Center for Intercultural Learning, Mentorship, Assessment, and Research names faculty fellow

Mesut Akdere (left), associate professor of technology leadership and innovation, and Kris Acheson-Clair, associate director of intercultural pedagogy in International Programs, during the CILMAR Celebration on April 18. Akdere was named CILMAR's inaugural faculty fellow at the event. (Photo provided) Download image

The Center for Intercultural Learning, Mentorship, Assessment, and Research has named Mesut Akdere, associate professor of technology leadership and innovation, its inaugural faculty fellow. 

Akdere was chosen from among tenure-track faculty for a yearlong research fellowship with 50 percent salary support for course load reduction for his cutting-edge research on the development of intercultural competence at Purdue. This research involves scalable development of intercultural and leadership skills in STEM students using virtual reality technologies, as well as innovations in research methods, triangulating more typical self-report inventories and reflective writing with non-invasive biological response measurement.

Akdere's recent scholarly productivity in this research thrust includes a recent award for lab equipment from the Office of the Executive Vice President for Research and Partnerships, a pilot study now underway, and pending applications for both internal and external funding. Akdere will be leading a team of experts in intercultural pedagogy, 360 video virtual reality, leadership, learning outcomes assessment, neuroscience and biometric research as part of his fellowship.

CILMAR exists to help faculty embed intercultural pedagogy, incorporating active and reflective learning, into curricula. The center offers workshops to develop skills to better mentor students and consultations to choose formative and summative assessment tools, as well as research grants and fellowships to support scholarly output. In order to assist staff in creating a welcoming and inclusive environment for Purdue’s diverse and highly internationalized student body, CILMAR also offers workshops and certificates to enhance the professional toolkit.