TY - GEN
T1 - Developing Students' Intercultural Competence
AU - ZOU, Patrick
AU - Shek-Noble, Liz
PY - 2014
Y1 - 2014
N2 - This paper explores the efficacy of online e-learning environments for developing students' intercultural competence (IC) in the context of Australian higher education. It begins by defining the key attributes and prescriptors of IC, and argues that Taylor's theory of perspective transformation (Adult Educ Quart 44:154-174, Int J Intercult Rel 18(30):389-408) is the most plausible explanation for why and how people become interculturally competent. E-learning is put forward as a platform for developing students' IC, due to its interactive and multimodal approach to learning. Last, the paper outlines several strategies for developing students' IC in an e-learning context. We recommend a bi-directional approach whereby students and lecturers work to become more knowledgeable and flexible towards other cultures. The findings of this paper will contribute to existing literature on IC by demonstrating how online e-learning environments can help to develop positive attributes of flexibility, curiosity, openness and acceptance of diversity in students. Although the paper uses Australian higher education as its example, the findings should be applicable to higher education in a global arena.
AB - This paper explores the efficacy of online e-learning environments for developing students' intercultural competence (IC) in the context of Australian higher education. It begins by defining the key attributes and prescriptors of IC, and argues that Taylor's theory of perspective transformation (Adult Educ Quart 44:154-174, Int J Intercult Rel 18(30):389-408) is the most plausible explanation for why and how people become interculturally competent. E-learning is put forward as a platform for developing students' IC, due to its interactive and multimodal approach to learning. Last, the paper outlines several strategies for developing students' IC in an e-learning context. We recommend a bi-directional approach whereby students and lecturers work to become more knowledgeable and flexible towards other cultures. The findings of this paper will contribute to existing literature on IC by demonstrating how online e-learning environments can help to develop positive attributes of flexibility, curiosity, openness and acceptance of diversity in students. Although the paper uses Australian higher education as its example, the findings should be applicable to higher education in a global arena.
KW - Online e-learning environments
KW - intercultural competence (IC)
KW - Australian higher education.
KW - E-learning
KW - Intercultural competence
KW - Higher education
KW - Perspective transformation
KW - Flexibility
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84903980282&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.mendeley.com/research/developing-students-intercultural-competence
U2 - 10.1007/978-3-642-35548-6_107
DO - 10.1007/978-3-642-35548-6_107
M3 - Conference contribution
SN - 9783642355479
T3 - Proceedings of the 17th International Symposium on Advancement of Construction Management and Real Estate
SP - 1047
EP - 1056
BT - Proceedings of the 17th International Symposium on Advancement of Construction Management and Real Estate
A2 - Wang, J
A2 - Ding, Z
A2 - Zou, L
A2 - Zuo, J
PB - Springer
CY - Germany
T2 - CRIOCM 2012 International Symposium on Advancement of Construction Management and Real Estate
Y2 - 17 November 2012 through 18 November 2012
ER -