How can I prepare students for learning in an international classroom?

  • A. Setting the general context of cultural awareness

    Preparing local and international students for the learning process in the intercultural context of the international classroom implies a two-level approach:

    1. Identifying and explaining differences in learning styles that can be found among the student population: keep in mind for example that some students are used to studying in a very autonomous way, while others are used to receiving (daily) guidance. Some study regularly and others just before the exam and procrastinate a lot. Hence aspects such as planning, group work and peer review can be perceived in different ways.
    2. Developing cultural awareness and intercultural competence: being aware of what role culture and diversity can play in the class room and during the learning process. And then act accordingly and develop some intercultural sensitivity and competence. 

    Solutions

    1. As to learning styles, do not as a rule leave group work to the students themselves, as these will often have a group reflex and stick together in their own communities. Therefore, make sure you divide the class applying common diversity & inclusion criteria such as: gender, cultural background, discipline, age, etc. and reach some balance in that. Nakano (2016) developed an interesting infographic The four different types of learners, and what they mean to your presentations on this issue.
    2. A common model for developing cultural awareness is the 4Rs approach by Trompenaars & Hampden-Turner. It suggests to:
      - Recognise cultural differences (awareness; know who you are and what you stand for)
      - Respect cultural differences (and possibly accept and even appreciate most of them)
      - Reconcile cultural differences (create win-win situations, take “the best from both worlds”: your own and the new one you are now in, and develop best practices together)
      - Realise, Root & Repeat best practices (make sure these do not get lost, but serve others)
    3. How to use this model in the classroom? Ask students to tell critical incidents or anecdotes about a recent personal misunderstanding due to language or culture. This model will help teacher and students identify the cultural differences involved in the case and proceed further with steps 2 and 3 to a reconciliation of the values, norms or practices involved in the case. Common differences experienced in an intercultural classroom are: time perception, group vs individual, hierarchy and ways of communicating. 
    4. Chun and Evans (2016) show in their paper Rethinking cultural competence in higher education: an ecological framework for student development how a systematic and sustainable approach to the development of cultural competence within the campus ecosystem, and it addresses various research questions.

    Resources:

    1. Nakano, C. (2016). The four different types of learners, and what they mean to your presentations, infographic.
    2. Trompenaars – Hampden Turner Culture for business (2019). 4R approach.
    3. Chun, E. and Evans, A. (2016). Rethinking cultural competence in higher education: an ecological framework for student development. ASHE High. Edu. Rept., 42: 7-162.

  • B. Developing intercultural competences of students

    We all have some intercultural competence. Some of us developed it at an early stage due to their exposure to foreign cultures from young age (bilingual or multilingual/cultural upbringing, extensive travel, etc.), others have done this at a later stage via for example an Erasmus exchange, and some have developed little of it because they have not been much in contact with other cultures. As a result, Internationalisation at home and the International Classroom are a way to develop a basic level of intercultural competence.

     Solutions

    1. According to Bremer (2016), in her article on Fons Trompenaars, Trompenaars defines intercultural competence as “the ability to reconcile seemingly opposing values”. In a video Building authentic business relationships – part 2 from Target training (n.d.), Fons Trompenaars suggests to: recognize cultural differences, learn to respect different points of view, learn to reconcile the dilemmas that result from the tensions between different value orientations (cultures) and learn to realize the business benefits of implementing the reconciliations and embedding a mindset across the organization that continually reconciles dilemmas.
    2. In the video Defining intercultural competence by Giesbrecht (2013) we learn that Intercultural Competence is something that we can develop through practice. It means first knowing and understanding ourselves as well as others. Therefore, the more we learn about ourselves and each other's cultures, the more colourful, dynamic and interesting our lives become.
    3. Some other definitions of intercultural competence are given by Schmid and Wilk (2017) in their video on Cultural competence, and by Neuralculture (2013) in their video on Cultural Competence - A key competence of the 21st century.
    4. Examples of cultural dimensions that can be addressed in class are (See the description of the 7 dimensions of the Fons Trompenaars model from Mind Tools):
      - How we perceive time (sequential vs synchronic & single focus vs multi focus), i.e. how do students' study and plan activities, do they study and do their homework regularly or procrastinate and study hard just before the exam?
      - How much we respect the rule (the rule vs the exception and relationship): do students inside and outside the class respect the rules or try to circumvent them?
      - How do we relate to each other (peaches vs coconuts): personality traits like introvert and extravert combined to cultural characteristics can feature various behaviours in class and in groupwork.
      - The group vs the individual: are students used to studying solo or in duos, trios or more? How much is groupwork natural for them?
    5. Use ‘The Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity’ (DMIS) by Milton Bennett as an exercise in the international classroom. The Model is a framework explaining how people experience and engage in cultural difference, based on constructivist psychology and communication theory. Observations are organised into positions along a continuum of increasing sensitivity to cultural difference. There is a video Bennett's Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity (DMIS) from Dally (2013) about the DMIS, a website Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity from Dye (n.d.) for more details, and a column DMIS and TU/e from Merk (2018) on the application at the TU/e.
    6. The following DMIS assignments might help an International Class to develop intercultural awareness and competence, and to reflect on both:
      - Write down examples of situations or circumstances to illustrate each of the 6 stages of the DMIS in which your university is positioned.
      - Reflect via examples on your own personal attitude or mindset in various situations you are confronted with on the 6-stage scale of the DMIS.
    7. Discuss in the International Classroom the findings students come up with. Link this discussion to models, like the 4R dimensions of Trompenaars, to develop intercultural awareness, as described by Bremer (2016) in the article on Dr. Fons Trompenaars : Transcultural Competence: reconcile dilemmas to collaborate and innovate.

     Resources:

    1. Bremer, M. (2016). Dr. Fons Trompenaars : Transcultural Competence: reconcile dilemmas to collaborate and innovate. Leadership & Change.
    2. Target training (n.d.). Building authentic business relationships – part 2.
    3. Giesbrecht, L. (2013). Defining Intercultural Competence.
    4. Mind Tools (n.d.). The Seven Dimensions of Culture. Understanding and Managing Cultural Differences.
    5. Dally, J. (2013). Bennett's Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity (DMIS).
    6. Dye, M. (n.d.). Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity.
    7. Merk, V. (2018). DMIS and TU/e. 
    8. Schmid, S. and Wilk, V, (2017). Cultural competence. Youtube.
    9. Neuralculture (2013). Cultural Competence - A key competence of the 21st century. You tube.
  • C. Assessing the case of an international student at a foreign university

    International students at a foreign university will probably be out of their comfort zone and subject to social and psychological influences like homesickness, language and culture shock. Teachers and staff should be aware of this. Read this article of Gebhard (2012), International students adjustment problems and behaviours, to learn more about this.

    Solutions

    1. Whenever possible or needed, the subject can be addressed plenary or in a more secure face-to-face conversation between student(s) and teacher. The Displaced nation team (2015) developed a toolbox Culture shock toolbox: The 5 top tools for handling the culture shock roller coaster to prepare a discussion or to deal with the issue.
    2. Clarke (2014) developed an infographic Homesickness & how to cure it about culture shock and Chiona (2016) made a list with Tips for dealing with culture shock as an expat that can be used in class or as homework for students to reflect on their own experiences. But beware of the fact that this can also be very personal. Indeed, causes for a culture shock range from simple and short adaptation aspects to deep and serious personal or family issues. 
    3. The paper from Van der Zee and van Oudenhoven (2013), Culture shock or challenge? provides a theoretical basis for the empirical link between traits and intercultural success indicators relying on the A (Affect) B (Behavior) C (Cognition)-model of culture shock.
    4. Glass and Westmond (2014) did a study on Comparative effects of belongingness on the academic success and cross-cultural interactions of domestic and international students.
    5. Cotton et. al (2013) did a study on Interaction and influence in culturally mixed groups in order to explore differing patterns of participation.

    Resources:

    1. Gebhard, J.G. (2012). International students’ adjustment problems and behaviors. Journal of International Students, 2(2), p184-193.
    2. Displaced nation team (2015). Culture shock toolbox: The 5 top tools for handling the culture shock roller coaster.
    3. Clarke, B. (2014). Homesickness & how to cure it, infographic.
    4. Chiona, V. (2016). Tips for dealing with culture shock as an expat. Iam expat.
    5. Van der Zee, K., & van Oudenhoven, J. P. (2013). Culture Shock or Challenge? The Role of Personality as a Determinant of Intercultural Competence. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 44(6), 928–940.
    6. Glass, C.R. & Westmont, C.M. (2014). Comparative effects of belongingness on the academic success and cross-cultural interactions of domestic and international students. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 38, p 106-119.
    7. Cotton, D.R.E., George, R. & Joyner, M. (2013). Interaction and influence in culturally mixed groups. Innovations in Education and Teaching International, 50(3), p 272-28.
  • D. Preparing and supporting international students for their stay at the university

    Universities generally offer information, social activities, practical trainings or courses to prepare students for a study stay or internship abroad. Language preparation can also be available. Once in their new universities, the international students can often join student associations or study associations that support and help the newcomers integrate into their new communities.

    Examples of preparation information:

    1. Study in Holland by Nuffic: a general website with information about study in NL: educational programmes and systems, costs, admission requirements and practical tips.
    2. Welcome at UT: a step-by-step guide to prepare students for their stay in NL, life and education in Enschede. This includes the International Student Handbook.
    3. Become a TUe student: Information for students to prepare their stay at TU/e.
    4. Future students: Extensive information pages for future students of WUR.
  • E. Stimulating the integration of domestic and international students

    Integration into the community means showing an “it takes 2 to tango” attitude, so it must come from both sides: local and international students and staff. Our campuses are often multicultural I.e. having various national groups sticking together and not mixing, so the real challenge is to make our communities purely intercultural I.e. having all nationalities mixing with one another. Here is an article that sets the framework of integration from Beelen (2014): The other side of mobility: The impact of incoming students on home students. Handbooks on integration of domestic and international students were developed by Spencer-Oatey et al. (2014) Promoting Integration on Campus: Principles, Practice and Issues for Further Exploration, the British Council (2014) Integration of international students. A UK perspective, and Arkoudis et. al (2010). Finding common ground: enhancing interaction between domestic and international students - guide for academics. Harrison and Peacock (2009) conducted research on Cultural distance, mindfulness and passive xenophobia: using integrated threat theory to explore home higher education students’ perspectives on ‘internationalisation at home’.

    Solutions

    Five tips to deal with integration:

    1. Create a sense of community, mutual trust and psychological safety by organising international events in which also the locals participate. Student associations often offer a good platform for this. Also, buddy projects and “feel@home” schemes can be set up for the internationals to integrate with local peers. Community building efforts take place everywhere: on the work floor, in classrooms, labs, meeting rooms, cafeterias, parties or at the coffee machine. It can be face-to-face or screen-to-screen, or in groups. One example is the Café de las Lenguas organised by the Faculty Engineering Technology of the University of Twente.
    2. Stimulate Individuals to learn about and from each other, and to develop attitudes of respect, empathy (i.e. being able to put oneself in somebody else’s shoes), patience and tolerance.
    3. Master the education and communication processes involved. Curricula need to get an international and technically innovative character (see under 2.A and 2.B).
    4. Celebrate diversity like with the WUR One world week, the Connect with my Culture yearly event at TU/e or the International food festival and International social evening at the Faculty ITC of the UT.
    5. Offer Career support for partners: WUR Student Career Services, TU/e Career Academy and UT Career Services

    Resources:

    1. Beelen, J. (2014). The other side of mobility: The impact of incoming students on home students. In B. Streitwieser (Ed.), Internationalisation of higher education and global mobility, p. 287-299.
    2. Spencer-Oatey, H., Dauber, D. & Williams, S. (2014). Promoting Integration on Campus: Principles, Practice and Issues for Further Exploration. UK Council for International Student affairs.
    3. British Council (2014). Integration of international students. A UK perspective. British Council. 
    4. Harrison, N. & Peacock, N. (2009). Cultural distance, mindfulness and passive xenophobia: using integrated threat theory to explore home higher education students’ perspectives on ‘internationalisation at home’. British Educational Research Journal, 36(6), p. 877-902
    5. Arkoudis, S., Yu, X., Baik, C., Chang, S., Lang, I., Watty, K., Borland, H., Pearce, A. & Lang, J. (2010). Finding common ground: enhancing interaction between domestic and international students - guide for academics. Strawberry Hills, N.S.W: Australian Learning and Teaching Council.
  • F. Preparing students for an international career

    Most 4TU students will have a (partial) international career as an expat or by dealing with international colleagues and markets. The website Preparing for a career in international business from the University of Minnesota (n.d.) indicates how to prepare for that during the BSc education.

    Solutions

    1. Offer all students assistance to prepare for an international career. Some examples:
      - MyFuture An online platform for students showing career activities being organized by organizations within TU/e including study associations. Like a lunch lecture with a company.
      - TU/e Career Academy supports students in their career. Students can participate in workshops, such as self-assessment, networking and social media, job interview, contract negotiations. They can also get feedback on CV, cover letter and LinkedIn profile, by visiting the CV check that is being held three times a week and students can meet with a career advisor. All support by the Career Academy is free of charge. At WUR this is offered by Student career services.
      - The UT Language Centre (UTLC) offers workshops, trainings and events in both English and Dutch to students. For instance, presentation skills, language courses, academic writing, brain training, entrepreneurial skills, business model thinking, visual thinking or project management, but also on cross-cultural competences in a global environment.
      - The TU/e SkillsLab supports students with professional skills development, especially with presentation-, teamwork and writing skills. They can assess their skills, improve them with self-guided learning and scroll through the skills library. In addition, there are offline activities like pitch podia and workshops. At WUR and UT there are many comparable options like the Wageningen writing lab and the Skills lab and Writing centre of the UT Language Centre.

    Resources

    1. University of Minnesota (n.d.). Preparing for a career in international business.
    2. TU/e (2016). My future.
    3. TU/e (2019). TU/e Career Academy.
    4. WUR (n.d.). Student Career Services
    5. TU/e SkillsLab 2019(). TU/e SkillsLab.
    6. WUR (n.d.). Wageningen Writing Lab.
    7. UT (2019). University of Twente Language Centre.
  • G. Making students aware of different cultural backgrounds and the advantages of having them

    International and domestic students do not automatically mix and integrate. It is therefore important to organise this integration at the beginning of the course or programme for all students. It is not advised to have separate introductions for the international students because this would underline their being different and it does not stimulate students to mix.

    Solutions

    1. Organise a workshop for domestic and international students together in which you let the students become aware of cultural differences and get to know each other better. For such a workshop, the following exercises/ elements are available:
      - Simulation activities which bring students into the situation of being in a multi-cultural environment. Well-known simulations are BARNGA (Thiagarajan and Steinwachs 1990), and the Derdians and Engineers (Martinelli et al, 2003).
      - At WUR, the Education Support Centre has a hard-copy of ‘Ecotonos, a multicultural problem-solving simulation’ available to use with up to 50 students. This role-play simulation game supports the development of cultural intelligence (CQ). Bucker and Korzilius (2015) conducted research on the impact of using Econotos with students.
      - A questionnaire on educational styles like developed by Ten Dam (2011, pp. 28).
      - Discussion cases from international classroom practice or intercultural communication.
      - Use the book from Nunez and Nunez-Mahdi (2017) as background reading for the students and practising in the classroom.
      - Discussion and practice with differences in etiquette. The e-diplomat website (2016) on etiquette around the world offers information on these differences.
    2. Learning activities in the curriculum can be used to refresh and deepen the learning from the introduction workshop. The Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science faculty of the University of Twente uses the book “Intercultural sensitivity - from denial to intercultural competence” (Nunez et al, 2017) for this. WUR uses the same book for teacher training.

    Resources

    1. University of Michigan, LSA (2017). Barnga.
    2. Martinelli, S., Gillert, A. & Taylor, M. (2003). Intercultural learning T-kit. Council of Europe. p. 62-65.
    3. Bucker, J.L.E. & Korzilius (2015). Developing cultural intelligence: assessing the effect of the Ecotonos cultural simulation game for international business students.
    4. Ten Dam, G.T.M. (2011). Preparing students for differences in educational style. Nuffic.
    5. Nunez, C. & Nunez-Mahdi, R. (2017). Intercultural sensitivity - from denial to intercultural competence. Koninklijke van Gorinchem bv.
    6. eDiplomat (2016). Cultural etiquette around the world.
  • H. Improving integration of different student groups

    When students from different cultures are mixed and work together in a project, this will not always be successful. Although multicultural groups may come up with a better final result because of their diverse backgrounds, in general they will have more difficulties with working together. Domestic and international students may have stereotypes of each other and prejudices, they have to deal with different ways of communicating and different expectations regarding education based on culture and experience. Besides this, research from Colleen Ward et al (2005) ) Interactions with international students shows that domestic students feel threatened when the number of foreign students becomes substantial (>15%).

    They may encounter cross-cutting challenges that are applicable for all students like free riding, insufficient English language skills, students not communicating properly, group conflicts and a low level of motivation according to (Popov et. al, 2012): Multicultural group work in higher education. An explorative case study on challenges as perceived by students. Culturally related challenges that may arise are differences in:

    • styles of decision making and problem solving (consensus seeking vs top-down)
    • ways of interacting (low context vs high context)
    • styles of complying with supervisor’s guidelines (egalitarian vs hierarchical)
    • styles of conflict management (confrontational vs avoiding confrontation)

    The website of Young (2014) Seeking Best Practices for Integrating International and Domestic Students contains a compilation of the report from Young with best practices for integrating students.

    Solutions

    1. Just putting students with different backgrounds together in a group doesn’t mean they will get to know each other and integrate, so you have to spend time on that/schedule time for that. It is important that students feel safe in a group. You can think about scheduling time to get to know each other in the first tutorial/lecture but also in informal meetings. This has a positive effect on:
      - Reduction of prejudices and feelings of threat
      - Development of empathy for others
      - A feeling of belongingness.
    2. Encourage a cultural mix from the start of the course. The best way to do this is by formulating balanced groups yourself. Later on, you can give them requirements for forming a group themselves like not working together before. This way you can make sure that each group consists of a variety of cultures/ backgrounds/ age/ gender. Otherwise students will stick to students they already know and have worked with before and then they will more easily exclude other/international students by for instance talking Dutch instead of English.
    3. Create a mutual understanding and common ground for group goals. Let student groups decide on ‘What are we going to do and how are we going to do this?’. This should be clear for and supported by all group members. You can do this by working with team contracts. See for an example these documents. These are team contracts from a project group of first year students from the International Business Administration programme at the University of Twente. In the Teaching Topic Teaching Multicultural Student groups from the University of Twente (2018), the responsible teacher explains how he works with the contracts.
    4. Design group tasks that are relevant and interesting for all students. This is about the content, use cases of different situations/countries. Also think about the size of the tasks: the assignment should be challenging and big enough, so everyone is needed, to prevent free riding.
    5. Think about the reward system (assessment): group and/or individual assessment. Explain why they have to work in groups. Many international students want to show off their knowledge and expertise and they can easily do that in an individual assessment. They don’t see the benefit of working together on a group assessment and you have to explain it to them.
    6. Provide opportunity for reflexive and constructive discussion on the group work process. As a supervisor/tutor it is important to regularly reflect with the students how the group work is going, to discuss communication styles and to prevent one student being too dominant or too passive. This will also prevent that students start complaining only at the end of a course/module when it is time to assign grades. Now you can talk about problems and students can improve their attitude or work on time without major consequences. You can do this in open conversations, by using questionnaires or by using peer review assessment methods.The videos from Wageningen University (2019) on Group Dynamics and Group Development can be helpful.

    In the New Math of Multicultural Workgroups (login codes) a fictitious group work project consisting of five university students from different nations at JAMK University of Applied Sciences in Finland is shown. It provides some insights in why student groups don’t work and how to deal with it as a teacher. The material offers insights for the teacher, but a teacher can also use this material to develop group work competences with students. The material consists of teacher notes with learning objectives and questions you can ask students and a video.

    Resources:

    1. Ward, C. et al (2005). Interactions with international students. Report prepared for education New Zealand.
    2. Popov, V., Brinkman, D., Biemans, H.J.A., Mulder, M., Kuznetsov, A. & Noroozi, O. (2012). Multicultural group work in higher education. An explorative case study on challenges as perceived by students. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 36, 302-317.
    3. Center of Expertise on Learning and Teaching, University of Twente (January 2018). Teaching Topic Teaching Multicultural Student groups.
    4. Young, N.E. (2014). Seeking Best Practices for Integrating International and Domestic Students. University of Minesota.
    5. Multimedia Wageningen University (2019). 190910-BKO-Group Development-HK-K-v100.
    6. Multimedia Wageningen University (2019). 190730-BKO-Group Dynamics-HK-K-v100.
  • I. Raising interaction with (international) students

    It is important to actively involve all of your students and to have interaction with them so you can check if the learning content was understood, but also for making sure that all of your students, not only the international, are coping and feeling well in your teaching setting. It can happen that none of your students respond to a question you ask, or that responses of individual students are not that good. This might come from the fear of losing face, looking stupid because they don’t know the answer or ask a dumb question.

    For some students speaking up in class might not be common or natural. Some may have been in an educational culture where the lecturer is supposed to have all the answers and these students don’t want you to lose face by implying your explanation wasn’t clear. Speaking up in class or debating with fellow students or the lecturer can be perceived as a sign of disrespect. Someone who is higher in hierarchy than you should not be questioned or doubted on his/her word.

    In addition, some of your (international) students might have difficulties with expressing their opinion. They are not used to having discussions and stating their opinion with each other or the lecturer; they often find it disrespectful or uncomfortable.

    Some general resources on this topic are: Arkoudis (n.d.) Teaching International Students. Strategies to enhance learning, Ryan & Viete (2009). Respectful interactions: learning with international students in the English-speaking academy, Kurucz (2006). How to teach international students. A practical teaching guide for universities and colleges, and Brookfield, (2011) Discussion as a way of teaching packet.

    Solutions

    1. First of all, it is important that you make clear what it is you expect from your students, explain how but also why you expect this behaviour; expectation management. Don’t assume they will know they can ask questions to you during lectures, start discussions or give their own opinion. Once this is done, make sure there is a safe learning environment where students feel comfortable speaking up, where they know they can make mistakes/give wrong answers. You can do that by giving compliments to students who do speak up and ask questions, but also by providing space and time for students to come up with a solution using the think – pair - share principle:
      You pose a question and students first need to think individually on the answer, then they can discuss their answer with their neighbour. This way students can check if they are on the right path or not, can practice their English language and when they do have to speak up in class, they can give the answer of the duo/the small group. This makes it easier to speak up.
    2. Another way could be to let students write out their opinion first instead of to the entire class directly. This way they can structure their thoughts and practice their English first.
    3. Using electronic voting tools like Shakespeak, Kahoot or Mentimeter give you and the students the opportunity to check their understanding anonymously. Students might feel safer answering an online question than raising their hands. When you do this, make clear this is an opportunity for them to check their understanding, not for you to test them.
    4. You can also use the cultural backgrounds of students to get more interaction (as mentioned by Daan Romein (2010) in his handout Examples of international teaching situations -  The importance and application of targeted activities by using examples that they can relate to, by resolving intercultural problems by encouraging students from different cultural backgrounds to work together. This way they will feel more involved in the cases or lectures. For instance, you can ask students whether they can think of comparable or opposite situations or examples from their own countries. Or use economic, geographical or other data from other countries to illustrate your point.
    5. If this doesn’t help try to find out why the students don’t respond: have a talk with them and then be aware of the shyer students, give them the opportunity to speak up and not be overruled or interrupted by the more dominant students (by asking them to let other students speak up first). An alternative might be to talk separately with a student after the lecture.

    Resources:

    1. Romein, D. (2010). Examples of international teaching situations. The importance and application of targeted activities. Groningen: University of Groningen.
    2. Arkoudis, S. (n.d.) Teaching International Students. Strategies to enhance learning. Melbourne, Australia: Centre for the study of higher education.
    3. Ryan, J. & Viete, R. (2009). Respectful interactions: learning with international students in the English-speaking academy, Teaching in Higher Education, 14:3, 303-314.
    4. Kurucz, P.J. (2006). How to teach international students. A practical teaching guide for universities and colleges (Rev. ed). Victoria, British Columbia: Success Orientations Publishing.
    5. Brookfield, S. (2011). Discussion as a way of teaching packet.