustainability.
- Examined sustainability perspectives or approaches in a non-U.S. context.
- Created an artistic work to explore or communicate sustainability concepts.
- Conducted a significant research project on a sustainability-related topic.
Q16 - How strongly do you agree or disagree with the following statements? Since coming to Luther I have . . .
- Gained greater understanding of sustainability.
- Become more sustainable in my personal lifestyle.
- Developed greater motivation for promoting sustainability in the communities of which I am a member.
- Gained confidence in my abilities to create positive change in the world.
A brief description of how representative samples were reached (if applicable) and how the cultural assessment is administered:
The Associate Dean for Program and Learning Assessment helped the Center for Sustainable Communities modify the original survey language, and administered two separate surveys in 2021. The first survey was sent to all juniors (n=412) on April 18, 2021, with reminders sent out on April 21 and 24. 144 students clicked on the survey and 92 completed the survey.
The second survey was sent to all first year students (n=436) on October 4, 2021, with reminders sent on October 14 and 30. The survey was clicked on by 138 students, and completed by 44.
The second survey was sent to all first year students (n=436) on October 4, 2021, with reminders sent on October 14 and 30. The survey was clicked on by 138 students, and completed by 44.
A brief summary of results from the cultural assessment:
First year respondents showed reasonably high knowledge/understanding about the rise in income disparity, the hidden costs of pollution in creating electricity, how greenhouse gas warms earth's climate and the definition of sustainable development.
On average, survey respondents were only about half certain which state led the nation in percentage of wind generation (Iowa, not Kansas). And only one-third or less knew: which weather phenomenon Iowa was most likely to suffer because of climate change (floods, not droughts); the definition of "systems thinking;" and that natural gas is the biggest source of electricity in the grid that serves Luther College.
Regarding attitudes, first year respondents indicated high or very high overall support for reducing carbon emissions, reducing inequality, improving access to healthcare, ending fossil fuel consumption, increasing renewables, ending discrimination, and accounting for the needs of future generations, as ways to create a sustainable society. There was a greater disparity among answers regarding options like limiting government, keeping taxes low, and decreasing crime.
With respect to behaviors that respondents engage in most, there was very strong support for simple routine behaviors, like using a refillable water bottle, turning off lights, and taking care of things to make them last longer. There was slightly less, but still strong support for spending time in natural areas, recycling, and creating a welcoming climate on campus. Support was reduced to less than half, on average, for using transportation other than a car, eating meals with little or no meat, buying at thrift stores, and advocating for action by elected or public officials.
On average, survey respondents were only about half certain which state led the nation in percentage of wind generation (Iowa, not Kansas). And only one-third or less knew: which weather phenomenon Iowa was most likely to suffer because of climate change (floods, not droughts); the definition of "systems thinking;" and that natural gas is the biggest source of electricity in the grid that serves Luther College.
Regarding attitudes, first year respondents indicated high or very high overall support for reducing carbon emissions, reducing inequality, improving access to healthcare, ending fossil fuel consumption, increasing renewables, ending discrimination, and accounting for the needs of future generations, as ways to create a sustainable society. There was a greater disparity among answers regarding options like limiting government, keeping taxes low, and decreasing crime.
With respect to behaviors that respondents engage in most, there was very strong support for simple routine behaviors, like using a refillable water bottle, turning off lights, and taking care of things to make them last longer. There was slightly less, but still strong support for spending time in natural areas, recycling, and creating a welcoming climate on campus. Support was reduced to less than half, on average, for using transportation other than a car, eating meals with little or no meat, buying at thrift stores, and advocating for action by elected or public officials.
Optional Fields
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Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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