Demystifying Outcomes Assessment for International Educators

Demystifying Outcomes Assessment for International Educators Deardorff, D. (2015). Demystifying outcomes assessment for international educators: A practical approach. Sterling, VR: Stylus Publishing, ISBN: 978-1-62036-128-3 (paperback)Darla Deardorff's new book Demystifying Outcomes Assessment for International Educators: A Practical Guide utilizes an applied approach to outcomes assessment in international education. Faculty and practitioners across international education programs and services will find significant value in the materials presented throughout the text.Concepts and strategies to support the assessment of student learning outcomes in education abroad, international student and scholar services, language program administration, teaching international students, intercultural training programs and other areas Deardorff's work useful in practice. The book is constructed to help practitioners at varying career levels and can speak to individuals without assessment experience, as well as provide useful tools and reminders for those who have experience with assessment in international education. Throughout the book, practical tools and strategies that can be utilized throughout the assessment process are discussed and highlighted in an easyto-read format for the busiest of faculty and staff.The book presents the holistic cycle of assessment with a particular emphasis on assessment design and the interconnectedness between pro- gram development and outcomes assessment. Deardorff articulates the unique considerations of assessment in the context of international education and fills a gap in the extant scholarship of assessment in higher and international education. Deardorff acknowledges the book is written primarily from a US perspective, but posits that readers from outside the US may find the content useful. To that extent, the author provides a clear overview of assessment and takes care throughout the text to make effort to include international perspectives, in particular, discussing the state of assessment beyond the US and referring to host communities periodically in the text. As this book is one of the first of its kind for international education, the author does provide a good context and tools for educators outside of the US to better understand the culture of outcomes assessment. Future research designed to stimulate a deeper discussion about the expectations and impact of the culture of US outcomes assessment and accountability in international education would be valued. For example, consideration of approaches to US outcomes assessment and the resulting impact and influence on host community settings as a philosophical and values-oriented discussion would contribute to deeper understanding and dialogue in education abroad. Nonetheless, this book provides a succinct overview to international education outcomes assessment in a clear framework that all stakeholders of international education from within the US and beyond will find useful.The book starts with an attention-grabbing introduction in Chapter One that reviews common myths of international education assessment. These myths challenge many current practices that exist in international education. Readers may recognize their own institution's assessment strategies on this list. Deardorff continues in Chapter One to introduce important framing language and terminology to ensure readers have a common framework. …