Developing Intercultural Awareness

Overview

There are two courses on Intercultural Awareness available here:

1. The first course is entitled ‘Intercultural Awareness’ (20 hours commitment) and is designed to enhance the multicultural experiences of both staff, teachers and students within higher education. Higher education has evolved into a multicultural phenomenon with HEIs re-orientating to an outward facing trajectory which embraces new cultures along with the opportunities and learning this brings. Many HEIs are actively pursuing an International strategy which involves completing applications for the funding of transnational projects and recruiting international students. In particular, an increase in cultural awareness can encourage educational communities to appreciate the richness of diverse culture, to challenge prejudice and discrimination as well as promote equality. This awareness can also change the perceptions of interactions among those of different cultures and enrich the educational experiences of all involved.

The participant is required to complete an “online unit” and a “portfolio approached workbook” as part of their independent learning in their own time. Followed by participation in three online workshop (2 hours each). Each session will be two hours in duration.

Breakdown of hours is as follows:

15 hours for the online unit and 5 hours for the workbook.

2. The second course is a ‘Train the Intercultural Awareness Trainer’ course (15 hours commitment) which is offered to those who have successfully completed the first course in ‘Intercultural Awareness’ in this training series. They must also have experience of working in an educational setting, who have a third level qualification (Level 6 or above). This course allows participants to gain additional skills in facilitation to deliver the ‘Intercultural Awareness course’ to others and this opportunity is offered when groups of three (or more) are interested in participating.

Each participant is required to join a group and to teach one session of a workshop online. The teaching is assessed by another team member.

Breakdown of hours:

The required duration: 15 hours peer teaching. This consists of 4 hours preparation and meeting triad members, 2 hours teaching, 3 hours assessment of workbook (from Badge 1), 3 hours assessment of intercultural skills, 3 hours assessment of teaching skills.

• Define the concept of culture and how the cultural model of the Iceberg relates to it. What implications has this, for example, to the workplace?
• Identify how stereotypes can influence our behaviour
• Evaluate how useful the application of “cultural dimensions” is to your relationship with students and colleagues.
• Identify how ethnocentrism and ethnorelativism can influence our behaviour.
• Developing intercultural attitude (curiosity and willingness to learn): acquire intercultural knowledge (cultural (self-) awareness and cultural knowledge; Intercultural skills (empathy and frame shifting)