Developing the Competence of University Staff’s Professional Communication With International Students in Multicultural Educational Environment

Abstract

A modern educational environment of higher professional education is becoming more multicultural. However, not all universities are able to provide a comfortable multicultural educational environment: university staff experience different issues in communication with international students. The aim of the article is to specify the term “professional communication competence of the university staff with international students” and define the forms and methods for developing this competence. The term “professional communication competence of the university staff with international students” is defined in the basis of the analysis of research literature on the topic of intercultural communication in higher education. Taking into account the principles of andragogy and the concept of humane oriented education, the forms and methods of adult learning and teaching were defined (discussions, case study, gamification). The research results can be used to design and implement the training programs to advance university staff proficiency. The novelty of the research is in the description of the forms and methods of developing the university staff’s professional communication competence in view of age-specific features in a multicultural educational environment.