| Overall Rating | Silver |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 52.41 |
| Liaison | Aysha Bodenhamer |
| Submission Date | May 10, 2022 |
Radford University
AC-6: Sustainability Literacy Assessment
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
2.00 / 4.00 |
Josh
Nease Sustainability Manager Academic Programs |
"---"
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::
Pre- and post-assessment to the same cohort or to representative samples in both a pre- and post-test
A copy of the questions included in the sustainability literacy assessment(s):
A list or sample of the questions included in the sustainability literacy assessment or the website URL where the assessment tool may be found:
16. How do greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) cause global warming?
a. Greenhouse gases are warmer.
b. Greenhouse gases in the atmosphere trap heat from the sun. The more greenhouse gases, the better the atmosphere traps heat which warms the earth.
c. Increased greenhouse gases in the atmosphere allow more sunlight to reach the earth’s surface which causes global warming.
d. Increased greenhouse gases in the atmosphere are not causing global warming.
17. What is the best action an organization can take to reduce food waste?
a. Compost leftovers
b. Feed Hungry People with the good leftovers
c. Source Reduction – Reduce the amount of food prepared so there is less left over
d. Landfill/Incineration
e. Don’t Know
18. Workers around the world face a variety of social injustices, including low wages, poor working conditions, and lack of access to education. To help improve conditions for these workers you can:
a. Support corporations that do not allow workers to join labor unions
b. Buy the newest products to keep factories around the world open
c. Purchase products from companies that conduct business in a socially responsible manner
d. Support large corporations because they generally have more money to pay their workers
e. Don’t know
19. Many economists argue that electricity prices in the U.S. are too low because…
a. They do not reflect the costs of pollution from generating the electricity
b. Too many suppliers go out of business
c. Electric companies have a monopoly in their service area
d. Consumers spend only a small part of their income on energy
e. Don’t know
20. An effective strategy for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and reversing global warming and climate change is:
a. Burn the remaining fossil fuels by 2030, then switch energy sources to wind and solar.
b. Maintain current global greenhouse gas emissions levels.
c. Convince China and India to stop burning fossil fuels.
d. Stop burning fossil fuels worldwide as soon as possible and implement other solutions to capture carbon out of the atmosphere.
21. Single Use plastic beverage packaging creates an enormous amount of waste on our campus and around the world. The best way to reduce this waste is to:
a. Recycle your used containers
b. Fill a reusable cup or bottle instead of buying drinks single use plastic containers
c. Be sure to purchase beverages in aluminum cans
d. Purchase beverages in the new bio-plastic
a. Greenhouse gases are warmer.
b. Greenhouse gases in the atmosphere trap heat from the sun. The more greenhouse gases, the better the atmosphere traps heat which warms the earth.
c. Increased greenhouse gases in the atmosphere allow more sunlight to reach the earth’s surface which causes global warming.
d. Increased greenhouse gases in the atmosphere are not causing global warming.
17. What is the best action an organization can take to reduce food waste?
a. Compost leftovers
b. Feed Hungry People with the good leftovers
c. Source Reduction – Reduce the amount of food prepared so there is less left over
d. Landfill/Incineration
e. Don’t Know
18. Workers around the world face a variety of social injustices, including low wages, poor working conditions, and lack of access to education. To help improve conditions for these workers you can:
a. Support corporations that do not allow workers to join labor unions
b. Buy the newest products to keep factories around the world open
c. Purchase products from companies that conduct business in a socially responsible manner
d. Support large corporations because they generally have more money to pay their workers
e. Don’t know
19. Many economists argue that electricity prices in the U.S. are too low because…
a. They do not reflect the costs of pollution from generating the electricity
b. Too many suppliers go out of business
c. Electric companies have a monopoly in their service area
d. Consumers spend only a small part of their income on energy
e. Don’t know
20. An effective strategy for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and reversing global warming and climate change is:
a. Burn the remaining fossil fuels by 2030, then switch energy sources to wind and solar.
b. Maintain current global greenhouse gas emissions levels.
c. Convince China and India to stop burning fossil fuels.
d. Stop burning fossil fuels worldwide as soon as possible and implement other solutions to capture carbon out of the atmosphere.
21. Single Use plastic beverage packaging creates an enormous amount of waste on our campus and around the world. The best way to reduce this waste is to:
a. Recycle your used containers
b. Fill a reusable cup or bottle instead of buying drinks single use plastic containers
c. Be sure to purchase beverages in aluminum cans
d. Purchase beverages in the new bio-plastic
A brief description of how the literacy assessment was developed and/or when it was adopted:
The Sustainability Manager worked with the RU Office of Institutional Effectiveness to develop a range of assessment tools for the Office and for the Sustainability Leadership Team internship program.
One of these tools is this Sustainability Literacy Assessment. Adapted from assessments from Ohio State and University of Maryland, and Sulitest, and from collaborations with faculty on campus.
The assessment was first deployed in 2019 - 2020 academic year.
One of these tools is this Sustainability Literacy Assessment. Adapted from assessments from Ohio State and University of Maryland, and Sulitest, and from collaborations with faculty on campus.
The assessment was first deployed in 2019 - 2020 academic year.
A brief description of how a representative sample was reached (if applicable) and how the assessment(s) were administered :
The assessment has been administered to a subset of students that is not representative of the predominate student body.
The sustainability literacy assessment is administered to student participants in the Sustainability Leadership Team internship program. The interns complete this assessment initially, before our first meeting, as part of their orientation materials. The same students take the same assessment at the end of the internship program.
The assessment is deployed through Qualtrics. It is not "open book". Students are asked not to look up answers.
The sustainability literacy assessment is administered to student participants in the Sustainability Leadership Team internship program. The interns complete this assessment initially, before our first meeting, as part of their orientation materials. The same students take the same assessment at the end of the internship program.
The assessment is deployed through Qualtrics. It is not "open book". Students are asked not to look up answers.
A brief summary of results from the literacy assessment(s):
Each year, students have improved their score from pre-test to post-test. The programmatic target is that all students increase their score on the sustainability literacy assessment by at least 50%.
In 2019 - 2020, this was partially met. Students who completed both the pre- and post- assessment all improved. Average increased score is 46.25%; median increased score is 50%. Due to COVID-19 interruption, not all interns completed post-assessment.
In 2019 - 2020, this was partially met. Students who completed both the pre- and post- assessment all improved. Average increased score is 46.25%; median increased score is 50%. Due to COVID-19 interruption, not all interns completed post-assessment.
Optional Fields
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Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
Adapted from:
Zwickle, A., Koontz, T., Bodine, A., Slagle, K., Stewart, S., Horvath, N. (2013) Assessment of Sustainability Knowledge. The Ohio State University School of Environment and Natural Resources, Office of Sustainability, and University of
Maryland Office of Sustainability. https://ess.osu.edu/sites/essl/files/imce/Phase%20II%20Questions%20no%20bold%20answers.pdf
Other References:
United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration: https://climate.nasa.gov/causes/
United States Environmental Protection Agency: https://www.epa.gov/sustainable-management-food/food-recovery-hierarchy
Zwickle, A., Koontz, T., Bodine, A., Slagle, K., Stewart, S., Horvath, N. (2013) Assessment of Sustainability Knowledge. The Ohio State University School of Environment and Natural Resources, Office of Sustainability, and University of
Maryland Office of Sustainability. https://ess.osu.edu/sites/essl/files/imce/Phase%20II%20Questions%20no%20bold%20answers.pdf
Other References:
United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration: https://climate.nasa.gov/causes/
United States Environmental Protection Agency: https://www.epa.gov/sustainable-management-food/food-recovery-hierarchy
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.