1. Students’ Perceptions of
Multicultural Curricular Initiatives
in the School of Business
OCTOBER 3, 2015
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF MULTICULTURAL EDUCATION (NAME)
2015 ANNUAL CONFERENCE
NEW ORLEANS, LA PRESENTED BY:
DR. M. C. ROSS, MPPM, M.ED., PH.D., MR . BRANDON SCHWEITZER, MBA, DR. T.J. EXFORD
ALABAMA STATE UNIVERSITY

2. Presentation Overview
1. Researcher Introductions
2. Overview of Presentation
3. Purpose of Presentation
4. Review of the Literature RegardingTeacher Assessment
5. Introduction toVirginia International University (VIU)
6. VIU’s School of Business Adjunct Faculty Relationship
7. The School of Business’Teaching Load
8. Student SatisfactionConcerns
9. Overview of Newly Implemented “Universal Syllabus”
10. Introduction of the Instructional PlanningGuide (IPG)
11. Instructional PlanningGuide (IPG) Pyramid
12. Outcomes, Analysis, Feedback and Discussions
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3. VIU School of Business Team
 Dr. M. C. Ross, Dean
 Brandon Schweitzer,
Associate Dean
 Dr. Stephen Onu, Professor
 Dr. Mark Robinson, Professor
 Dr. Alisher Akhmedjonov,
Professor
 Ms. Felicia Sabir,
Administrative Assistant for
School of Business
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4. Virginia International University
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 Established in 1998, as a private, non-
profit institution of higher education
located in Fairfax, Virginia.
 VIU offers degree programs at both the
undergraduate and graduate levels in
computer science, business
management, International Relations,
Public Administration and Education.
 VIU also offers language programs such
as English as a Second Language (ESL)
and Teaching of English to Speakers of
Other Languages (TESOL).

5. VIU Overview
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LastAcademicYear Enrollment (2013-2014)
 Graduate: 731
 Undergraduate: 118
 Certificate: 34
 ESL: 330
 Total enrollment: 1174
Degree ProgramsOffered Residentially (Fall 2014)
 Graduate: 13
 Undergraduate: 2
 Certificate: 8
 Total: 23
Degree ProgramsOffered Online (Fall 2014)
 Graduate: 13
 Undergraduate: 2
 Certificate: 6
 Total: 21
Degrees Conferred (2013-2014)
 Masters: 129
 Bachelors: 12
 Certificate: 15
 Total: 156 (+52 ESL Completers)

6. VIU’s Students & Faculty
Student Data
Gender (2013-2014)
 Female: 49%
 Male: 51%
Region (2013-2014)
 Asia: 75%
 Africa: 6%
 NorthAmerica: 1%
 South America: 3%
 Europe: 6%
 Middle East: 10%
Faculty and Staff
(Fall 2014)
 Full-Time Staff: 66
 Full-Time Faculty: 15
 Adjunct Faculty: 84
 Total: 165

7. Shift in Faculty Responsibilities
 Course Load from 4+ Courses to 3
Courses and Program Chair
Position
 Each F/T Faculty Member now has
Student Advising Responsibilities
 Adjunct Faculty Members limited
to 75% Load of F/T Faculty
Members
 ChangesCorrelated to SACS
Accreditation Standards
 Change to Shared Decision Making
Model where faculty share
decisions with Administration

8. Relevant Information
 Major shift from tenure-track and full-
time faculty to adjunct faculty model
 Numerous reasons for this shift, mostly
financial
 Adjuncts highly qualified in content areas
with expertise and experience
 Increased emphasis on student gains,
retention, and student satisfaction
 Increased emphasis on “edutainment”
 Lots of competition, growing private and
for profit institutions operating on a
“business” model
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9. The School of Business’ Adjunct Faculty
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Full Time Faculty Adjunct Faculty

10. Teaching Loads
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Last Name
TotalOn-GroundCourses
TotalOnlineCourses
TotalCoursesBuilt
TotalCoursesRevised
CombinedTotal
Averages
000-000-001 2 2 0 0 4 6%
000-000-002 6 1 0 0 7 10%
000-000-003 5 0 0 0 5 7%
000-000-004 2 0 0 0 2 3%
000-000-005 1 0 0 0 1 1%
000-000-006 2 0 0 0 2 3%
000-000-007 2 1 0 0 3 4%
000-000-008 3 3 0 0 6 9%
000-000-009 1 0 0 0 1 1%
000-000-010 0 2 0 0 2 3%
000-000-011 2 0 0 0 2 3%
000-000-012 5 0 0 0 5 7%
000-000-013 3 0 0 0 3 4%
000-000-014 3 0 0 0 3 4%
000-000-015 5 0 0 0 5 7%
000-000-016 3 0 0 0 3 4%
000-000-017 3 1 0 0 4 6%
000-000-018 2 0 0 0 2 3%
000-000-019 4 0 0 0 4 6%
000-000-020 3 0 0 0 3 4%
000-000-021 2 0 0 0 2 3%
TOTALS 59 10 0 0 69 100%

11. Review of the Literature
• Field-dependent and field-independent learning styles are two major constructs within the
category of personality-based cognitive learning styles.
• HermanWitkin (1975) described field-dependent and field-independent cognitive styles as
process variables that represent techniques for moving toward a goal rather than a competence
in achieving goals.
• Jonassen and Grabowski (2012) described field-dependent learners as having a global cognitive
style because they more readily allow the external cues of an experience to point the way to
understanding.
• In contrast, field-independent learners ignore and even distrust external cues.
• Witkin (1978) reiterated the research of others that noted that field-dependent learners are more
sensitive to social cues than are field-independent learners.
• Further research on the field-dependent style characterizes it with the ability to perceive items
as separate from a background and the inability to separate parts from the whole (Bennett,
2014).
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12. Review of the Literature
A detailed analysis of the field-dependent learning style (Witkin, 1975) revealed that field-dependent
learners
• (a) have, in general, what may be characterized as an interpersonal orientation;
• (b) seek both physical and emotional closeness to others, which in turn provides them with
experiences in interpersonal relations;
• (c) pay selective attention to social cues; and
• (d) can be described as sociable, interested in people, wanting to help others, having concern for
people, knowing many people, and being known by many. Groups that include field-dependent
members have been found to be more effective in reaching a consensus than groups without them.
Students who have field-dependent and field-sensitive learning styles are described as
• (a) working well in groups,
• (b) perceiving the totality rather than the specifics,
• (c) motivated by group competition and achievement,
• (d) more affected by outside stimuli, and
• (e) influenced more by affective variables in learning (Jiminez, 1983).
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13. Review of the Literature
Field Dependency
Multiple Representations
Experiential, Hands-on, Engaged Learning
Structure (Safety and Security – Emotional, Psychological,
Safety is the state of being "safe" (from French sauf), the condition of being protected
against:
Physical, social, spiritual, financial, political, emotional, occupational, psychological, educational,
or other types or consequences of failure, damage, error, accidents, harm, or any other event that
could be considered non-desirable.
Safety can also be defined to be the control of recognized hazards to achieve an acceptable level
of risk.This can take the form of being protected from the event or from exposure to something
that causes health or economical losses.
It can include protection of people or of possessions.

14. VIU School of Business
Instructional Planning Guide (IPG) Pyramid
(F) Management, Collaboration, and Professionalism.
StartedOn-Time, Students Present, Students on task, Paying
Attention, Involved,Active Learning, Call Students by name,
SmoothTransitions, strong verbal/non-verbal feedback.
(E) Personal Style
Unique, Interesting, Memorable, Fun, Experiential,
Purposeful, and Reflective
(D) Assessment, Traditional and Alternative
Homework, Quizzes,Testing, Questions, Research Critiques,
Research Papers, Projects,Team Projects, Presentations
(C) Engaging Strategies andTechnology
Guest Speakers, Ind.Visits, Ind. Analysis, Ind. Partnerships, Cooperative
Learning, PowerPoint, Moodle, IndusVideo, Audio, NPR,
Virtual Speakers, Popular Film as Appropriate, etc..
(B) Appropriate Theory and Research
CourseText, Ind. Literature, Harvard Case Studies, Related Research, Current
Events
(A) Student Characteristics
Ability Levels, Language Acquisition Skills, Cultural Norms, Learning Styles
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15. Area A Student Characteristics
VIU School of Business
Instructional Planning Guide (IPG) Area A
1. Age/Gender Aspects Addressed 1
2. Auditory Areas Addressed 3
3. Visual, Kinesthetic Areas Addressed 3
4. Language Skills Addressed 5
5. Learning Styles Addressed 5
6. Cognition , Comprehension Addressed 5
7. Students’ Area of Interest Addressed 7
8. Students’ Area of CultureAddressed 7
9. Students’ Area of Background Addressed 7
10. Socio-Economic Status Considered 10
11. Social Skills Level Considered 10 15

16. Area B AppropriateTheory and Research
VIU School of Business
Instructional Planning Guide (IPG) Area B
1. CourseText 2
2. Ind Related Research – Prof 3
3. Ind Related Research – Student 5
4. Harvard Case Studies – Prof 7
5. Harvard Case Studies – Student 10
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17. Area C Engaging Strategies and Technology
VIU School of Business
Instructional Planning Guide (IPG) Area C
1. Lecture Notes 2
2. Lecture Power Points 2
3. Effective Questioning of Students 3
3. Providing Multiple Examples 3
4.Video, Audio, Popular Media Resource 3
5. Industry Specific Related Research 3
6.Team, Group, Cooperative Learning 6
7.Virtual Speaker,Virtual SiteVisit 6
8. Guest Speakers In-Person 7
9. Industry Analysis 7
10. IndustryVisits 10
11. Industry Partnerships 10 8

18. Area D Assessment, Traditional and Alternative
VIU School of Business
Instructional Planning Guide (IPG) Area D
1. Homework/Quizzes 1
2. Effective Questioning 2
3.Testing, Research/Article Critiques 2
4. Case Analysis 5
5. Research Papers 5
6. Individual /Team Projects 7
7. Individual /Team Presentations 10
8. Simulations/Model Development 10
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19. Area E Personal Style
VIU School of Business
Instructional Planning Guide (IPG) Area E
1. Strong Content Knowledge 1
2.Two or MoreTeaching Strategies 1
3. Provides Two or More Examples 2
4.Two or More Instructional Materials 2
5.Very Engaging , Humor 2
6. Demonstrated Respect for Learners 2
7.Very Interesting , Innovative 3
8. Establishes Connection with Learners 3
9. Learners Involved inTeaching Process 5
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20. VIU School of Business
Instructional Planning Guide (IPG) Area F
Area F Mgmt., Collaboration and
Professionalism.
1. Class Started On-Time 1
2. All Student present at the start of class 1
3. Students onTask 2
4. Paying Attention, Involved 2
5. Actively Learning 2
6. Call Students by Name 2
7.Transitions of Activities 3
8.Verbal Feedback for Participation 5
9. Non-Verbal Feedback for Participation 5
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21. Research Questions
Emphasizing the noted aspects of field dependency; the need for multiple
representation, experiential, hands-on, and engaged learning; and the need for
structure, safety and security (emotional, psychological, social), this study seeks to
assess international students’ perceptions regarding:
1. Multicultural teaching and learning strategies implemented at the course
level?
2. Multicultural teaching and learning strategies implemented at the
programmatic level?
3. Their professors as being aware of the needs of multicultural teaching and
learning tools when working with international students.

22. Study Procedures
• Convenient sample of 182 students
• Voluntary participation
• 34 total survey items
• 30 Quantitative (Likert-type scale, 1-5) items
• Three sub-scales:
(1) Curriculum, Policy, and Procedure
(2) Professorial Dispositions
(3) MulticulturalTeaching and Learning
• 4 Qualitative items
• Data collected electronically for 14 days
• 25% completed response rate for

23. Quantitative Findings
CURRICULUM, POLICY, AND
PROCEDURE (ITEMS 1-11)
• Quantitative
• No single item scored less than 4 out of 5
• Average of 4
• Median of 3
• 54% at 4.5 or higher
PROFESSORIAL DISPOSITIONS
• Quantitative
• One item scored less than 4 out of 5
• Average of 4.48
• Median of 3
• 55% at 4.5 or higher

24. Quantitative Findings
MULTICULTURAL TEACHING
AND LEARNING
• Quantitative
• No single item scored less than 4
out of 5
• Average of 4.42
• Median of 3
• 90% less than 4.5

25. Qualitative Findings
CURRICULUM - FEEDBACK
• The course has many resources
necessary for the understanding of
the course, but I would like to suggest
that more videos be available for the
better understanding of the course.
• We will need more guest speakers or
trip to companies. MBA students not
only need learn inside the classroom
also outside.
• great class, dynamic and productive
• Curriculum is good
PROFESSOR - FEEDBACK
• the professor who instructed this course is
very experienced and teaches excellently,
involve student to participate in the
lectures.
• The professor is very knowledgeable of
the subject, and given life examples of the
problem is helping us to understand the
subject better.
• Professor is very knowledgeable and
helpful

26. Qualitative Findings Continued…
SCHOOL OF BUSINESS -
FEEDBACK
• The School Of Business has been a great
place to be. I will request more on
campus jobs to be available to students,
this will help student gain practical
experience and when they go out there,
will not face many challenges
• So far I have a very good experience
with this school .
• improvements were made, and I think
there is no complaints.
• Good I like Dr. Ross who helps every
time for students.
VIU - FEEDBACK
• made great improvement lately.
• VIU is making me a great
resources to be a competitive
professional.
• The school is obviously moving
forward. I commend the president
for giving the school a face lift.
• Encourage more student in the
field of business.

27. Conclusions
 International business
students value instruction
which encompasses
multicultural teaching and
learning at the course level
 International business
students value instruction
which encompasses
multicultural teaching and
learning at the program level
 The noted aspects of field
dependency including the need
for multiple representation,
experiential, hands-on, and
engaged learning; and the need
for structure, safety and security
(emotional, psychological,
social), appear to be areas of
concern for international
students
• Additional research required
• Larger sample
• Pre-and Post assessment

28. Questions and Feedback