Curricular (At Home)

Pre-departure Preparation and Co-Curricular Activities for Students' Intercultural Exchange: A Mixed-Methods Study – Dr. Justina Liu and Dr. E.Angela Chan (HKPU)

Case summary: Nurses are required to be culturally competent to provide quality care to an increasingly diverse and ageing population. International exchange programmes were developed to support the traditional nursing curriculum. These programmes have often overlooked the importance of pre-departure preparation and co-curricular activities to the development of intercultural competency. To explore the influence of pre-departure and co-curricular activities on the intercultural learning experiences of both exchange and host students in a short-term international summer programme. A mixed-method study was designed and Students were recruited from international and mainland exchange partners, with host students as ambassadors. The international summer programme involved a week of online pre-departure activities and two weeks of face-to-face meetings. A convenience sample of 62 students from diverse cultural backgrounds was recruited on a voluntary basis. The participants were aged between 19 and 27. Data were collected from students' pre-and post-visit questionnaires, discussions within the workshops, their online discussion threads, and focus group discussions. The quantitative findings suggested that students' cultural intelligence improved significantly after the exchange programme. Qualitatively, three themes emerged as: 1) Students' motivation to engage in intercultural learning; 2) Barriers to intercultural communication; 3) Enablers of intercultural communication. Pre-departure preparation enabled students to discuss their common goals and expectations, while exploring differences, asked for practical living information, and used the basic intercultural concepts in their discussion on the care of the elderly. This virtual encounter has lay the foundation for students' subsequent discussions about the why and how the differences that inform their own practices and about global ageing and poverty issues during their co-curricular activities. While the pre-departure preparation could serve as a stimulus, the value of this programme for intercultural learning also rests with the importance of debriefing to further students' reflective and experiential learning.

Cultural awareness in health and social care research (An Internationalization-at-Home Course for Postgraduate Health and Social Science Research Students) – Dr. Doris Leung, Dr. E. Angela Chan, and Dr. Betty Chung (HKPU)

Case summary: The purpose of this course (on a research student level) is to broaden and deepen students’ understanding of cultural awareness to critically appraise research and the research process in health and social sciences. Internationalization-at-home activities took place between February and April (spring semester) and consisted of a mixture of both formal and informal components. Five formal webinars each lasted 60 minutes and occurred on weekly basis in English via Zoom, a video-conferencing program. The authors from schools of nursing in 3 participating international universities, (i.e., Malmo University, La Trobe Australia, and PolyU) took turns moderating the webinars. The first three webinars used a ‘flipped classroom’ in which students were assigned pre-readings to examine the research process with a cultural lens in advance and then engaging in exercises as a whole group (e.g., real-time discussions) based on the material. After each webinar, the students were asked to informally reflect on the topics discussed as a whole group on the Facebook group discussion page. The topics of the first three webinars included assumptions regarding the research cultures, basic assumptions related to the western biomedical system (and its research traditions), and how this is translated into our research methodologies. Between webinars, each of the matched groups held informal group discussions (via their own chosen internet communication tool) to choose a topic based on their informal group. Each matched group led a presentation of their topical ideas in the fourth webinar. Audience feedback from this webinar facilitated students to create a 10-minute oral presentation for the fifth (last) webinar using any multi-media format (e.g., traditional PowerPoint, e-poster, video). Each presentation was followed by a critical debate of the presented topics within all participants. Our teaching pedagogy has been transformed by what we have learned teaching and studying cultural awareness in internationalization-at-home activities. Inadvertent discrimination, stereotyping, and racism can seep into one’s research and teaching if we are unaware of the biases we all hold. Our internationalization efforts have led us to actively disseminate our learnings in several manuscripts for postgraduate research studies. This initiative was evaluated by Facebook discussion forums, webinar group presentations, focus groups, and cultural awareness survey.The project impacts would be the following items:

• Extends scholarly research community for MPhil and PhD students
• Directly impacts the development of students’ research proposals
• Provides an opportunity to work in an international group and present share common research ideas
• Provides the opportunity to present research in international teams
• Directly contributes to learning outcomes for Research Seminars (SN6211/6212/6213) as a requirement to the fulfillment of their MPhil or PhD

Fostering Internationalisation in a Postgraduate Course with eLearning Tools – Dr. Eva Wong, Dr. Theresa Kwong and Dr. Lisa Law (HKBU)

Figure 1. The cover page of the SPOC on FutureLearn.		Figure 2. Students interacting with their oversea peers at the discussion forum on FutureLearn.

Case summary: Incorporating cross-cultural elements into the formal teaching curriculum provides students with more opportunities to interact with their overseas peers. This project aims to promote internationalisation at home with the use of diverse learning methods and pedagogies and eLearning platforms. In 2017, a Small Private Online Course (SPOC) was developed on FutureLearn to encourage research postgraduate (RPg) students to learn together with their international counterparts. This 3-week SPOC allows learners to pick up key concepts of the RPg course like Outcome-based Teaching and Learning (OBTL) via videos, quizzes and graded tests. The online discussion forums also allowed students/facilitators from HKBU and overseas institutions to exchange opinions on various topics. Learning analytics on FutureLearn were collected for quantitative analysis. Pre- and post-surveys of learners’ views regarding the online interaction were conducted. Student focus group interviews were conducted to gather feedback on the online cross-cultural learning experience, and the incorporation of multicultural elements into the course. The students appreciated the learning experience and provided useful suggestions for the course improvement. This SPOC initiative will be carried out continuously in the future to promote cross-cultural learning. Due to the recent changes in the educational landscape brought by unprecedented challenges, online/mixed-mode learning and teaching have gained more popularity than ever before. Apart from the adoption of a SPOC via FutureLearn, it was deemed necessary/appropriate to incorporate more eLearning elements into the course, so as to reach a wider crowd/community of students from countries across the globe. Students benefitted from the opportunities to interact with and learned from their overseas peers, while our instructors could bring in more internationalization elements to the University. The initiative was evaluated with the following measures:

1. HKBU students interacted with overseas facilitators/students on FutureLearn and to extend the discussion on potential research ideas
2. Learning analytics on FutureLearn were collected for quantitative analysis
3. Pre- and post-surveys of students’ views on online interaction were be carried out
4. Student focus group interviews were conducted to collect their views on:
   • The online learning experience with their overseas peers
   • The implementation of multicultural component into their teaching

Refereed Journal Articles:

• · Ko, T., Law, L. Y. N., Kwong, T., & Wong, E. Y. W. (2020). The Challenges and Dynamics of Flipped Learning Totally Online: The Case of Training Research Postgraduates to Be University Instructors. World Journal of Educational Research, 7(4), p36. https://doi.org/10.22158/wjer.v7n4p36
• · Law L., Haifz M., Kwong, T., & Wong E. (2019). Enhancing SPOC-Flipped Classroom Learning by Using Student-Centred Mobile Learning Tools. In: Yu S., Ally M., Tsinakos A. (eds) Bridging Human and Machine: Future Education with Intelligence. Springer, Singapore.
• · Law, L., Hafiz, M., Kwong, T., & Wong, E. (2019). Evaluating Students’ Perceptions on the Effectiveness of Online Intercultural Learning Experience via a SPOC. Current Issues in Comparative Education, 21(1), 69–92. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1245814.pdf

Incorporating Cross-national Design Thinking Initiatives into A Module – Dr. Kristen Li (HKBU)

Case Summary: Design thinking and global citizenship have become increasingly important in the study of Computer Science. Concerning that there are also increasing number of non-local students with diverse cultural backgrounds enrolled in the Computer Science programme, this project seeks to leverage classroom diversity by providing students with a cross-national/ cross-cultural design thinking experience. It is also a pilot project that aims to build capacity for the wider incorporation of cross-national design thinking activities/ assignments into the formal curriculum. Selected students of “COMP7320 Professional Methodologies for Information Systems” and “COMP4005 Information Systems Theory, Methodology & Architecture” were fully subsidised to participate in the Department’s annual Joint Workshop on Design for Sustainability (D4S). The students first visited Taiwan to learn about game design for social innovation in a foreign cultural context. They then worked in culturally mixed groups to design games that promoted United Nations Sustainable Development Goals in Hong Kong. Feedback from the participants suggested that the project offered the majority of students a positive experience to understand themselves better, accommodate cultural differences, and address cultural issues from multiple perspectives.

The intended learning outcome of the initiative:
1. Improve students’ intercultural awareness
2. Improved students’ intercultural knowledge
3. Improve students’ global outlook and citizenship
4. Improve students’ intercultural sensitivity

Students will be able to work effectively with diversity Survey findings:

• All participants enjoyed teamwork in a multicultural setting.
• All participants agreed that they learnt about cultural differences and approach issues with new perspectives.
• 85% of the participants agreed that they learnt to approach issues from different angles when interacting with other participants.
• All participants agreed that they improved their communication skills with people from the diverse academic and cultural backgrounds.
• 86% of participants agreed that they would apply their design thinking skills in their studies, work, research in the future.

It brought the peer learning culture to students learning experiences and processes. Students do discussion and project using collaborative wisdom, take multi-views into consideration, and build on each other’s idea, instead of simply combining works together in documents. Students also developed a broader view, when they are doing project related IT, they did case studies and comparison of the IT solutions in different countries and discovered the best practices which suit specific contacts.

     Figure 1. A poster of the D4S Workshop 2019   

    Figure 2. Students from mixed cultural backgrounds engaged in design thinking process in Hong Kong during the D4S 2019

A University-Wide Holistic Approach to Promoting Cross-Cultural Integration – Dr. Lucia Fung (HKBU)

case summary: A credit-bearing Capstone Project can be introduced in the final year of study. To enroll in this project, students formed an intercultural project team (with a mix of local and non-local students.) The team conducted a field study/research/experiential learning project on a topic related to the multiculturalism of their own choice. Activities and data collection could be conducted in Hong Kong and across national borders, benefited from the connections of the non-local students in the team. This project aims at promoting active intercultural engagement over an extended period of time, in which a high level of cooperation among team members is necessary to ensure the success of the project. Furthermore, in-depth study of the topics on multiculturalism outside the classroom setting, which requires them to engage with people from different cultural backgrounds in the process of the study, will enhance students’ understanding, awareness, and appreciation of cultural diversity.

Promoting Internationalisation between Local and Non-Local Students on Grouping in Course Work – Dr. Kris Pan (HKUST)

Case summary: In this course-based project, students were required to form groups that at least include one local and one non-local student in the completion of assignments and class activities. Instead of allowing students to form groups by themselves, the research team aimed to encourage the interaction between locals and non‐locals. Throughout the whole course, it was expected that they will discuss on the assignments and communicate in the designed games. This would improve the learning environment by encouraging the student to participate in more in-class activities. Through the grouping in assignments and games, students can also interact and communicate with people from a different culture and despite the possible language barriers. The evaluation method included a survey questionnaire and focus group interview. In line with the development of pandemics, it got more difficult to find enough non-local students to form a group. To address it, the researchers used a random allocation approach so that the students could meet more people from various backgrounds in each weekly class activity. This can be easily done through Zoom platform breakdown room function. Students showed positive feedback to this idea more than the original arrangement, especially during this COVID-19 pandemic which prevents the physical interactions of students. It is expected that they can meet more students from different cultures.