Educators and employers increasingly acknowledge the value of intercultural competence. While most higher education institutions consider these skills as important outcomes for their graduates, few have specifically addressed the means by which to measure the wide variety of results. Having and using intercultural assessment tools will allow educators to understand and measure the effectiveness and outcomes of their initiatives and will also aid them in developing appropriate interventions and responses at a variety of levels. There are several instruments that are specifically designed for the assessment of intercultural sensitivity or competence of students, faculty, or staff. Five of the most common instruments appropriate for use in higher education institutions are: (1) the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI); (2) the Cross-Cultural Adaptability Inventory (CCAI); (3) Cross-Cultural World-Mindedness Scale (CCWMS); (4) Intercultural Sensitivity Inventory (ISI); and (5) the Assessment of Intercultural Competence (AIC). The IDI and CCAI are two commercially available tools that have dominated the research landscape in recent years. The latter three instruments represent the emerging non-commercial sector. In this article, the author offers a review of the purpose, application, availability, reliability, and scoring of each of these assessment tools.
