Policy: 

Interprofessional Education (IPE) at Clarkson College is a program, through a zero-credit course, designed to provide students, faculty, and staff with an overview of healthcare professionals’ roles and responsibilities, which focuses on how to provide client-centered care that embodies values and ethics; insight into how to collaborate with the interdisciplinary health care team using effective communication that is respectful and assertive; and ways to develop leadership skills and take accountability for behaviors (IPEC, 2023). The goal is to promote teamwork and improve collaborative skills for optimal positive outcomes. The IPE program is tied directly to the Clarkson College Student Success Skills of Communication, Critical Thinking, Technology, Professionalism, and Diversity.  

The IPE course is pass/fail and will be recorded on students’ transcripts. Students will be expected to complete the course and their three (3) IPE events (one in each of the service, knowledge, and College community categories) while enrolled as Clarkson College students before graduation to receive their diploma. Students only need to complete the IPE 301 course once. If a student returns to pursue a different degree after successfully completing the IPE 301 course requirements, and this is documented on their transcript, they do not need to take the course a second time. 

Clarkson College defines Service as Clarkson College-related activities in which students, administrators, faculty, and staff engage in a mutually beneficial relationship with an identified agency or group. Service reflects a holistic view that focuses on how individuals provide high-quality, ethical, and compassionate service in health care and the community at large. Students will become familiar with service agencies, connect theory with practice, and engage in civic service activities to live and demonstrate the Clarkson College Values of Learning, Caring, Commitment, Integrity, and Excellence.  

All students are required to complete Designated Service Course(s) as a component of their program of study. All graduate students will complete at least one (1) service course as part of their program of study. Undergraduate students will complete a minimum of two (2) service courses as a part of their program of study. Designated Service Courses can be found in the Clarkson College Academic Catalog. Successful completion of service experience is required to pass the Designated Service Course(s). 

Degree-seeking students will complete the Interculture Development Inventory (IDI) pre-test, debrief, and post-test while enrolled as a Clarkson College student before graduation to receive their diploma.  They will participate in learning experiences that encourage growth in intercultural competence, defined by IDI, LLC, as “the capability to shift perspective and appropriately adapt behavior to cultural differences and commonalities.” The IDI assessment is “a theory-based, developmental psychometric instrument grounded in a comprehensive, cross-culturally validated theory of intercultural competence...” Engaging with the IDI highlights the Clarkson College Student Success Skills of Diversity, Critical Thinking, and Communication.  

Procedure:  

During the first semester, all incoming degree-seeking students will enroll in the IPE course and are expected to complete the first module. Students will then complete modules 2-8 before graduation. Tracking will be completed through Canvas and recorded in the Registrar’s Office via the student’s transcript and graduation audit. The IPE program website provides a list of approved IPE experiences and procedures for establishing an IPE experience. All IPE experiences must be pre-approved, and student reflections must be submitted within 30 days of the experience. Students must complete the IPE 301 course in its entirety for it to be marked as complete. Should a student separate from Clarkson College (e.g., withdraw from College, academic dismissal) and later return, they must re-enroll in the IPE 301 course their first semester back. If the student switches their major and is admitted to the next start date for their new major, they can continue working in the same IPE 301 course and will not need to re-enroll (e.g., student starts with General Studies and gets accepted into RAD, PTA, or BSN, and may have to wait a semester or two until the new cohort begins).  

Program directors will update the listing of all service courses on an annual basis during the curriculum and catalog review. Courses are designated by a diamond symbol in the catalog and print materials. 

All incoming degree-seeking students will complete a pre-test IDI assessment within a course designated by the program director.  After completing the assessment, the students will meet with an internal Qualified Administrator (QA) of the IDI to receive their Individual Profile Report and Intercultural Development Plan (IDP) by the end of the semester. Tracking for the pre-test assessments will be completed through the Enterprise Portal for Clarkson College, maintained by the internal QAs. Once a student has completed the pre-test assessment, they will schedule an individual debrief with one of the internal QAs. Once a student completes their debrief with a QA, the QA will mark the IDI debrief as “complete” in tracking documents maintained by the QAs.  The pre-test IDI and individual debrief will be marked as complete or incomplete in the designated course. The QAs will regularly communicate with the faculty member(s) of the designated courses to assist with any tracking considerations and review how the IDI tasks can best complement existing curriculum and course objectives. 

Students will complete a post-test IDI in a designated course by the program director, then  have the option to debrief with an internal QA if they choose. Tracking for the post-test assessments will be completed through the Enterprise Portal for Clarkson College, maintained by the internal QAs. If a student decides to complete a debrief for their post-test assessment, the internal QAs will mark that in the QAs’ tracking documents. The post-test will also be marked as complete or incomplete in the designated course. 

Best practice for placing the pre-test assessment and debrief will be within students’ first three semesters enrolled in a degree-seeking program, and best practice for placing the post-test assessment will be within the second-to-last or final semester in a degree-seeking program. Best practice for the span of time between the pre-test and post-test will be three semesters or more. Placement and timing of IDI tasks for unique student situations will be determined with the QAs, program director(s), and designated faculty member(s). 

Students only need to complete IDI tasks for one degree program. If a Clarkson College graduate enrolls in another degree-seeking program at Clarkson College after earning one degree from Clarkson College, they will not need to repeat IDI tasks in their new program. If there are assignments in the new program related to IDI materials, students can use IDI materials from their previous program or coordinate with the internal QAs to gain access to another assessment. 

Reference: IPEC 2023