Sustainability in General
Education After One Year:
Assessment, Opportunities, and
Challenges
Jim Feldman
Associate Professor of Environmental Studies & History
University Leadership Fellow for Sustainability
University of Wisconsin Oshkosh
Sustainability in General
Education After One Year
Outline:
 Describe the Sustainability Initiative & the University
Studies Program (General Education) at University of
Wisconsin Oshkosh
 Discuss challenges of training & implementation
 Present initial information on assessment of both the
USP and Sustainability
 Raise questions about the tension between the AASHE
model of sustainability across the curriculum and
content-focused sustainability literacy
University of Wisconsin Oshkosh
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Public, comprehensive,
regional university
Enrollment: 13,500
students
Carnegie classification:
Master’s/L
AASHE STARS: Gold
Sustainability at UW Oshkosh
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Committed to the integration of sustainability
throughout the university
Campus Sustainability Plan (2008 & 2014): Operations,
Research, Community Outreach, and Curriculum
Cortese 2003
Winnebago Sustainability Project
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2-day faculty college
Based on AASHE model: “entice
and trickle out”
Big tent concept; three dimensions
of sustainability: environmental,
social, economic
Place-based emphasis on campus &
community
Stipends funded by Faculty
Development & Sustainability
funds
Winnebago Project:
Stats
4 workshops, 2008-2011:
 44 participants
 Over 24 departments
 4 colleges (COLS, Nursing, Education,
Business)
 Vertical integration: Intro-level pit classes
through graduate-level classes
Philosophy of Teaching
Sustainability
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Moving beyond prescription
Moving beyond specialization
Sustainability as a lens of inquiry: a way of looking
at, evaluating, and solving problems
Sustainability as a core educational value, one that
ought to find its way into courses across the
disciplines
General Education Reform
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Process started in 2007
Motivated by pressure from
Higher Learning
Commission
First significant step:
adoption of Essential
Learning Outcomes, 2008
Sustainability as an
Essential Learning Outcome
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Based on AACU (American Association of Colleges
& Universities) model
“Knowledge of sustainability and its applications”
was ratified as one of our Essential Learning
Outcomes for students by the Faculty Senate in
2008
Defined as “the ability to understand local and
global Earth systems, the qualities of ecological
integrity and the means to restore and preserve it,
and the interconnectedness of ecological integrity,
economic well-being, and social justice.”
General Education Reform
New Gen Ed needs to be:
 Aligned with learning outcomes and assessable
 Coherent, intentional, and relevant
 Incorporate high-impact practices
 Prepare students for citizenship in a 21st century world
General Education Reform
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New program (University Studies
Program) passed by Faculty Senate
on March 2012
Unveil in Fall 2013
General Education supplemented by:
best practices
 First Year Experience
 Focus on liberal arts
 Learning communities
Components:
 Question
 Explore
 Connect (capstone)
Question
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Engage with three “signature questions” based
on essential learning outcomes through three
sequential courses (Quest I, II, III)
Quest I and II paired with required introductory
writing and speaking courses: learning
communities
Quest courses also incorporate other USP goals:
First Year Experience, Ethical Reasoning,
Community Engagement
Signature Questions
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Sustainability: How do people understand and
create a more sustainable world?
Intercultural Knowledge and Competence: How do
people understand and engage in community
life?
Civic Knowledge and Engagement: How do people
understand and bridge cultural differences?
Explore and Connect
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Explore
Distribution requirements (mathematical literacy, lab
science, humanities, etc.)
 Courses in each of these areas can be identified as
linking with a signature question (e.g., sustainability)
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Connect: Advanced Writing course
Synthesize content from all three QUEST courses
 General Education capstone
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Quest Faculty Development
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Quest courses are disciplinary: faculty
encouraged to situate sustainability in the “big
questions” and concepts of their discipline
Winnebago Project as model
Faculty college: introduce sustainability, strategies for
teaching, examples, campus resources
 Incentives: stipend and community
 Ongoing support
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Goal of workshops: introduce USP,
sustainability, “points of connection”
The Challenge of Training
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Range of expertise
Participants not self-selected
Working with adjunct staff as a challenge—
overworked, underpaid
Outright resistance to USP & Sustainability
Working with people less knowledgeable about
sustainability as a challenge
Expectations for Sustainability
Quest Courses
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All Quest courses must include “substantial
signature question content,” reflected in the
learning outcomes, assignments, and
assessments of the course
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Quest I: 25%; Quest II and Quest III: 30-50%
Instructors encouraged to integrate sustainability fully
into course
All syllabi approved by the University’s General
Education & Curriculum Committees
UW Oshkosh Faculty Describe
USP & Sustainability
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http://www.uwosh.edu/goto/usp/USP-2013-923.html
The Challenge of Implementation
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Fall 2013: Quest 1
24 Quest 1 courses focused on sustainability
 24 writing/communication courses focused on
sustainability
 72 total Quest 1 sections (all Signature Questions) +
paired writing/communication courses
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Spring 2014: Quest 2
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20 Quest 2 courses focused on Sustainability
New & modified courses
Total Number of Courses
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AASHE STARS Submission Data on Number
of Sustainability Courses in the Curriculum
Sustainability-related
Sustainability-focused
2012
128
50
2013
262
77
Assessment of the USP
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Course drops in 100 & 200 level non-Quest courses
down 12%
DFW grade reports in 100 & 200 level classes:
 2012 DFW rate: 18.8%
 2013 DFW rate 15.9%
First Year Fall GPA less than 2.0
 2012: 17.8%
 2013: 10.1%
Comprehension & appreciation of Liberal Arts up 8%
Assessing Sustainability in USP
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Mean class distribution by performance level:
Quest 1, Fall 2013, 44/72 sections (61%),
Signature
Question
High
Proficiency
Proficien
cy
Some
Limited/N N
Proficien o
cy
Proficiency
Sustainability
34.5%
30.0%
25.0%
10.5% 13
Intercultural
Knowledge
33.2%
39.7%
21.1%
6.0% 18
Civic Learning
23.9%
49.6%
20.3%
6.0% 12
Total
31.0%
39.5%
22.1%
7.3% 43
Assessing Sustainability in USP
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Mean class distribution by performance level for
Sustainability Learning Outcome: Quest 1, Fall
2013
Signature
Question
High
Proficiency
Proficien
cy
Some
Limited/N
Proficien o
cy
Proficiency
Sustainability
32.1%
32.3%
26.2%
9.4%
Intercultural
Knowledge
35.5%
38.4%
20.9%
5.0%
Civic Learning
25.3%
47.2%
21.9%
5.3%
Assessing Sustainability in USP
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Mean class distribution by performance level:
Quest 2, Spring 2014, 56/116 sections (48%),
Signature
Question
High
Proficiency
Proficien
cy
Some
Limited/N N
Proficien o
cy
Proficiency
Sustainability
29.7%
40.9%
22.8%
6.6%
22
Intercultural
Knowledge
38.2%
44.7%
11.1%
6.1%
15
Civic Learning
21.9%
49.1%
21.3%
7.8%
19
Total
30.4%
44.7%
18.2%
6.7%
56
Assessing Sustainability in USP:
SoTL Research
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Pre- and Post-class essay prompts to evaluate student learning
Write a brief essay (2-4 paragraphs) detailing your perception of
what Wisconsin would ideally look like in 15 years if everyone
applied the principles of sustainability to his or her choices
during that time frame. In your essay, you should address the
following questions/points:
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What is your definition of sustainability?
What are the key changes that you would expect to see in 15 years?
How does each of the three factors of sustainability integrate into these
changes?
What role will you personally play in the next 15 years?
What issues or conflicts may arise that could negatively impact this
process?
Assessing Sustainability in USP:
SoTL Research
Signature
question
Liberal arts
Avg. PreScore
Avg. PostScore
55.6%
63.3%
44.9%
42.7%
44.9%
52.3%
Sustainability 49.7%
50.6%
Civic
Engagement
Intercultural
knowledge
Avg. Change
7.7% (1.4 pts
of 18)
-2.2% (-0.27
pts of 12)
6.9% (0.86
pts of 12)
1.1% (0.13
pts of 12)
Evaluating SoTL Research
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Essay prompts
Aligning research with USP sustainability
expectations
Previous presence in curriculum
Assessing Sustainability in USP:
Anecdotal Observations
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Challenge: Students without background
knowledge
Challenge: Students without background interest
Challenge: Students have to be taught
College preparedness
 Critical thinking
 Liberal arts
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Personal behavior vs. structural instability
UW Oshkosh Student on
Sustainability in Quest 1
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http://www.uwosh.edu/goto/usp/USP-201312-3.html
Conclusions
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Focus of UW Oshkosh implementation & assessment
has been on FYE not signature question content
Full cycle of USP not yet complete
Tension between AASHE model and general education
requirement
Next steps
 “closing the loop”
 Direct assessment of signature question content
 Revisit faculty development & training
More Information and Contacts
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Jim Feldman: feldman@uwosh.edu
http://www.uwosh.edu/sustainability/