241 Journal of Studies in International Education, Vol. 10 No. 3, Fall 2006 241-266 DOI: 10.1177/1028315306287002 © 2006 Association for Studies in International Education Identification and Assessment of Intercultural Competence as a Student Outcome of Internationalization Darla K. Deardorff This study seeks to determine a definition and appropriate assessment methods of inter- cultural competence as agreed on by a panel of internationally known intercultural scholars. This information is validated by a sample of higher education administrators and can be used by administrators in identifying and assessing intercultural competence as a student outcome of internationalization efforts. Conclusions made from this study include identified elements of intercultural competence and assessment methods on which both the intercultural scholars and administrators agreed, resulting in the first study to document consensus on intercultural competence. Both groups agree that it is possible to assess degrees of intercultural competence and in so doing, that it is best to use a mix of quantitative and qualitative methods to assess intercultural competence, including interviews, observation, and judgment by self and others. Two models of inter- cultural competence are presented based on the findings of the study. Keywords: communication skills; cross-cultural training; evaluation methods; identification; intercultural communication; intercultural programs; inter- nationalization; interpersonal competence; measures (individuals); multi- cultural education; outcomes of education; student assessment; study abroad; Delphi technique; higher education; questionnaires One meaningful outcome of internationalization efforts at postsecondary insti- tutions is the development of interculturally competent students. Yet few universi- ties address the development of interculturally competent students as an anticipated outcome of internationalization in which the concept of “intercultural competence” is specifically defined. This lack of specificity in defining intercultural competence is due presumably to the difficulty of identifying the specific components of this complex concept. Even fewer institutions have designated methods for document- ing and measuring intercultural competence. As Terenzini and Upcraft (1996) observed, “while assessing the purported outcomes of our efforts with students is probably the most important assessment we do, it is seldom done, rarely done well, at PRINCETON UNIV LIBRARY on April 20, 2016 jsi.sagepub.com Downloaded from