The Fulbright Program, the U.S. Department of State’s flagship international academic exchange program, selected Jessica L. W. Miranda, director of strategic directions, assessment and accreditation at the University of Hawaiʻi–West Oʻahu, as a Fulbright Scholar.
Miranda’s project, “Reframing Assessment as a Tool for Equity in the Higher Education Outcomes of Indigenous Students,” will take her to the State University of Londrina (Universidade Estadual de Londrina) in Brazil over two two-month periods from August 2024 to September 2025.
“One of my goals is to deepen my own knowledge and skills in integrating Indigenous knowledge, history, culture and language into the pedagogical and assessment practices across an institution’s academic and support programs,” Miranda said.
She will be collaborating with Universidade Estadual de Londrina Professor Wagner Roberto do Amaral to promote the development of a global assessment framework to increase equity for Indigenous students in higher education. This framework will provide clear guidance on effective assessment practices for Indigenous students and will reframe assessment as a tool for advancing equity and access to higher education for Indigenous students.
Miranda serves as UH West Oʻahu’s Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior College and University Commission accreditation liaison officer. She develops and implements processes to measure UH West Oʻahu’s strategic impact, and she leads assessment efforts on campus to foster a culture of continuous improvement in academic, student life and administrative programming.
Since 1946, the Fulbright Program has provided more than 400,000 students, scholars, teachers, artists and professionals with the opportunity to study, teach and conduct research abroad in more than 160 countries. Earlier this year, Hawaiʻi Community College was named a Top Fulbright Producing Institution.
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—By Zenaida Serrano Arvman
