Impact of a Global Engineering Course on Student Cultural Intelligence and Cross-Cultural Communication

Abstract

Cultural intelligence has been referred to using many different terms, including global competence, intercultural sensitivity, and cross-cultural communication. In our study we use Ang et al.'s (2007) definition for this construct: "an individual's capability to function and manage effectively in culturally diverse settings" (p. 336). Although several models have been developed to describe this concept (e.g., Bennett, 1986; King & Baxter Magolda, 2005), there are commonalities between them. Many of these models describe a developmental framework where individuals move from earlier to later stages across multiple dimensions of development. These dimensions represent different types of development that combine together to describe a larger construct, allowing for the possibility that individuals may develop along dimensions at different rates (Evans, Forney, Guido, Patton, & Renn, 2010). The current study adopts this developmental perspective on cultural intelligence and measures four different dimensions: Cognitive, Meta-Cognitive, Behavioral, and Motivational. The Cognitive dimension addresses the "knowledge" component of cultural intelligence. Building this knowledge involves developing an awareness of cultural norms, practices, and conventions (Ang et al., 2007). Understanding both the common behaviors of another culture and reasons for these behaviors can improve an individual's ability to interact successfully and respectfully within that culture (Brislin, Worthley, & McNab, 2006). The Meta-Cognitive dimension considers the mental processes used to expand one's cultural understanding. Part of developing cultural intelligence is monitoring and adjusting mental models surrounding cultural norms and practices (Ang et al., 2007). Providing training with reflective prompts to prepare students for interactions that include cultural differences can help individuals begin to develop this skill (Triandis, 2006). The Behavioral dimension describes the ability of an individual to practice appropriate actions when interacting with another culture. Both verbal and non-verbal aspects of behavior are important in adjusting to different cultural settings (Ang et al., 2007). Learning such behavior often requires a combination of training and experience in which individuals actually interact in cross-cultural situations (Triandis, 2006). The Motivational dimension captures the energy an individual devotes to learning about cultural differences and how to work across them (Ang et al., 2007). The magnitude of this energy relates to their expectation of succeeding and value for achievement of a specific task (Eccles & Wigfield, 2002). Thus, an individual's motivational cultural intelligence connects to both their interest and confidence in interacting across cultures.

Developing Global Competency Virtually: Student Experiences in a Global Program That Transitioned Online due to the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…Second, it is possible that changes in the assignment content throughout the course presented more opportunities for students to explore international challenges independently and therefore may have peaked their interests and awareness. In either case, these findings indicate that we were able to provide experiences that improved students' global engineering competency without traveling, supporting earlier work on this topic but extending it to learning in a virtual environment (e.g., Davis & Knight, 2018;Render et al, 2017;Soria & Troisi, 2014).…”

“…Consequently, it is essential to explore opportunities for students to develop global competence on their home campus through extracurricular activities (Soria & Troisi, 2014), cultural simulations (Davis et al, 2019), or collaborative online international learning (Ogden & Ogna, 2020), among others. Prior work has suggested that students can develop global competence through traditional courses focused on global topics (Davis & Knight, 2018;Kinoshita et al, 2016), but less research has focused on virtual global learning experiences. If such experiences can be designed effectively, they have the potential to open access to global learning to students who might otherwise be unable to participate.…”

Cultural intelligence of chemical engineering students: A demographics study

“…To the best of the authors' knowledge, the use of CQ across engineering education studiesand indeed, across the STEM education literature-is extremely limited, and thus a potential tool for understanding how to enhance students' cultural capital to effectively work in global environments remains unexploited (Davis and Knight (2018)). Herein, we report for the first time a complete characterisation and analysis of the cultural intelligence of a large, diverse final-year BEng Chemical Engineering cohort by means of a validated cultural intelligence scale protocol (CQS) to assess the following research question: What are the most significant demographic characteristics that correlate with the level of cultural intelligence of undergraduate chemical engineering students?…”

From Study-Abroad to Study-at-Home: Teaching Cross-Cultural Design Thinking During COVID-19

“…Shared experiences with family can make it easier to reflect after a course is over, which is key to a successful study-abroad. 2 However, these observations may not generalize to post-pandemic online offerings. Due to the societal impacts of the pandemic, students are currently spending more time with their families than with fellow students.…”