The Tilford Group

2006 TILFORD FELLOWS/ABSTRACTS

 

• Enhancing the Regional and Community Planning Curriculum: New Undergraduate Program

  La Barbara James Wigfall, College of Architecture, Planning and Design

  The College of Architecture, Planning and Design program at KSU provides students with the basis for becoming ethical practitioners, who are aware of and responsible for the way their activities affect and promote important values. Respect for diversity of views and ideologies are paramount to planning principles and professional understanding. This program initiative identifies best practices related to multicultural teaching in planning and investigates how student learning opportunities in diverse communities can assist Kansas populations. Faculty will be engaged in curriculum transformation as the Tilford multicultural competencies are assessed and infused into the students' educational experience at the graduate and under-graduate levels.

• Storytelling as a Pedagogical Tool
  
  Greg Stephens, Leslie Hannah, Rebecca Armstrong, Pat Ackermann, Crystal Davis, and Shana Meyer, College of Technology and Aviation, Salina Campus
  
  Over the past 30 years, practitioners and scholars across a wide spectrum of social, artistic, religious, therapeutic, business management and academic fields have been vigorously reclaiming the powers of storytelling as fundamental to their work. Stories can change the world one person at a time. The project plans to capture the power of the storytelling process to plant seeds of diversity awareness that encourages cultural awareness and change in classrooms and across the K-State Salina campus. Renowned international Native American storyteller Tim Tingle will facilitate campus storytelling awareness for faculty, staff and facilities employees in Salina and will also conduct a community outreach storytelling event.

• Infusing Multicultural Competencies in the Area of Consumer Advertising into Core Undergraduate and Graduate Marketing
  
  Kevin Gwinner, Marketing, College of Business Administration
  
  An under-studied and rarely discussed offshoot of the globalized and diverse world in which we now live is how individuals and businesses from different cultures communicate and find common meaning with each other. While this is a very broad and complicated topic, the purpose of this project is to develop multicultural teaching and learning materials on the topic of consumer advertising which will be infused into student's learning experience in two core marketing course (one graduate and one undergraduate) and will contribute to students' multicultural competency development. Project objectives are to: (1) increase student awareness of the ways in which cultural perspectives influence consumer's purchase intentions and attitudes toward different advertising messages and media types (2) develop students' understanding of how increased globalization and changing demographic shifts may impact the execution of advertising in the future (3) develop student's appreciation, respect, and understanding of individuals that are from different cultural backgrounds, especially as it relates to interpretation of advertising messages (4) develop an increased understanding among students for the ethical and societal implications of marketing campaigns aimed at different ethnic identities, and (5) develop skills in creating advertisement and selecting media that will allow students to produce and effective critique advertising initiatives in the workplace.
  
  

• Multicultural Learning through Student Leadership
  
  Melissa Adams, Peggy Honey and Migette Kaup, College of Human Ecology
  
  This project applies practices for teaching and learning in a multicultural context beyond the formal classroom. Currently, there are a disproportionate number of Caucasian students relative to other ethnic groups in the Interior Design (ID) program. Having diverse classmates will help facilitate the multicultural learning process and prepare students to live and work in a diverse world.
  
  The purpose of this project is to : ( 1) increase student awareness and understanding of diversity issues in the Interior Design profession, and 2) increase outreach to under-represented students to enhance the enrollment of students enrolled in the Interior Design program.
  
  The student learning activities for this project involve outreach to historically under-represented prospective students. This outreach is facilitated through the student organizations of the professional chapters (ASID & IIDA) and the annual open house on t K-State's campus. A design workshop, hosted by the Interior Design students is incorporated into the university's Open House events to increase awareness and interest in K-State's interior design profession. All promotional materials and workshop activities were created, organized and delivered by current students in the interior design program. This workshop will expose multicultural students to the Interior Design program, the college environment and increase accessibility to university resources.
  
  

• The Intercultural Conflict Resolution Practicum
  
  Young-ok-Yum, Department of Speech Communication, Theatre and Dance
  
  Terrie McCants, Department of Family Studies and Human Service
  
  The goal of the proposed practicum is to provide a structured and supervised bridge between theoretical-cognitive classroom learning and the application of the conflict and multicultural knowledge in various field settings. Students will learn how to apply knowledge and skills to an organizational setting through the development of training or workshop experiences, by identifying and completing demonstrable learning outcomes, and by applying theoretical models and perspectives to practice in a multicultural environment.
  
  Incorporating the expertise in conflict resolution with multicultural competence in the form of practicum is imperative. The practicum will mandate students to identify and immerse themselves in a multicultural environment and apply and practice their knowledge, attitude and skills in cross cultural interaction with others.
  
  

• Infusing and Assessing the Tilford Multicultural Competencies in the Academic Curricula at Kansas State University
  
  Beetta Stoney and Kay Ann Taylor, Department of Secondary Education
  
  The goal of the project is to initiate student awareness and understanding of multiple perspectives, which culminates in transformation, and for them to gain a knowledge base in foundations of education, thus extending their growth in multicultural competencies in the multicultural education courses. Students must become aware of their own racial identity and its development. In order to progress toward higher levels of understanding and internalization, students must ultimately reach full potential in taking action that leads to social change and social justice.
  
  We argue that the scaffolding approach will lead to greater internalization, and therefore, action by students who complete these courses successfully. Such change requires creating cognitive dissonance that moves students out of their comfort zones in a safe environment of respect, trust, and empathy in which ingrained stereotypes and unexamined assumptions are questioned. By providing opportunities for students' explorations and re-evaluations of value-laden dominant White views, their beliefs, views, and ideals are challenged. Within this setting and framework, students will progress through their own racial identity development and work toward a higher level of multicultural autonomy. The project addresses knowledge (cultural self, diverse ethnic groups, social/political/economic/historical frameworks, changing demographics, diversity implications for career understanding,) personal attributes (flexibility, respect, empathy,) and skills (cross cultural communication, teamwork, listening, conflict resolution, critical thinking, leadership development.)
  
  

• Multicultural Curriculum Infusion
  
  Jim Coffman and Ronnie Elmore, College of Veterinary Medicine
  
  This project will be implemented within the context of new and expanding efforts to enhance diversity and increase multicultural competency in the College of Veterinary Medicine. These activities include: (1) working with and through existing main campus entities, most notably the Developing Scholars Program, to increase the number of underrepresented minority students entering and successfully completing the professional degree program. (2) increasing efforts to recruit and retain a greater number of people of color among the faculty and staff (3) developing and expanding guest lectures on domestic and foreign diseases that bring multicultural speakers to the college (4) developing a mulit-faceted educational experience for all professional degree seeking students, based on the Tilford Multicultural Competencies , and (5) developing an assessment instrument to assist in evaluating the effectiveness of these efforts. In addition the project is also designed to develop an educational website on diversity in veterinary medicine to be hosted by the College of Veterinary Medicine . While it is the goal to serve the entire veterinary medical profession, the three primary audiences are: prospective students from under-represented minority populations, predominantly majority students now in the professional curriculum and faculty and staff.
  
  Lisa Greenhill, Director of the Association of American Colleges of Veterinary Medicine's (AAVMC) DiVersity Matters program, which is veterinary medicine's principle activity in the area of diversity, worked with the College of Veterinary Medicine. The college is working with Ms. Greenhill to develop information and strategies for veterinary medical education and the profession to begin making a difference in participation by under-represented minority groups.
  
  

• Developing a Multicultural Competency Assessment Instrument
  
  Jacque Gibbons, Sociology, Anthropology and Social Work and Mary McElroy, Kinesiology
  
  Multicultural competence is an essential component of modern post-secondary education, and it is critical for educators to design assessment tools to measure objectively whether students are mastering these competencies. Although a number of assessment tools exist to measure knowledge, beliefs, and attitudes with respect to different cultures, to date, there has been little attention given to assess the degree to which graduating students understand what it means to behave in culturally appropriate ways.
  
  There is a need to develop a more objective measure of students' multicultural competence to gauge the development of such competence over the range of the classroom and service learning experiences in the social work curriculum. The Multicultural Competency Assessment Instrument incorporates the assessment of knowledge, sensitivity and awareness of multicultural differences and the instrument will include an assessment of the behavioral dimension of multicultural competence. The instrument in its final form will consist of a series of vignettes, both textual and video, that present opportunities within each vignette to demonstrate multicultural competencies at multiple levels. At the most basic level, the instrument should test for awareness of the presence of multicultural differences as an issue in the interactions between people and between people and social systems. At the deepest level, the instrument tests how a person responds to, or behaves in response, to multicultural differences in the interactions between people and between people and social systems.
  
  

• Infusing Multicultural Competencies into a Professional Setting and Sales Management
  
  Dawne Martin, Department of Marketing
  
  The project objectives are to: (1) develop materials, learning activities and assessment approaches for integrating multicultural competencies in to the Professional Selling and Sale Management Course (MKTG 542) (2) develop resources for other instructors in the College of Business administration for further infusing multicultural competencies into the curriculum, and (3) develop a program of training for the College faculty to assist them in developing their own approaches to meeting their multicultural student learning outcomes. Pre- and post-test data will be analyzed from the MKTG 542 class, and a faculty workshop will be conducted during the fall 2006 to share results.
  
  

• Infusing Cultural Competency into the Kinesiology Curriculum
  
  Mary McElroy, Stewart Trost, Melissa Bopp, Department of Kinesiology
  
  Due to the growing recognition of the importance of physical activity to health, the training of physical activity specialists has become one of the fastest growing areas among the health professions. Unfortunately, the majority of Kinesiology programs focus on the health benefits of physical activity and strategies to motivate individuals to participate in physical activity without much consideration given to racial or ethnic differences. The overarching objective of the curricular reform project is to help Kinesiology students acquire the necessary skills of cultural competency that will allow them to interact effectively with members of diverse and under-served populations. Four Kinesiology courses will be targeted for transformation. Three faculty members, one who shares an appointment with the American Ethnic Studies Program, will comprise the curriculum transformation team. Each faculty member is well trained in the behavioral and social dimensions related to physical activity and public health. Two of the courses are part of the lower level required core for all Kinesiology students and two will be upper-level elective courses.
  
  In addition to infusing cultural competencies into the above-mentioned courses, a two-day workshop will be presented by Dr. Antoinette Yancey, M.D. MPH. Department of Health Services at UCLA. Dr. Yancey is a leading expert dealing with promoting physical activity among racial/ethnic groups, particularly African Americans. She has been involved in several large scale community projects in Los Angeles and Richmond, Virginia . During the two-day workshop Dr. Yancey will a) deliver a public lecture, b) meet with several Kinesiology classes, and c) provide a training session designed for Kinesiology faculty members. Activities will be completed by December 2006.
  
  

• The Curriculum Transformation Project in Expository Writing
  
  Phillip Marzluf, Julie Brogno, Judy McClendon, Department of English
  
  The English Department Expository Writing Program is completing the second year of implementing an experimental diversity based writing class. During this summer, three faculty members will revise and enhance the student text and plan and help conduct a thirty hour workshop for twenty-five graduate teaching assistants who will teach the diversity based curriculum in the fall. Approximately 650 students will take the course this fall semester, engaging with issues of identity and culture and conducting research on diversity related problems. Research has been conducted on the development, implementation and evaluation of this course.
  
  

• Culture and Philosophy in Latin American/Latino Popular Poetry
  
  Marcelo Sabates, Philosophy, Salvador Oropesa, Modern Languages; Mayte Martinez-Ortiz, Modern Language; Tanya Gonzalez, English; and Eduardo Orozco, American Ethnic Studies and Music
  
  The product of the Tilford Grant will be the development of a novel, multidisciplinary, bilingual course on cultural and philosophical issues in Latin American/Latino popular poetry. The proposed class will be a 500-600 level course and cross listed in the following departments: Modern Languages, Philosophy, English, American Ethnic Studies and Music. A partnership with the Hale Library, Dow Multicultural Research and Resource center is part of the expected outcome. A potential follow-up study abroad course and a more basic “in translation” 100 level course are desired secondary outcomes of the project.
  
  

• The Jay McShann Lecture/Performance
  
  Wayne Goins, Department of Music
  
  The proposed project is directed toward the students in the History of Jazz course (MUSIC 420) and their direct involvement with one of the greatest legends in the history of jazz, Kansas City pianist Jay McShann. The proposal supports the invitation of Jay McShann to deliver a lecture/performance to the History of Jazz Class during the spring 2006. Students would be provided an opportunity to interact with Jay McSchann, focusing on the development of his musical style, influence on the greatest saxophonist in the history of jazz—Charlie Parker, and the evolution and history behind the Territory Bands of the Southwest, in which he played a major role as one of the finest bandleaders of that era.
  
  

• Developing a Management of Diversity Course
  
  Donita Whitney-Bammerlin, Department of Management
  
  This project includes the development and implementation of a Management course specifically addressing management of diversity. The goal of the course is for students to learn how to manage themselves and their roles in a diverse work environment, creating an inclusive environment for all workers and stakeholders. The course provides a framework for managing diversity in a business environment, examing the roles of language, culture, social psychology, personality and cognitive processes to determine how these interact to maintain and magnify cultural differences. Course objectives are to include:
  
  

  • factual knowledge of demographic diversity in a business context
    
    
  • demonstrate various concepts, principals and theories related to managing and marketing in a diverse environment
    
    
  • explain social and personal barriers related to diversity that limit individuals in meeting their potential and develop methods to break down these barriers.
    
    
  • recognize and appreciate the strengths developed through a collaborative, inclusive environment that rewards dialogue and trust
    
    
• The Infusion of Multicultural Competencies and Information Literacy into the Computer Systems Technology Curriculum
  
  Pedro Leite and Beverlee Kissick, College of Technology and Aviation, Salina Campus
  
  The primary goal of this project is to help students become both technological and information literate as well as multiculturally competent. This project will incorporate the Tilford Group Multicultural Competencies, TAC/ABET outcomes and information literacy skills into two classes in the Computer Systems Technology undergraduate program.
  
  The pilot module will use country studies as a unifying feature and a foundation for investigative research (information literacy) as well as a platform for the multicultural competencies to be valued, applied, and understood. Country studies are the investigation and analysis of the history, social, economic, political, cultural institutions of countries throughout the world. Team work and leadership development will be utilized and explored as students work together in teams and prepare for their presentations and classroom assignments. The pilot study will be assessed and presented to interested campus and community groups.
  
  The project's objectives are to:
  
  
  • infuse multicultural competencies in a computer-course specific environment
    
    
  • integrate student's comprehension of multicultural competency development, information literacy, computer literacy and team work through independent study and small group discussion/activity sessions
    
    
  • encourage life-long learning through student/faculty/librarian relationships and collaboration