Applying Culturally Responsive Practices to Center and Amplify Voices in a Higher Education Assessment

Abstract Information: The field of evaluation must continue to evolve its approaches to ensure that diverse voices are uplifted and heard. More importantly than ever, evaluation and assessment approaches need to employ practices beyond the status quo and be more inclusive of marginalized populations. In this session, we will discuss our approach to centering and amplifying diverse voices throughout a higher education assessment using culturally responsive principles. Culturally responsive principles will be integrated throughout the assessment to center diverse voices, yield richer data, and produce findings that can inform sustainable change. The session will demonstrate the power of centering culture to inform higher education decisions that can positively impact policy, systems, practices, and cultural change within the institution. More specifically, we will describe processes that intentionally seek to be inclusive, fair, and beneficial for all those involved, particularly those who have been under-resourced, excluded, or silenced. This approach ensures that we consider the context to inform (a) respectful and thoughtful engagement with the communities, (b) how we develop approaches to the evaluation or assessment based on information learned from all members of the community, (c) how we increase buy-in and response rates through listening and relationship building, and (d) produce reports that are both accessible and useful for all interested parties.