Abigail Crew | Karla Hardesty
To align with the Institutional Strategic Pillar of Equity and Inclusion, in 2016 CMC added a graduation requirement of a “Cultural Competency” course to ensure all CMC students recognize and understand multiple cultural frameworks, values and norms. Beginning in 2018, spanning through 2019, a codified process for Cultural Competency course inclusion was crafted through shared governance. The process involved clearly defining what Cultural Competency means at CMC and aligning the Institutional Learning Outcome (ISLO) for Global and Diversity Learning with the updated definition of Cultural Competency. To ensure the accuracy of the updated course inclusion list an assessment protocol was developed which leveraged our Learning Management System (Canvas) to enable individual instructors to align their course assessments with the ISLOs on the application form. In our pilot group Fall 2021 robust data was gathered to measure student learning of the cultural competency outcomes. Through assessment processes, participating faculty reflected on their data to make improvements to future iterations of their courses. In this presentation we share our successes and challenges defining, implementing and assessing a graduation requirement centered around equity and inclusion.
Dr. Abby Crew is the Assistant Dean of Academic Planning, Assessment, and Improvement: Curriculum Review and Innovation at Colorado Mountain College. She also served as a Department Chair for Social and Behavioral Sciences and the Humanities for nine years while an adjunct instructor. She earned the distinguished honor of adjunct faculty of the year in 2021. She has an Interdisciplinary Ph.D. from the University of Iowa and a Masters in Humanities from New York University.
Karla Hardesty, M.A., joined Colorado Mountain College in October 2021 as the Associate Dean of Academic Planning, Assessment, and Improvement. Karla has 20 years of experience in higher education, much of that from Adams State University, also a Hispanic Serving Institution. Her background is in assessment, enrollment management, DEI advancement, accreditation, project management, and strategic planning. Karla has a Bachelor of Science degree from Colorado State University in Human Development and Family Studies and a Master of Arts in Postsecondary and Adult Education from the University of Wyoming.