Developing Intercultural Competence through Glocal Activity Theory Using the Connect-Exchange Study Abroad App

2014 ◽  
pp. 154-173 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rich Rice ◽  
Ben Lauren
Keyword(s):  
Study Abroad ◽  
Activity Theory ◽  
Intercultural Communication ◽  
Design Process ◽  
Intercultural Competence ◽  
Theoretical Foundation ◽  
Cultural Backgrounds ◽  
Computer Tool ◽  
Iterative Design ◽  
Transactional Learning

This chapter lays a theoretical foundation for the development of an emerging model of studying intercultural communication through problem-based study abroad pedagogy. At the center of this model is a new computer tool called the Connect-Exchange App, which is meant to facilitate transactional learning between users with varying cultural backgrounds. To research how different audiences might use the app, the authors draw upon activity theory to guide their iterative design process to facilitate users' deepening glocal, intercultural competence. Developing intercultural competence is a process of iterative experiences connecting, exchanging, and filtering information.

Simulation Rhetoric and Activity Theory: Experiential Learning in Intercultural Simulations

2019 ◽  
Vol 49 (2) ◽  
pp. 213-231 ◽  
Author(s):  
Junhua Wang
Keyword(s):  
Activity Theory ◽  
Intercultural Communication ◽  
Intercultural Competence ◽  
Technical Communication ◽  
Cultural Awareness ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Teaching Approaches ◽  
Classroom Context ◽  
Study Abroad Programs ◽  
Theoretical Understanding

In the field of intercultural business and technical communication, intercultural communication has been a regular topic in curriculum for decades; various teaching approaches exist for developing students’ cultural awareness and helping them achieve a theoretical understanding about the concept of culture, cultural differences, and cultural conflict. But quite often teaching and learning are limited in the classroom context, although it is true that study abroad programs are available for a small group of students. As a result, students do not have enough opportunities to interact with members of other cultures, which limits students’ potentials for gaining intercultural competence. This study explores the rhetorical nature of simulations, defines the perspective of using activity theory as a framework to understand the learning process occurring in simulations, and provides an intercultural simulation example to explain how instructors can incorporate simulations into the business and technical communication curriculum.

The Intercultural Competence. Developing Effective Intercultural Communication Skills

2019 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 264-268 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oana-Antonia Ilie
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Diversity ◽  
Intercultural Communication ◽  
Communication Skills ◽  
Intercultural Competence ◽  
Significant Other ◽  
Cultural Backgrounds ◽  
Exchange Programs ◽  
Foreign Travel ◽  
The World ◽  
Daily Contact

Abstract Effective intercultural communication has become a priority today because of the importance it has gained in the understanding of the cultural diversity of the world. Immigration, urbanization, international employment, study exchange programs and ease of foreign travel are facilitating daily contact between people of different cultural backgrounds. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the importance of developing the attitudes and the communication skills necessary for multicultural exchange, in everyday life and within organizations. Learning about other cultures and developing intercultural communication competences and skills can help facilitate the multicultural encounter and can lead to more openness and tolerance towards the significant other.

scholarly journals Intercultural Communicative Competence Levels of Indonesian EFL Students: A Preliminary Study in a Higher Education Contex

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 134
Author(s):  
Anna Riana Suryanti Tambunan ◽  
Fauziah Khairani Lubis ◽  
Widya Andayani ◽  
Winda Setia Sari
Keyword(s):  
Intercultural Communication ◽  
Intercultural Competence ◽  
Communicative Competence ◽  
Cultural Knowledge ◽  
Intercultural Communicative Competence ◽  
Cultural Backgrounds ◽  
Intercultural Communication Competence ◽  
Teaching Goals ◽  
Efl Students ◽  
Preliminary Study

The lack of intercultural communication skills will likely cause disharmony, misunderstanding, and even conflict in communication. To be successful in communication with native speakers depends on language skills, customs, and cultural knowledge. In the age of global communication, English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teaching goals should be reoriented to cultivate intercultural communication competence (ICC). EFL learners should have this intercultural competence and be sensitive in order to avoid disharmony, misunderstandings, and even conflicts in communication. The main objective of this preliminary study is to reveal the levels of intercultural communicative competence among EFL students at a state university in Indonesia. A survey questionnaire was performed employing a quantitative analysis in this study. Eighty-nine students filled out the ICC questionnaire, which consisted of 20 questions. Findings indicated that most of the students had a low ICC level because they are lack of experience and knowledge in interacting and socializing with people from various cultural backgrounds. In terms of gender differences, the results showed that male students had higher levels of ICC than that female students. This research implied that intercultural topics should be included in the university’s curriculum.

scholarly journals A Formative Case Evaluation for the Design of an Online Delivery Model Providing Access to Study Abroad Activities

2017 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Wendy Howard ◽  
Gino Perrotte ◽  
Minyoung Lee ◽  
Jenna Frisone
Keyword(s):  
Online Learning ◽  
Study Abroad ◽  
Intercultural Communication ◽  
Intercultural Competence ◽  
Evaluation Process ◽  
Global Knowledge ◽  
Online Students ◽  
Online Delivery ◽  
Delivery Model ◽  
Case Evaluation

Despite the pressure from potential employers and higher education administrators to develop students’ global and intercultural competence, traditional study abroad programs simply are not feasible for many postsecondary students (Berdan & Johannes, 2014; Fischer, 2015). The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of an online delivery model for study abroad activities. Building upon the findings of an initial exploratory program using Adobe Connect web conferencing tools, this evaluative case study was the second in a series of design based research studies intended to identify effective practices and develop recommendations to further refine the model through an iterative evaluation process. Using the Online Learning Consortium’s Quality Framework, each of the Five Pillars that support successful online learning was evaluated through a combination of anonymous surveys, pre/post assessments, observations, and student & instructor interviews. Regarding access, 26 students who were enrolled in an intercultural communication course were able to participate in a study abroad experience in Italy; 10 students participated in the traditional study abroad trip while the other 16 participated virtually. The online students were able to join the live meetings, thus expanding their access to international experiences that normally would be closed to them. In terms of student and faculty satisfaction, both groups of students and the instructor reported specific areas of satisfaction, offered critical feedback, and felt that the concept was a viable one. While the students who traveled to Italy had a far more immersive experience, both groups demonstrated gains in learning. Using Morais and Ogden’s (2010) global citizenship pre/post assessment, both groups showed improvement on the self-awareness and intercultural communication scales, and when comparing the two groups the online students improved more on the social responsibility scale while the students who traveled improved more on the global knowledge scale. Both groups submitted assignments of similar quality, engaged in communications between the abroad and online groups, and interacted with the instructor and experts in the field. In terms of differences in student engagement, students had differing opinions on the interaction with the technology and the online group asked more questions during live meetings. The implications of this pilot study should inform the planning of the next case evaluation and are important for other educators who wish to implement a similar approach to internationalizing the curriculum through online instruction.

Empirical Analysis of Intercultural Communication and Multicultural Team Performance: A Case of Uzbek and Russian Managers in Uzbekistan

2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 32-50
Author(s):  
Akmal Khudaykulov ◽  
Alisher Doniyorov
Keyword(s):  
Intercultural Communication ◽  
Team Performance ◽  
Intercultural Competence ◽  
Reliability And Validity ◽  
Communication Competence ◽  
Cultural Backgrounds ◽  
Validity Testing ◽  
Intercultural Communication Competence ◽  
Statistical Indicators ◽  
Multicultural Team

There is a practical problem which this study will solve given that Uzbekistan is a country in which members of many ethnicities live. This article aims at identifying the Intercultural communication competence of Russian and Uzbek managers, team performance of a diverse team, and analyze how well these nations collaborate with each other. The main objective of this study is to explain the high team performance and intercultural communication competence. The data had been collected from various companies across Uzbekistan. Both online and paper questionnaires were distributed to Russian and Uzbek managers. Fundamental statistical procedures are applied to answer the questions of our research. Descriptive statistics, reliability and validity testing, regression modeling and other statistical indicators were used to validate our theory. The findings suggested that Russian and Uzbek managers do not differ significantly in their Intercultural communication competence. Overall intercultural competence score of Russian managers is insignificantly higher. Nonetheless, Uzbek respondents scored higher on the Interpersonal Skills dimension than Russian participants. Team performance of Uzbek managers is higher than Russian ones. Through regression analysis, an impact of Intercultural Communication Competence on Multicultural Team Performance has also been established. The mentioned studies have implications for the practice of Uzbek companies, and organizational theory, as such research has not been conducted on the sample of these nations. The study provides a knowledge foundation, and it will give us a specific insight into Uzbekistan working culture and relationships between different cultural backgrounds.

A Perioperative Care Display for Understanding High Acuity Patients

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (01) ◽  
pp. 164-169
Author(s):  
Laurie Lovett Novak ◽  
Jonathan Wanderer ◽  
David A. Owens ◽  
Daniel Fabbri ◽  
Julian Z. Genkins ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Data Visualization ◽  
Design Process ◽  
Cognitive Task ◽  
Development Project ◽  
Clinical Informatics ◽  
Data Display ◽  
Data Types ◽  
Iterative Design ◽  
High Acuity ◽  
Depth Interviews

Abstract Background The data visualization literature asserts that the details of the optimal data display must be tailored to the specific task, the background of the user, and the characteristics of the data. The general organizing principle of a concept-oriented display is known to be useful for many tasks and data types. Objectives In this project, we used general principles of data visualization and a co-design process to produce a clinical display tailored to a specific cognitive task, chosen from the anesthesia domain, but with clear generalizability to other clinical tasks. To support the work of the anesthesia-in-charge (AIC) our task was, for a given day, to depict the acuity level and complexity of each patient in the collection of those that will be operated on the following day. The AIC uses this information to optimally allocate anesthesia staff and providers across operating rooms. Methods We used a co-design process to collaborate with participants who work in the AIC role. We conducted two in-depth interviews with AICs and engaged them in subsequent input on iterative design solutions. Results Through a co-design process, we found (1) the need to carefully match the level of detail in the display to the level required by the clinical task, (2) the impedance caused by irrelevant information on the screen such as icons relevant only to other tasks, and (3) the desire for a specific but optional trajectory of increasingly detailed textual summaries. Conclusion This study reports a real-world clinical informatics development project that engaged users as co-designers. Our process led to the user-preferred design of a single binary flag to identify the subset of patients needing further investigation, and then a trajectory of increasingly detailed, text-based abstractions for each patient that can be displayed when more information is needed.

scholarly journals Promoting intercultural competence in study abroad students

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian Tarchi ◽  
Alessio Surian
Keyword(s):  
Study Abroad ◽  
Cultural Differences ◽  
Active Control ◽  
Intercultural Competence ◽  
Critical Incident ◽  
Conceptual Knowledge ◽  
Studying Abroad ◽  
Long Time ◽  
Short Intervention ◽  
Study Abroad Students

AbstractUniversities have been promoting study abroad programmes for a long time to improve intercultural competence. However, the mere exposure to cultural differences while studying abroad does not ensure intercultural competence, unless study abroad students’ reflective processes are explicitly targeted. The article presents the results of a short intervention grounded in the problem-based approach aimed at improving intercultural competence in study abroad students. Students were assigned to three conditions: a video-log condition (in which they have to narrate a critical incident occurred to them), a reflection-induced video-logs (in which they were prompted to reflect on the video-logs produced), and an active control condition. The reflection-induced video-log intervention improved students’ perceived proficiency in Italian and perceived opportunities for cultural reflection, but it did not contribute to improve students’ applicable and conceptual knowledge of intercultural competence.

scholarly journals Culture and complexity through English as a lingua franca: rethinking competences and pedagogy in ELT

2015 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Will Baker
Keyword(s):  
Intercultural Communication ◽  
Intercultural Competence ◽  
English Language ◽  
Language Teaching ◽  
English Language Teaching ◽  
Lingua Franca ◽  
Language And Culture ◽  
Language Pedagogy ◽  
Nation States ◽  
Meaningful Category

AbstractEnglish as a lingua franca (ELF) research highlights the complexity and fluidity of culture in intercultural communication through English. ELF users draw on, construct, and move between global, national, and local orientations towards cultural characterisations. Thus, the relationship between language and culture is best approached as situated and emergent. However, this has challenged previous representations of culture, particularly those centred predominantly on nation states, which are prevalent in English language teaching (ELT) practices and the associated conceptions of communicative and intercultural communicative competence. Two key questions which are then brought to the fore are: how are we to best understand such multifarious characterisations of culture in intercultural communication through ELF and what implications, if any, does this have for ELT and the teaching of culture in language teaching? In relation to the first question, this paper will discuss how complexity theory offers a framework for understanding culture as a constantly changing but nonetheless meaningful category in ELF research, whilst avoiding essentialism and reductionism. This underpins the response to the second question, whereby any formulations of intercultural competence offered as an aim in language pedagogy must also eschew these simplistic and essentialist cultural characterisations. Furthermore, the manner of simplification prevalent in approaches to culture in the ELT language classroom will be critically questioned. It will be argued that such simplification easily leads into essentialist representations of language and culture in ELT and an over representation of “Anglophone cultures.” The paper will conclude with a number of suggestions and examples for how such complex understandings of culture and language through ELF can be meaningfully incorporated into pedagogic practice.

Mechanism Design and Simulation of the ULTRA Spine: A Tensegrity Robot

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew P. Sabelhaus ◽  
Hao Ji ◽  
Patrick Hylton ◽  
Yakshu Madaan ◽  
ChanWoo Yang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mechanism Design ◽  
Design Process ◽  
Inverse Kinematics ◽  
Gear Ratio ◽  
Forward Kinematics ◽  
Robot Design ◽  
Link Structure ◽  
Iterative Design ◽  
Quadruped Robots ◽  
Ongoing Effort

The Underactuated Lightweight Tensegrity Robotic Assistive Spine (ULTRA Spine) project is an ongoing effort to create a compliant, cable-driven, 3-degree-of-freedom, underactuated tensegrity core for quadruped robots. This work presents simulations and preliminary mechanism designs of that robot. Design goals and the iterative design process for an ULTRA Spine prototype are discussed. Inverse kinematics simulations are used to develop engineering characteristics for the robot, and forward kinematics simulations are used to verify these parameters. Then, multiple novel mechanism designs are presented that address challenges for this structure, in the context of design for prototyping and assembly. These include the spine robot’s multiple-gear-ratio actuators, spine link structure, spine link assembly locks, and the multiple-spring cable compliance system.

A Remote Synthetic Testbed For Human-Robot Teaming: An Iterative Design Process

2021 ◽  
Vol 65 (1) ◽  
pp. 781-785
Author(s):  
Margaret Wong ◽  
Akudasuo Ezenyilimba ◽  
Alexandra Wolff ◽  
Tyrell Anderson ◽  
Erin Chiou ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Design Process ◽  
Information Exchange ◽  
Task Environment ◽  
Research Administration ◽  
Urban Search And Rescue ◽  
Pilot Studies ◽  
Iterative Design ◽  
Hazardous Environments ◽  
User Friendly ◽  
Real Time Information

Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) missions often involve a need to complete tasks in hazardous environments. In such situations, human-robot teams (HRT) may be essential tools for future USAR missions. Transparency and explanation are two information exchange processes where transparency is real-time information exchange and explanation is not. For effective HRTs, certain levels of transparency and explanation must be met, but how can these modes of team communication be operationalized? During the COVID-19 pandemic, our approach to answering this question involved an iterative design process that factored in our research objectives as inputs and pilot studies with remote participants. Our final research testbed design resulted in converting an in-person task environment to a completely remote study and task environment. Changes to the study environment included: utilizing user-friendly video conferencing tools such as Zoom and a custom-built application for research administration tasks and improved modes of HRT communication that helped us avoid confounding our performance measures.

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