Overall Rating Silver
Overall Score 63.24
Liaison Victoria Ho
Submission Date Feb. 8, 2024

STARS v2.2

OCAD University
AC-6: Sustainability Literacy Assessment

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.00 / 4.00 Victoria Ho
Advisor, Strategic Sustainability
Office of Diversity, Equity & Sustainability Initiatives
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Does the institution conduct an assessment of the sustainability literacy of its students?:
Yes

Which of the following best describes the literacy assessment? The assessment is administered to::
A subset of students or a sample that may not be representative of the predominant student body

Which of the following best describes the structure of the assessment? The assessment is administered as a::
Standalone evaluation without a follow-up assessment of the same cohort or representative samples

A copy of the questions included in the sustainability literacy assessment(s):
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A list or sample of the questions included in the sustainability literacy assessment or the website URL where the assessment tool may be found:
1. What is the most widely used definition of "sustainable development" as articulated in the 1987 Brundtland Report?

2. In November 2001, the General Conference of UNESCO adopted the "Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity."
Which of the following statements of belief does NOT appear in this declaration?

3. Over two thirds of the world population is projected to live in cities and urbanized areas in 2050. Given the density of cities, and the pollution generated from individual vehicles, policy makers are beginning to rethink how urban mobility should be organized.

What is considered the most effective and realistic way to reduce the overall urban pollution that results from people's individual mobility?

4. Scientists, medical professionals, and consumer advocacy groups are working ever harder to raise awareness about the risks of human exposure to the "endocrine disturbers" that are being introduced more and more into today's industrial and commercial goods.

What are endocrine disturbers?

5. According to UNESCO, "Education for Sustainable Development" (ESD) enables everyone to acquire the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and values needed to build a sustainable future.

Which of the following statements best corresponds to UNESCO's recommendations for delivering ESD programs?

6. There are about 6,000 languages currently spoken in the world. According to UNESCO, many of them will disappear by the end of the century if nothing is done to safeguard them.

What percent are in danger of disappearing?

7. Three of the following statements relate to a LINEAR economic model and one relates to a CIRCULAR model.

Which statement relates to a CIRCULAR economic model?

8. It is possible to effect transformational change on complex systems such as companies, cities, and ecosystems. However, to do so, you must first identify the system's most sensitive points of power or influence, which we call "leverage points".

Among the four types of leverage points listed below, one is the easiest to "trigger" but also the least effective for achieving systemic and transformational change. Which type of change is least effective?

9. The generation of waste has significant economic, social, and environmental impacts. However, individuals can lessen such negative impacts by adopting "zero waste" habits.

What is the most efficient and comprehensive way to do so?

10. According to official 2015 United Nations population estimates and projections, what is the estimated population of Earth in 2050?

11. The Earth’s capacity to produce oxygen constitutes the very foundation of life on Earth, human and non-human alike.
Which of the following produces the most oxygen?

12. The Earth's ozone layer protects us from harmful solar radiation. However, it was discovered in the 1970s that a collection of man-made CFC (Chlorofluorocarbon) gases were endangering the ozone layer. Thus, in 1987, an international agreement called "The Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer" was adopted by a few concerned governments.

What was the outcome of this agreement?

A brief description of how the literacy assessment was developed and/or when it was adopted:
https://edu.sulitest.org/extranet/quiz.html

SULITEST develops online tools to strengthen and massify sustainable development education.

In 2022, SULITEST was taken by all students working with the Office of Diversity, Equity & Sustainability Initiatives (ODESI) and shared by some faculty members of the Sustainability Committee for optional uptake by the students taking courses with those Sustainability Committee faculty members.

A brief description of how a representative sample was reached (if applicable) and how the assessment(s) were administered :
N/A

A brief summary of results from the literacy assessment(s):
Students tended to learn more about international covenants and agreements regarding sustainability, as well as the breadth of the socio-economic dimensions included. Some students found the test tedious.

Optional Fields 

Website URL where information about the sustainability literacy assessment is available:
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Additional documentation to support the submission:
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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.