As we continue to work on the validation of the Sustainability Competence Assessment tool, we have come across some re-occurring questions and comments. The feedback that we received from the department of applied physics and electronics at Umeå university this week has been very helpful in our pursuit to improve the questionnaire. Comments about how to develop a questionnaire in a longitudinal study have been encouraging and the work we are doing to strengthen the validity of the sustainability competence assessment tool is progressing well.

After conducting a literature review about sustainability assessment tools (see Annelin and Boström. 2022. An Assessment of Key Sustainability Competencies: A Review of Scales and Propositions for Validation. International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education. Forthcoming.) we designed a questionnaire based on all eight of the sustainability competencies. The scales are taken from already tested studies in the sustainability competence literature. We have applied the scales together in a short questionnaire aimed for students in higher education.

After several rounds of pilot tests, we have now tested the questionnaire with student groups across Umeå university campus and can begin statistical validation tests for the first round questionnaire stage. This validation stage will help provide an improved and streamlined assessment tool to release to participating teachers in the coming weeks. We will provide information about this validation study as the work progresses.

We are also working on developing a second-round questionnaire that can assess the students’ sustainability competence after their first semester. The second-round questionnaire will assess all the same sustainability competencies, but some alterations will be applied to the items on the scales. The reason for these alterations is to increase the validation of the scales. These designs and tests will help the Sustainability Competence Assessment tool to be valid across disciplines throughout the program experience of the student groups.

Once the second-round sustainability competence assessment tool has been tested, a third and fourth round questionnaire will be designed. The work we are doing to create an assessment that can provide support for teachers that want to advance their ESD, has benefited greatly from all the experience and feedback that we have received from all participating teachers. We would like to take this opportunity to say a big thank you to you all and a special thanks to all you who are continuing to show your support and signing up to take part in the project soon.

(P.S. we would also like to thank the department of applied physics and electronics for fika. The vanilla bun was delicious!)