1. Mobilizing resources for intercultural learning through study abroad: From Durham to Brisbane, Australia Dr Erika Hepple Faculty of Education Queensland University of Technology

2. Overview. Developing intercultural learning through Study Abroad
Overview . Developing intercultural learning through Study Abroad . Durham: the IEREST Project . Brisbane: The Global Networking Intercultural Capabilities Program . Future plans . Students’ Perceptions of the Program .

3. Developing intercultural learning through Study Abroad
Developing intercultural learning through Study Abroad . Develop university students as engaged intercultural/global citizens (Khondker, 2013) . To counter discourses of terror and promote intercultural communication, understanding and empathy Cultural diversity is “the common heritage of humanity” (UNESCO, 2001) . Exposure to other cultures, without specific intercultural training, can deepen existing prejudices (Paige & Vande Berg, 2012; Scoffham & Barnes, 2009) . Erasmus network in Europe, individual university programs in Australia

4. Durham: the IEREST Project
IEREST= Intercultural Educational Resources for Erasmus Students and their Teachers
Consortium of 6 European universities
7 global ally partners to trial and feedback on resources
3 Modules Building intercultural capacity: pre-departure preparation during the experience support, post-experience reflective workshops

5. Theoretical Framework
Critical Cultural Theory (Holliday, 1999, 2016)
Culture as “small culture” rather than “large culture” (Holliday, 1999, 2016):
Culture can be conceptualised beyond essentialism, which reduces people to less than what they are, working through stereotypical representations
Multiple identities (Dervin, 2012)
People’s identities are multifaceted
In communication, people (re)negotiate and (re)construct who they are
Age, gender, social class, language all create impressions of self and other within a context
Reflective Experiential Learning
promotes intercultural learning (Kolb, 1984)

6. IEREST Teaching package: 10 activities
1. Perceptions of self and other
2. Anti-discrimination study circle
3. Exploring narrative in intercultural mobility contexts
4. Meeting others abroad
5. Intercultural geography
6. Experiencing interculturality through volunteering
7. 24h Erasmus life
8. One, two, many… Erasmus experiences
9. Bringing interculturality back home
10. Mobility beyond the Academy

7. Brisbane: The Global Networking Intercultural Capabilities Program (GNIC), QUT . Supports transformative intercultural learning through study abroad, adapting IEREST materials .Established February 2016 to embed an intercultural pathway . Addresses QUT graduate attributes Engagement and Connection - Predeparture workshops include networking opportunities for domestic students to interact meaningfully with international students Post-Experience workshops connect students with leadership and career development programs on their return to QUT (Internationalisation-at-home) .

8. Structure and Implementation of GNIC Program

9. Global Networking Intercultural Capabilities Program Overview
Predeparture
Workshops
1) Going abroad: Connecting with your new community
2) Encountering different values and navigating prejudices when studying abroad
3) “What do you really mean?” Developing intercultural communication skills
PostExperience
1) Unpacking your study abroad experiences
2) Repacking your SA experiences for your future careers
Online Resources
1) Providing online resources to support f2f workshops
2) Developing the online interactive community learning spaces
3) Integrating f2f & online site for Blended Learning

10. GNIC Online Resources

11. Students’ feedback on learning outcomes achieved
Pre-departure Workshops
Post-Experience Workshops
Found it really eye opening – hadn’t considered how I would identify myself over there, made me start considering.
Made me think I should stop worrying and just be positive about the experience.
Thinking about unintentional racism in the form of stereotyping and the single story concept.
Think about other people’s perspectives, ask questions, answer questions, and I realised I don’t know much about the country I am visiting.
Learning how to deal with cultural stereotypes and how to better communicate in social situations
Makes you question the purpose of your travels.
Made me re-evaluate my goals/expectations of going overseas and whether or not these goals were met or changed
Professionally, I know what skills I have above others that haven’t gone on exchange
Really understanding ‘Global Minded’ and putting ‘words’ to the skills I gained
Realising I had all these skills that I was not aware of
More confidence and have a greater understanding of what I can/hope to contribute
CV skills, personal reflection

12. Further Information
The IEREST website:
Beaven, A. & Borghetti, C. (2016). Interculturality in Study Abroad. Language and Intercultural Communication 16(3):
Holmes, P., Bavieri, L. & Ganassin, S. (2015). Developing intercultural understanding for study abroad: Students' and teachers' perspectives on pre-departure intercultural learning. Intercultural Education 26(1):
Kinginger, C., (2015) Student mobility and identity-related language learning. Intercultural Education 26(1): 6-15

13. Dr Erika Hepple e.hepple@qut.edu.au
Contact
Dr Erika Hepple