Intercultural Framework

Addressing the themes of interactional diversity and the enhancement of programs and services, the International Centres across the three campuses came together to develop and execute an Intercultural Competence Development Project. This project was funded through the International Student Experience Fund to measurably bolster global fluency at U of T.

Incorporating aspects of Milton Bennett’s intercultural model, Darla Deardorff’s Intercultural Competence Model and the Social Change Model of Leadership, Intercultural Learning online modules were created. The modules were divided into three parts: Self, Other and Global. These modules were available for inclusion in curricular and co-curricular Quercus courses to support the development of global fluency and to equip students with the skills to communicate confidently across cultures in both academic and informal settings.

Through partnership development, Dr. Darla Deardorff, a renowned researcher in intercultural competence, was invited to be a guest speaker for professional development workshops for the tri-campus community.

Global Fluencies asynchronous training modules are being developed based on the Enhancing Intercultural Development Framework to provide mandatory and independent intercultural learning opportunities for teaching assistants (TAs).

Project results:

• Environmental scan (32 interviews, 150 student survey responses)
• IDI qualified administrators trained (11 staff)
• IDI assessments conducted (1,067 students; 24 staff/faculty)
• 3 professional development sessions (211 staff, faculty, post-doc participants)
• 1 Intercultural Framework
• 3 accompanying online modules
• 76 staff/faculty consulted for feedback during “roadshow”

Building on the competencies created through the Intercultural Framework, the Intercultural Learning Program was updated to include the foundations of the framework. A total of 398 students participated in the workshops organized for the Intercultural Learning Program (ILP). ILP supported 27 students in achieving Co-Curricular Record (CCR) recognition and a certificate of completion, with a satisfaction rating of 4.8 out of 5.

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