What has this done for me? Qualitative student reflections on intercultural experiential learning.

Crawford, Izzy; Swartz, Stephanie; Luck, Susan; Barbosa, Belem

Abstract

This project incorporates globalisation, technological progress, intercultural and inter-disciplinary experiential learning using real life clients to prepare graduates for the future workplace. Intercultural competence is possessing the necessary attitudes and reflective behavioural skills and using these to behave effectively and appropriately in intercultural situations. This understanding can facilitate success in achieving goals set out for cross-cultural interaction in a business context. Experiential learning through a collaborative project across cultures exposes students to differences in a real-life situation. By stumbling over intercultural blocks and emerging unscathed, students begin to appreciate the ambiguity inherent to multicultural interactions. This paper will present the qualitative findings from a collaborative online international learning project between four countries which took place in autumn 2018. It will assess the impact of the project on the students who participated through their own vivid reflections and testimony, and identify the key challenges and potential solutions associated with these constructs.

Citation

CRAWFORD, I., SWARTZ, S., LUCK, S. and BARBOSA, B. 2019. What has this done for me? Qualitative student reflections on intercultural experiential learning. In Proceedings of the 2019 International virtual exchange conference (IVEC 2019): advancing the field of online international learning, 25-26 October 2019, Tacoma, USA. Tacoma: IVEC [online], pages 65-68. Available from: http://iveconference.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/IVEC-2019-Conference-Proceedings.pdf

• Presentation Conference Type: Conference Paper (unpublished)
• Conference Name: 2019 International virtual exchange conference (IVEC 2019): advancing the field of online international learning
• Start Date: Oct 25, 2019
• End Date: Oct 26, 2019
• Deposit Date: Jan 9, 2020
• Publicly Available Date: Jan 9, 2020
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Keywords: Collaborative online international learning; Experiential learning; Intercultural sensitivity; Reflective behavioral skills; Qualitative perceptions
• Public URL: https://rgu-repository.worktribe.com/output/323661
• Publisher URL: http://iveconference.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/IVEC-2019-Conference-Proceedings.pdf