Cultural Intelligence: Training for Professionals in Higher Education (CPD)

Abstract

To address an issue, there must first be proof, indicating that the issue is present and it exists. The artefact chosen for this module is a training program that focuses on enhancing lecturers Cultural Intelligence within higher education institutions, primarily focusing on international integration and cultural competence for teaching international students. This will include examining the tactical and experiential application of inclusive methods, theories and internationalisation practices with significant focus on CPD for lecturers for developing lecturers' understanding on international student needs, cultural integration and addressing intrinsic bias.

Lecturers in the United Kingdom may not be aware of gaps in their own social, emotional and cultural intelligence; this can be due to the United Kingdom often being deemed as one of the trailblazers of standards for education. Baron (1996) shared that “emotional intelligence” can be defined as the capacity to successfully communicate emotion with others and rationalise and convey your feelings; “emotional intelligence” requires self awareness concerning the individual's feelings and the capacity to adjust and regulate this when interacting with others.

Due to globalisation, the scope of how H.E is delivered has changed:This research is significant because international students are prone to falling through the gaps in the UK education system (The Pie News, 2021). Lecturers in Higher Education (H.E.) are not always armed with the proper knowledge and tools to effectively communicate with international students, therefore, when communication gaps become blind spots, international students can fall short educationally, which in turn creates the achievement gap (The Pie News, 2021). The achievement gap is part of the foundation that supports the importance of equity; within the UK’s Higher education institutions, there is a running misconception that equality is equivalent to equal, however, the achievement gap highlights that this is not the case (Glickman, Gordon, & Ross-Gordon, 2013).

Education and culture are closely interlinked. Hofstede (1997) in his theory on cultural dimensions, posits that the culture of a country has an impact on significant areas of society. Within the United Kingdom, the culture can be deemed to be individualist (Hofstede, 1997) and education originally was for affluent families until the 1870’s. Lecturers that are educated in the UK may find gaps in their cultural competence, due to the fact that they've never had to implement cultural competence into a dominant cultures’ education system; lack of competence can lead to performance disparities amongst lecturers, which can impact the overall outcome of student achievement.

This training proposal is imperative because all students deserve a fair opportunity while in attendance at university. The University of Wolverhampton accepts students from 140 countries; as a learning body, it needs to be paramount that cultural differences are considered when it pertains to coupling up equality of opportunity and equality of outcome.

It is our desire that through the successful completion of this artefact, lecturers will gain insight and understanding on international integration issues, develop abilities to identify barriers to progression–such as cultural intelligence–, and understand the role they play in developing and maintaining an inclusive learning environment at an institutional level.