Sustainability evaluation of graduate courses in an university of the South of Brazil

The Auditing Instrument for Sustainability in Higher Education (AISHE) is an assessment instrument developed specifically for higher education. The AISHE had been applied in many institutions in its first version (AISHE 1.0) and has a new version the AISHE 2.0, with new elements for evaluation (ROORDA, 2008). This paper shows the results of AISHE 1.0 application at Passo Fundo (UPF) university, located in the south of Brazil. The objective is to evaluate sustainability on the graduate courses. The AISHE method is based on the PDCA circle (PLAN-DO-CHECK-ACT). Within the first three categories are criteria available in accordance with the five stages (sustainability level): stage 1: activity; stage 2: process; stage 3: system; stage 4: chain; stage 5: society (AISHE, 2001). The results show significant differences between the courses, indicating lack of strategic vision and university management, which is a common feature in all courses. The ideal would be that the results achieved stage 5, \u91society\u92, which means: long-term strategy, the policy aims at constant improvement; contacts are maintained, not only with direct customers but also with other stakeholders. The organization fulfils a prominent role in society. The sustainability evaluation is important because it points out the weaknesses and strengths of each cours