Moving from Concept to
Meaningful Assessment:
Cultural Competence & the
Intercultural Knowledge VALUE Rubric
Ashley Finley, Ph.D
Senior Director of Assessment & Research, AAC&U
National Evaluator, Bringing Theory to Practice
Kansas State University
March 14, 2014
The problem with program assessment…
Curriculum
Assessment
Outcomes
K-State & Intercultural Competence…
O The mission of KSU is to foster excellent teaching, research, and
service that develop a highly skilled and educated citizenry
necessary to advancing the well-being of Kansas, the nation, and
the international community.
O The university embraces diversity, encourages engagement and is
committed to the discovery of knowledge…& improvement in the
quality of life and standard of living of those we serve.
O the institution dedicates itself to providing academic and
extracurricular learning experiences which promote and value both
excellence and cultural diversity…
O K-State prepares its students to be informed, productive, &
responsible citizens who actively participate in advancing cultural,
educational, economic, scientific, and socio-political undertakings.
Moving from Goals to Expected Outcomes
EXPECT to see
Expected changes
at course level…
•Ethical Reasoning
& Responsibility
•Human Diversity
within the US
•Global Issues &
Perspectives
Would LIKE to see
Changes at
program level
related to…
•Ethical
Reasoning &
Responsibility
•Human
Diversity in US
•Global Issues
& Perspectives
Who needs to be involved at each
stage to reach goals?
Would LOVE to see
• University embraces
diversity, encourages
engagement & committed
to know. discovery
• learning experiences
promote & value
excellence & cultural
diversity
• students are informed,
productive, & resp.
citizens who actively
participate in advancing
cultural, educ., econ.,
scientific, & socio-political
undertakings
Resources needed to
start or keep going:
INPUTS
(What is
needed for the
process?)
ACTIVITIES
(What will
students be
asked to do?)
Actions needed to produce outputs:
OUTPUTS
(What counts
as good
evidence?)
OUTCOMES
(What should
improve as a
direct result
of efforts that
contribute to
the long-term
vision?)
Impact
Goals
(What is the
hope for the
future for
students,
for faculty,
for the
institution?)
Products
needed to
assess
outcomes,
“countables”:
Expected
Changes:
short, intermediate
Long-term
vision for
change
Resources needed to
start or keep going:
Actions needed to produce outputs:
INPUTS
(What is
needed for the
process?)
ACTIVITIES
(What will
students be
asked to do?)
•General
education
•Teaching and
learning center
•Student
affairs
•Institutional
research
•Career center
•Alumni center
•Engagement
with diverse
perspectives
•Group dialogue
•Small group
problem-solving
or applications
•Engagement
with
contemporary
issues, real-life
questions
OUTPUTS
•Critical
reflection
papers
•Research
papers
addressing
real-world
problemsolving
•Blogs/Wikis
•Multimedia
Products
needed to
assess
outcomes:
OUTCOMES
•Intercultural
knowledge &
competence
•Civic
engagement
•Openness to
diversity
•Pluralistic
orientation
•Empathy
•Moral
development
•Civicmindedness
Expected
Changes:
short,
intermediate:
Impact
•University
embraces
diversity,
encourages
engagement
& committed
to know.
Discovery
•learning
experiences
promote &
value
excellence &
cultural
diversity
Intercultural Knowledge & Competence
VALUE Rubric
O Dimensions
O Next Questions:
O Knowledge – cultural
O What activities currently
O
O
O
O
O
self-awareness
Knowledge –
knowledge of cultural
worldview frameworks
Skills - empathy
Skills – verbal and nonverbal communication
Attitudes – curiosity
Attitudes – openness
promote intercultural
knowledge & competence in
courses?
O What assignments or
demonstrations of learning
invite students’ applications
of intercultural skills?
O How are learning
experiences connected over
time to make applications
increasingly more rigorous?
Focusing on Outputs:
Intentional Assignment Design
O Assignment should enable attainment of criteria
O Break down criteria to determine key components for
assignment
O What should students do with content to meet
criteria?
O
E.g. What are the pieces to be analyzed, compared,
integrated?
O Will the assignment be used for more than one
outcome?
O What are the types of assignments that will be most
helpful for allowing students to demonstrate
competency?
Additional Resources
O Logic Models: http://www.wkkf.org/resource-
directory/resource/2006/02/wk-kellogg-foundationlogic-model-development-guide
O AAC&U VALUE Rubrics (direct assessment of learning
outcomes, including civic engagement & intercultural
competence): http://www.aacu.org/value/index.cfm
O Wabash Center for Inquiry in the Liberal Arts:
http://www.liberalarts.wabash.edu/studyinstruments/ (Miville-Guzman Universality-Diversity
Scale, also Openness to Diversity Scale, others…)