Abstract
Are students graduating from sustainability education programs with the competencies that will enable them to act for sustainability? This case study 1.) explores the degree to which a project-based capstone course advances sustainability competencies; 2.) identifies the extent to which graduating students demonstrate competencies; and 3.) compares two methods of measuring student mastery of competencies. A multiple-choice survey and a qualitative analysis of blog assignments were used and compared. While the survey did not indicate improvement in sustainability competencies pre- and post-capstone course, students showed varying levels of mastery of all the competencies by graduation. However, degree of mastery varied by assessment method. Recommendations for improving competencies include better defining the level of competencies to be achieved, ensuring that engaged pedagogy addresses all competencies, and developing new self-assessment methods for measuring competency mastery.
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