Assessing intercultural learning in study abroad: An authentic, aligned approach for better outcomes

Authors

  • Eva Infante Mora Consortium for Advanced Studies Abroad (CASA)-Sevilla
  • Melina Ivanchikova Cornell University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.36366/frontiers.v38i1.985

Keywords:

Assessment, intercultural learning, mentoring, rubric, study abroad

Abstract

In this article, we describe how instructors in a semester-long study abroad program for U.S.-based undergraduates assess students’ intercultural learning using an authentic place-based approach, intercultural mentoring and feedback, and two rubrics. We use one student’s assignments as a way to describe our assessment practices. The goal is to encourage study abroad staff and instructors to explore the possibility of adopting and adapting our framework for better alignment between program-level intercultural learning outcome goals and students’ learning experiences.

Abstract in Spanish

En este artículo describimos cómo los profesores de un programa de estudio semestral en el extranjero para estudiantes universitarios de grado en los Estados Unidos asesoran el aprendizaje de destrezas y conocimiento intercultural usando un método auténtico, anclado in situ, usando mentorías y consejos interculturales, más dos rúbricas. Como ejemplo, usamos las tareas de una estudiante para describir nuestro proceso de asesoramiento a nivel práctico. La meta es animar a los empleados y profesores del estudio en el extranjero a considerar adoptar o reformular nuestro marco pedagógico para mejor alineamiento entre las metas de aprendizaje a nivel del programa con las experiencias de aprendizaje de los estudiantes.

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Author Biographies

Eva Infante Mora, Consortium for Advanced Studies Abroad (CASA)-Sevilla

Eva Infante Mora directs CASA-Sevilla program administration, including student advising and supervision of faculty and staff. She holds a Ph.D. in Arabic and Islamic Studies from the University of Seville, and an M.A. in Modern Middle Eastern and North African Studies from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. She is co-author of Action Research for University Reform: the CASA-Sevilla Study Abroad Programme in Spain and Active Pedagogy and Ethnographic Research: CASA-Sevilla’s Perspective.

Melina Ivanchikova, Cornell University

Melina Ivanchikova is associate director at the Center for Teaching Innovation at Cornell University. She is an educational developer and scholar-practitioner who focuses on inclusion and intercultural learning. Her publications include the co-authored Analyzing Demographic Differences During the Evaluation of an Online Course about Inclusive Teaching (2023); and Active Pedagogy and Ethnographic Research: CASA-Sevilla’s Perspective, in Undergraduate Research Abroad: Approaches, Models, and Challenges (2020). She has been a partner to the CASA-Sevilla program since 2016.

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Published

2026-04-23

How to Cite

Infante Mora, E., & Ivanchikova, M. (2026). Assessing intercultural learning in study abroad: An authentic, aligned approach for better outcomes. Frontiers: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Study Abroad, 38(1), 67–100. https://doi.org/10.36366/frontiers.v38i1.985

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Section

Research Articles