Educational Institutions

The IDI is widely used in universities, colleges, and school districts with faculty, staff, and students for a variety of programs including faculty and staff development; student assessment and development; and study abroad and other programming.

Case Studies

K-12
Higher Education

Goal

South Washington County public schools, located in the Twin Cities region of Minnesota, USA, are making progress towards cultural competency, equity, and inclusion through the implementation of the IDI. With thousands of students in dozens of schools, their goal was to collect data to track progress towards creating a safe and inclusive learning environment for all students, with the help of the IDI.

Washington State University Vancouver utilizes the Intercultural Development Inventory with graduate students, faculty, staff, and administrators as part of the Building a Community of Equity (BaCE) Program. Established in 2018, BaCE is a signature program and strategic initiative in WSU Vancouver’s institutional imperative to promote an ethical and socially just society through an intentional commitment to equity, diversity, inclusion and belonging. The IDI was chosen because of its cross-cultural validity and reliability, for the developmental focus of the instrument, and for the various ways it can be used, such as a pre- and post-assessment for the 12-hour certificate program. Those who engage with the WSU Vancouver BaCE program are eligible for Individual Debriefs, Intercultural Development Plans (IDPs), intercultural coaching, enrichment workshops, tools, and resources to further develop cultural responsiveness and equity-mindedness.

Approach

IDI has been used site-wide at multiple schools to support their School Improvement Plans, specifically regarding the importance intercultural communication has on effective instruction. There are also several smaller groups or departments that have used the IDI for their Department Improvement Plans. The DEI central office staff is responsible for the training and group sessions for sites/groups that use the IDI, ensuring ongoing and sustainable support that ties the IDI together with district goals regarding equity, instruction, climate, and culture.

The BaCE program exists in several different forms to meet the needs of specific groups, and the IDI is a pre-requisite to participate. For the WSU Vancouver BaCE 12-hour Professional Development Program, graduate students, faculty, and staff complete the IDI, then are eligible to participate in a variety of workshops. They may also opt in to receive their IDI Individual results and IDPs through an Individual Debrief. After completing 10 hours of workshops, participants are eligible to complete the IDI again and receive a professional development certificate. The BaCE Summer Pedagogy Academy, specific to infusing equity, access, and inclusion in classrooms; and the BaCE Enrichment Series, an equity program specific to external groups and companies to expand their capacity for equity and change; also require participants to take the IDI and offer Individual Debriefs to review results and IDPs.

Qualified Administrators

40+ teachers, administrators, and staff became IDI Qualified Administrators to support project implementation and ensure the longevity of the program.

Engagement

500+ individuals have taken the IDI. After district leadership took the IDI, the opportunity was gradually offered to school staff and teachers within the district.

Focus

The IDI was used with individual and group development to work towards a collective systemic culture that values equity.

Qualified Administrators

Two internal QAs manage administration of the IDI for the BaCE Program - Dr. Obie Ford III, Vice Chancellor for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion and Elisha Hardekopf, Director of the Building a Community of Equity (BaCE) Program

Engagement

800+ administrations of the IDI as BaCE pre- and post- assessments, BaCE Summer Pedagogy Academy assessments, and for participants in the BaCE Enrichment series

Focus

The IDI has been a useful assessment to understand participants’ primary orientation toward cultural differences and similarities and to evaluate the impact of WSU Vancouver’s various programs

Outcomes

Review of the 12-hour BaCE Certificate cohort pre- and post- assessment scores showed a 7.96 point increase in Developmental Orientation scores and a 4.22 point decrease in Orientation Gap scores.

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As a result of working with the IDI the district has:
  • Established shared meaning and articulated goals
  • Integrated offering Individual IDI Debriefs during professional development days to build self-awareness  
  • Supported individual intercultural development through coaching opportunities  
  • Used group insights from IDI results to build cultural competency into the curriculum selection process
  • Created targeted professional development opportunities to best meet the needs of the staff, based on IDI results
The BaCE program and engagement with the IDI provides the following outcomes to the WSU Vancouver campus, external WSU campuses, and those who engage in the Enrichment Series:
  • A robust schedule of BaCE enrichment workshops and offerings each semester
  • Theoretical and practical frameworks for equity, intercultural development, antiracism, diversity, inclusion, belonging, love and justice
  • Brave, healing, inclusive and safe holding space for self-reflection, intergroup dialogue, skill-building and equity lens expansion
  • Culturally sustaining resources and equity-minded tools to build a community of equity, and impact policy, process, practice, pedagogy and people
  • Empowerment to activate advocacy and advance equity as a change agent
  • Opportunity to earn BaCE certificate and/or other forms of recognition

Recognition

Recognition

WSU Vancouver is a recipient of the Insight Into Diversity Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award, a national honor that recognizes colleges and universities that demonstrate an outstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion. WSU Vancouver has been featured in Insight Into Diversity Magazine for its expansive equity and belonging efforts, including the BaCE program. WSU Vancouver has also been recognized by the WSU System with the Distinguished Service Award for Achievement in Equity, Diversity, and Social Justice for the BaCE Program.

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“Feedback is not punitive. Feedback is an opportunity for us to learn about ourselves and our students so that we can make the right moves to help them grow.”
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Other Case Studies

Interested in ways the IDI has been used in other settings? Explore our other compelling case studies that feature a variety of approaches to using the IDI.

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Non-Profit Organizations

A variety of non-profit organizations use the IDI for individual and small team development to improve intercultural competency.

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Corporations

Large and small corporations use the IDI for individual and small team development as well as large-scale organizational assessment.

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Government

The IDI is used in all levels of government agencies to help individuals and groups achieve their intercultural competency goals.

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