Institute for Student Learning Assessment

This panel fits the “Best-practice examples of instructional/assessment practice to develop diversity outcomes.” Students who experience StrengthsQuest based learning will have a greater appreciation for their own strengths and better understand/appreciate the actions of students with different strengths from their own. Each presenter has different outcomes and assessments in using the StrengthsQuest learning approach. In the Department of Communication Studies, Communication and Leadership class (COMM 535), students use strengths in class activities, to self-select more diverse work teams for a group project, and write self-reflections about how they are actively using their strengths to be successful as a student and leader. Assessments include reflection papers, group project work, and a learning portfolio. In Leadership Studies, students taking Introduction to Leadership Concepts (LEAD 212) explore StrengthsQuest as a way to learn about self and how they can best leverage their own strengths and the strengths of others when exercising leadership. Through a service-learning experience students apply their knowledge of strengths in working with a team, and practice various approaches of engaging with one another throughout the service experience. At the Academic and Career Information Center, students are guided to majors, minors, and career opportunities that allow them to capitalize on their strengths. In addition to a follow-up survey for appointments, students in the Academic and Career Decisions class (EDCEP 120) take a pre- and post- test regarding their Career Self Confidence. This assessment includes questions to better understand identification and application of Strengths.

In this presenter's field of music education, programs experience disproportionately higher retention rates for students from upper socio-economic backgrounds, students who are white, and students whose parents have some years of college education (Elpus & Abril, 2011; Lundquist, 2002). If these statistics demonstrate that higher education, music education in particular, is not serving all students well, how can instructors work to address recruitment and retention practices that reverse this trend? Culturally Relevant Pedagogy has been shown to support academic achievement, cultural competence, and sociopolitical consciousness in K-12 students in multiple academic subject areas, and this presentation explores the application of CRP in higher education.

The presenter begins by defining Culturally Relevant Pedagogy (CRP) as a theory that includes 6 prongs: 3 pedagogical and 3 ideological (Ladson-Billings, 1994). Woven throughout this presentation will be examples of historically rooted pedagogies in music education and how they can work against CRP in today's classrooms. The presenter will also discuss 2 brief video clips that feature Geneva Gay, Jacqueline Jordan Irvine, Gloria Ladson-Billings, and Kris Gutierrez describing aspects of CRP, including cultural competence. The presenter will provide initial ideas for developing culturally relevant practices in higher education classrooms, including cultural synchronicity and sociopolitical consciousness.

This 50-minute presentation will allow time for discussion and application in multiple departments using examples as a springboard for discussion. Topics will include barriers to access in higher education, retention challenges, and classroom as well as program assessments with the potential to support a richly diverse student body.

Postsecondary learning institutions are concerned with developing, improving, or validating the worth of their educational programs. With the increasing importance of accountability to stakeholders such as governments, organizations, funders, and to the students themselves, faculty rely on valid student assessment data. Culturally responsive and inclusive assessment emphasizes culture, context, gender, plurality and inclusiveness in measuring student learning. Assessment practices that fail to adhere to culturally responsive and inclusive practices fail to provide valid, usable findings that can be used to improve, promote and sustain programs. This paper will present the theoretical and practical aspects of culturally responsive and inclusive assessment and provide examples of responsive and inclusive assessment practices, such as the incorporation of Universal Design.

The Higher Learning Commission (HLC) core component 2.C states “The institution understands the relationship between its mission and the diversity of society” and component 3.B.4 states “The education offered by the institution recognizes the human and cultural diversity of the world in which students live and work”. Colby Community College (CCC), located in Colby, KS, uses a multi-tiered assessment approach to address these core components. This type of approach was adopted and then modified from Neosho Community College. CCC has identified nine general education courses in the 2015-2016 academic catalog from the social and behavioral sciences and humanities that assess course outcomes on cultural diversity. The course assessment data from these nine courses is compiled and reviewed as part of CCC’s general education program. Specifically, CCC’s general education program outcome six which states “Students will evaluate their own intercultural sensitivity and global awareness”. The past 4 years of data on the general education program outcome indicates that students enrolled in the nine courses are meeting the educational goals for student learning on cultural diversity. From 2010, 58% of CCC’s graduates has taken and passed at least one of the nine courses identified and 35% has taken and passed at least two of the nine courses. The next step is to develop strategies to increase the number of graduates that take and pass courses addressing cultural diversity.

Presentation of resources regarding diversity education on the recently updated K-State Tilford Group web site that target multicultural course transformation.

Description of other services and resources available for faculty, staff and students on diversity issues in the Teaching & Learning Center.

Assessment of effective practices to evaluate diversity outcomes.

Five-member panel (two faculty members representing two supporting professional disciplines; Nicodemus resident and on campus resource; a MLA graduate student; and a graduate planner) recapping how the Parks for the People/Nicodemus project transformed students and community members. Short segments of video demonstrating student learning outcomes associated with diversity and collaboration will be introduced. This project won the CECD Engagement Award from Kansas State University in 2013. (270-word abstract uploaded)

Presentation and group discussion about the composition and revision of diversity-related student learning outcomes.