University Summary
Curriculum transformation for the 21 st century will require institutions of higher learning to place a greater emphasis on multicultural learning. As Kansas State University fulfills its education mission, central to this process is understanding the curriculum strategies necessary to prepare students to live and work in a diverse world.
The Tilford project has undertaken the most extensive multicultural qualitative research project ever conducted at Kansas State University. Approximately 200 people participated in twenty-two focus groups conducted in all academic colleges, Hale Library and the Deans Council. The purposes of the focus group research were to: (1) identify multicultural competencies needed by college graduates and (2) understand the differing needs of academic colleges related to preparing students for multicultural competence.
MAJOR FINDINGS
- Faculty, students and deans recognize the need for students to become multiculturally competent
- Faculty and students have diverse meanings of multiculturalism
- Faculty support multicultural curriculum infusion but are not sure how to implement
- Students greatest multicultural learning has occurred through secondary majors and minors classes in American Ethnic Studies, Women's Studies, International Studies and extracurricular activities
- "Pockets " of multicultural learning available in all colleges
- Balance the domestic and international emphases in multicultural learning
- Some students expressed a need for second language acquisition
WHAT WOULD CONTRIBUTE TO KSU'S ABILITY TO PREPARE STUDENTS FOR MULTICULTURAL COMPETENCE???
- Ability to define multiculturalism.
- Knowledge of curriculum models that facilitate multicultural curriculum infusion.
- Opportunities for faculty to learn strategies for facilitating cross-cultural classroom interaction.
- Knowledge of assessment procedures for measuring multicultural competence.
- Ability to identify multicultural competencies and their relevance for academic disciplines.
