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Abstract:

This paper contributes to the literature on diversity in higher education by examining assimilation among international instructors working in the U.S. academic environment. I focus specifically on whether international instructors exhibit assimilative behaviors with respect to their grading practices over time. Using a unique dataset of over 2,700 randomly selected instructors and a research design that accounts for the disproportionate representation of international faculty by fields, I show that international faculty assign lower grades than domestic faculty, on average. Moreover, I document a divergent trend in grading practices for international faculty relative to domestic faculty over time. I conclude that there is no evidence of assimilation among international instructors as measured by their grading practices.