Cross-Cultural Learning

Professor Patrick Quade, a senior member of the faculty and Director of International and Domestic Off-Campus Studies, will coordinate the preparation of the cross-cultural learning self-study and Chapter Three.

St. Olaf College has been a national leader in international study for many years, especially in terms of the numbers and percentages of graduates who study internationally. The challenges in this area are many-faceted: to integrate the off-campus study program into on-campus curricular efforts at cross-cultural learning; to develop a new conceptual model for the off-campus studies program (including financing, promotion, and faculty support); to improve faculty development and mentoring programs for cross-cultural learning; to increase the number of international students and international scholars regularly on campus; and to develop ways to assess student learning as internationalized citizens of the world. The overall goal of this effort is to internationalize the very fabric of the institution. Quade and the faculty committee involved with off-campus study have completed a web-based survey on the international credentials of faculty and will use the results of that survey to inform the self-study. This fall, Quade will participate in a national seminar on assessing student learning in international programs, one of the key components of the challenge area. Cross-cultural learning is of high interest and strategic importance to the College. Support for this emphasis will be strong.