Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to describe the student learning outcomes (SLOs) for a sustainability major, evaluate faculty incorporation of the SLOs into the courses in the sustainability major curriculum and measure student performance on the SLOs from entry into the major to the senior capstone course.
Design/methodology/approach
Through an iterative approach with a faculty advisory committee, SLOs were developed for the sustainability major. Curriculum mapping followed by evaluation of course syllabi were used to determine the extent to which each course addressed the SLOs. Student performance on most SLOs was measured through student assessment in an introductory and capstone course to evaluate the change in performance over time.
Findings
The core courses of the sustainability major were more likely to address the SLOs of the major than that of the elective courses. Where measured, student performance on the SLOs increased from the introductory course to the capstone course. Sustainability majors participated in an average of almost ten experiential learning opportunities focused on sustainability.
Originality/value
This research provides a longitudinal assessment of student learning in an undergraduate sustainability major. Because undergraduate sustainability degrees are generally new, this research can serve as a base upon which to continue to improve sustainability curriculum design.
The goals pursued by the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) require the collaboration of dozens of federal agencies and thousands of state and local entities. Intergovernmental funding within DHS has become one of the most politicized and criticized aspects of this process. This study analyzed the US Department of Homeland Security's state grant program from 2002 to 2007 to examine whether strong incentives to distribute these funds politically overrode the impetus to distribute them according to greatest risk or need. Using a random effects panel data model, several independent variables reflecting political and risk factors were regressed to examine the extent each of these factors affects the funding process. This paper further advances the research by explicitly comparing the relative importance of political versus risk factors over a 6 year time period with particular focus on whether allocations within Homeland Security's state grant program are primarily determined by political or objective criterion. The research found, that the political variables are more consistently significant predictors of allocations than the risk variables. The findings also provide evidence that formula grants, administered to states, by federal agencies are still susceptible to political influence.
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