Abstract
The purpose of this applied scholarship dissertation was to develop an intentional three step program called the Advancement of Culturally Competent Teaching (ACCT) that universities can use to gauge the cultural competence of their faculty’s pedagogical practices for Black students and implement changes via a Teach-In tailored to address specific departmental needs. The development of cultural competence is a process that requires time, exposure to diverse people and experiences, training, and openness to learning and accepting difference. The variation in faculty perceptions of cultural competence can place them at different levels along the cultural competence continuum. The central challenge for this applied dissertation project was how institutions can determine how well faculty are supporting the pedagogical needs of Black students and what steps they can take once they have this information. A program such as ACCT has the potential to build institutional capacity by providing a roadmap for the assessment of cultural competence and strategies for improvement.