I’ve recently decided to utilise further one of the projects I embedded into the #ucapsead course and responded to the call for proposals for Intercultural Competence in International Higher Education, which will be included in the popular Routledge series: Internationalization in Higher Education: https://www.routledge.com/series/INTHE. I’m now waiting to hear if the editors want to include my case study in their new book.
Title of initiative/program/course to be featured in the case study:
“Art Activism: Linking Continents, Bridging Cultures”: project integrated into the university in-house Pre-sessional English for Art and Design course.
Brief description (250 words maximum) of the context (must be a higher education context) of intercultural competence being developed and with whom, including geographic location. This should include who (both the facilitator description as well as learner description) why, when, and where, as well as any other background contextual information.
Art Activism: Linking Continents, Bridging Cultures (https://youtu.be/mBxVpMOlia0) was a unique two-week collaborative project between: the University for the Creative Arts (UCA) Pre-sessional English for Art and Design course international team (Poland, Spain, Greece, Palestine, China, the UK), the UCA Research and Enterprise team, Tabula Fortis in Pace project artists, Margate Cypriot community, and Pafos 2017 (Cyprus – The European Capital of Culture) chief executive officer; delivered in August 2015. This niche initiative was integrated into the university’s ten-week Pre-sessional English for Art and Design course for 53 pre-dominantly postgraduate international students (the vast majority from China, Taiwan, Japan, Thailand; several from the Middle East, and some European students).
This ground-breaking project enabled students to explore their interest in Creative Arts and empowered them to “develop targeted knowledge, skills and attitudes that led to visible behaviour and communication that were both effective and appropriate in intercultural interactions” (Deardorff, 2006). Students were invited to work in multicultural groups in order to examine and address the concept of dialogue through Creative Arts as a method of communication to confront issues they care about.
Based on lectures and workshops on international artists using their art as a catalyst for change, such as JR, Ai Weiwei, Banksy, Guerilla Girls or Tania Bruguera and collaboration with local artists, the students not only carried out a thorough academic research and wrote empowering proposals making a positive difference, but they also developed the proposals further through inspiring and imaginative performances and installations, in which they clearly demonstrated a variety of intercultural competencies (see project-related links at the end).
List the specific goals and outcomes of the initiative/program/course that are related to intercultural competence:
The main aim of the project was to enable effective integration between international students from the 10-week and the 5-week courses. One of the main outcomes was to help students develop intercultural competencies in relation to knowledge, skills and attitudes, namely:
- cultural self-awareness
- culture specific knowledge
- sociolinguistic awareness
- grasp of global issues and trends
- listening, observing, evaluating
- analysing, interpreting, relating
- critical thinking
- respect
- openness
- curiosity
- discovery
What definition or framework of intercultural competence is being used in this initiative/program/course? Be sure to provide any theoretical references upon which definition is based.
The project rationale, teaching and learning methods as well as assessment were based on two theoretical frameworks: Intercultural Competence Model by Deardorff (2009) and Intercultural Sensitivity Model by Bennett (2004).
Brief description (250 words maximum) of the initiative/course/program in how intercultural competence is being developed. Describe the specific learning interventions used in developing intercultural competence.
The initiative to embed intercultural competencies into the Pre-sessional programme emerged among the international team working on International Pathway Programmes. As we could relate to many of the challenges international students find when studying and living in a multicultural environment, it felt natural to provide opportunities for international students to develop intercultural competencies in a more comprehensive, cohesive approach instead of through unintentional, ad-hoc approaches that often occur in Eurocentric course curricula.
The project content allowed students to exercise specific intercultural competencies to become inquisitive, reflective and critical observers of the relationship between the individual and their social, political and economic contexts. The variety of different approaches enabled students a successful transition from desired internal to external outcomes. Meaningful tutor and peer feedback was encouraged throughout to aid students’ learning and intercultural journey.
Project content:
- a series of workshops and lectures with global curriculum: art activism; current social, political and economic issues, such as feminism, sustainability, post-colonialism, intercultural communication
- collaboration with local and international artists
- references to Pafos 2017 – European Capital of Culture
Project teaching and learning methods:
- group work (multicultural group – maximum 8 students, supervised by a tutor)
- emphasis on documenting the process of group work
- critique/pitch/presentation/performance/installation (on-going peer evaluation during and at the end of the project)
- reflection and self-assessment (blog entries, Issuu publication, sketchbook, written project proposal)
List assessment methods being used to assess intercultural competence (this must include multiple methods):
- Peer evaluation (during interim and final critiques, final project pitch/presentation and performance/installation/exhibition, comments left under students’ reflective blog entries)
- Self-assessment (at the end of the project – in the project brief document students are asked to reflect if they achieved the project’s objectives)
- Performance review/tutor’s feedback in group and 1-to-1 tutorials during and at the end of the project
- Post-project/post-course survey with questions in regards to intercultural competence development
List at least 3 lessons learned in developing and assessing intercultural competence through this initiative/course/program
- The project initiative was considered as hugely popular. The positive feedback we received from the post-course survey from both students and staff made us realise that embedding intercultural competence in the landscape of pre-sessional EAP courses (at least in the UK) was extremely rare. This made the team more confident and adventurous in internationalising course curriculum. Since then, the syllabus has been further adapted through revalidating courses’ aims and objectives with a more focused approach to intercultural competencies.
- The project could have included home students to support Internationalisation at Home. However, there are plans to invite home students through collaboration with the widening participation course running simultaneously with the Pre-sessional EAP course in August 2016.
- It could also have expanded to assessing tutors’ intercultural competence, particularly the inexperienced or new to working in multicultural environment. There are plans to include this approach as staff development opportunity during this year’s edition of the course.
References
Bennett, J. & Bennett, M. (2004) ‘Developing intercultural sensitivity: An integrative approach to global and domestic diversity’ In D. Landis, J. Bennett, & M. Bennett (Eds.), Handbook of intercultural training (3rd ed., pp. 147–165). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Bennett, M. J. (2004) ‘From ethnocentrism to ethnorelativism’. In J.S. Wurzel (Ed.) Toward multiculturalism: A reader in multicultural education. Newton, MA: Intercultural Resource Corporation.
Deardorff, D. K. (2006) ‘The Identification and Assessment of Intercultural Competence as a Student Outcome of Internationalization at Institutions of Higher Education in the United States’, Journal of Studies in International Education 10:241-266
Deardorff, D. K. (2006) “The Identification and Assessment of Intercultural Competence as a Student Outcome of Internationalization at Institutions of Higher Education in the United States.” Journal of Studies in International Education 10:241-266
Deardorff, D. K. (2008) “Intercultural Competence: A Definition, Model and Implications for Education Abroad.” In Developing Intercultural Competence and Transformation: Theory, Research, and Application in International Education, ed. Victor Savicki. pp. 32-52. Sterling, VA: Stylus.
Deardorff, D. K. (2009) The SAGE Handbook of Intercultural Competence. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Deardorff, D. K. 2009 ‘Implementing Intercultural Competence Assessment.’ In The SAGE Handbook of Intercultural Competence, ed. Darla K. Deardorff. pp. 477-491. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Deardorff, D. K. (2010) A Comparative Analysis and Global Perspective of Regional Studies on Intercultural Competence. Paris: UNESCO
Project-related links
Students’ blogs: http://wwwucapsead.blogspot.co.uk
Issuu publication with students’ reflections: http://issuu.com/ucapsead/stacks/e28bf0e3ad254edbba6eaaddf0d25ae4
Students’ ‘behind the scenes’ work on Youtube:
The proposals included pieces breaking geopolitical barriers, such as: “Project 7.2” – an interactive installation underpinning equality and diversity (https://youtu.be/8BV6oOST2N4; https://youtu.be/SIGQdm4XLrQ); “The Melting Pot” – an idea of an international student accommodation integrating both home and international students through cuisine (https://youtu.be/x5JEVTcGCdY); “The Peace Maker”– an exhibition and video stimulating connection among people regardless of their differences, such as race, religion, gender, sexuality or common language (https://youtu.be/6PwfTTGMPmI; https://youtu.be/hhYDhtvDmNM) or “Freedom”, in which students expressed their definition(s) of different types of freedom in various languages (https://youtu.be/KbuVs5UODLs).
The project/course on social media:
#ucapsead on Twitter/Instagram and the official course Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/432389303597619/
tomaszjohn 