Course organization, timetable, assignments, assessment

 Students going abroad form Centria are recommended to take the Training course for studies or work placement abroad course, that leads to 2 ECTS credits. This is how the course is organized.

The training course follows your exchange study or work placement. Each path follows this process: Pre-departure, During exchange and Return. However, the pace is unique, since you follow the academic calendar of your host University or work placement.







Pre-departure: The learning path starts with the Pre-departure training, part one (1). This workshop is organized twice a year, in October or March yearly. Pre-departure training part two (2) is also organized twice, In November/December or April yearly.

During Exchange: You will do two assignments during your exchange, that will help you integrate into the new environment, as well as give us and future exchange students information about your host University or work placement. The assignments are due before your return to Centria.

Return: Return workshops are organized in connection with the pre-departure training courses. There is also a return workshop in August yearly.


Fun, together and engaging - Strengthens your self-esteem and so much more. 

 
Formal learning objective: 

• Student can explain the basics of intercultural development and global competence.
• The student can be effective in the new host country by being successful in studies or work placement and has made connections (friends)
• The student is more aware of him/herself and can analyze, reflect and communicate cultrual learning and global cmpetence
• The student can communicate to other students and employers, what characteristics and competences he/she has developed.

Assignments

Predeparture

• You will have Pre-assignments before your exchange, that will help you prepare for your period abroad. 
  Focus is also on Intercultural development

During exchange

• These are two during exchange assignements. 
  • Letter or video home
  • Describe, Interpret, Evaluate

Return

• No separate assignment for the return workshop
  
  
  Requirements
  Participation in three meetings. Pre-departure training 1, Pre-departure training 2 and the return workshop
  Completion of the Assignments
  Sharing to other students about your experience
  Assessment
  Pass or fail 
   

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Assingment (2) during exchange - Describe - Interpret - Evaluate

Your time abroad has probably been diversified; with many joyful moments but some periods of difficulty usually pops in. The second assignment is an analysis of a "cultural bump" that you have experienced during your time abroad. In this assignment, you can with time look in more detail into a cultural difference (bump) that hopefully helps you understand it better. The cultural bump doesn't have to be something negative, it can also be a positive norm in the host culture. 

I want you to Describe, Interpret and Evaluate (D-I-E) a situation that you found perhaps unexpected or different to what you are used to. Focus on the different stages, and please separate the post so that you firstly Describe, then Interpret and lastly Evaluate. 

1. DESCRIBE: Think of one episode that you think was unusual/different from a cultural perspective. It doesn't have to be anything negative, it can also be something you really like in the host culture. Describe the object or situation in concrete, observable terms. What happened in the interaction? What was said? What did you see? What did you feel at the moment?

2. INTERPRET: Think of possible explanations (interpretations) for what you observed or experienced. From your cultural perspective, try to explain why you think this situation or experience occurred? Try to find at least 3 different interpretations of the interaction or occurrence. What cultural information have you used to produce these interpretations?  

3. EVALUATE: Evaluate what you observed or experienced. What positive or negative feelings do you have regarding the situation? Consider how you might feel if you were a member of the host culture and held the dominant cultural values and beliefs?

Format: Blog post

Title: D-I-E + name of host country (e.g. D-I-E Venezuela)

Label: D-I-E, your name, country (e.g. D-I-E, Linda Krokfors, Venezuela

Picture: add at least one appropriate picture

Deadline: Do the task as a blog post and post it latest 3 months after the start of your exchange.

Peer commenting: Comment on at least two other posts

Please make a thorough post, writing with full sentences and with thought. Separate Describe, Interpret and Evaluate, so that you write about them in different sections. Read other students posts as well and comment.

Good luck!

Pre-assingnment for session on 13.12.2017 (Pre-departure training, part 2)

Dear students,

Welcome to the pre-departure training, part 2, on Wednesday 13.12 from 9:00-13:00 in Pauha 1.

We will focus in this session in the upcoming exchange. You will meet other students who have been studying abroad. We will seek to understand what intercultural development and global competence really is so that you can integrate and be effective in the new environment.
The material for the class can be found here: Pre-departure trainining material 13 December 2018

Pre-assignment for 13.12.2017

You have a pre-assignment related to the Development model of Intercultural Sensitivity. Please watch the video before hand, so you understand what it is all about, and do the assignment before class. We will go through the assignment in class.

You can, alongside, read this material "Strategies for developing intercultural competence" from R. Michael Page, Maximizing study abroad. (Found also in Optima).  

The video and material goes through the theory, stage by stage and gives examples.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSEJAZLMS64

Crosscultural Teaching -- Ethnocentrism and Ethnorelativism www.youtube.com This explains Bennett's stages of intercultural sensitivity.

To do before class:

1. Please reflect upon every stage of the intercultural sensitivity model. 

      What thoughts and reflections does a person have when she/he experiences something new from a cultural aspect, when she/he is in the a. denial stage, b. defense stage  c. minimization stage, d. acceptance stage, e. adaptation stage and e. integration? 
      Explain how a person feels, reacts or thinks in all the different stages, when experiencing a cultural difference.

2. In what stage are you, right now?

3. Why do we need to be culturally competent?

Write down notes for yourself, so that you can discuss the theory, the stages and your own perspective in class.

Learning objective: 

Understanding what intercultural sensitivity is and understanding the intercultural sensitivity model. 

Understanding the different stages.

Self-assessment and reflection of the different stages - recognizing in what stage you are in this model.

Understanding why intercultural competence and intercultural sensitivity is useful.

Letter home - Assignment 1

Dear students,

I hope you are all doing very well and that you are having a great exchange. '

You're now in different parts of the world, doing an internship or studying in a new environment. You're experiencing new cultural norms, meeting new people, new learning styles and teaching methods, eating different food than usual and spending your study and free time with new people, that can quickly become very close friends.

There are two assignments that you need to do during the exchange, and this is the first one. In this assignment, you will write/talk about your new environment, describe the highlights and the challenges.

The readers are the other students from the exchange student group and other students, that are thinking about going to the same University or internship in the future. We need you to give insights into your internship or exchange.

Technical instructions:
The length of the blog post is min. 300 words. It needs to include at least one picture, but can include more.

The video should be min 1 minute. If you make a video, you can upload it to e.g. youtube and share the link to the blog. If there are 2 students in the same University, you may do one assignment together. If there are 3 students, please make one written blog post and one video.

Use the following Labels to the assignment: Letter home, County, University name (applicable to exchange studies), your full name.

Answer in your blog post or video to the following questions:
1. In what country and University are you studying? /
Where are you doing your internship?

2. In what Study program are you studying at Centria?

3. What are the courses like at the host University? or What has your work placement been like?

4. Describe the study culture? / What is the corporate culture like?

5. What is your study group like?

6. Please describe what the everyday life is like in your host country? What do you like in particular?

7. What has been challenging? Why?

8. What has been the highlight of your exchange so far?

Deadline:
The blogpost/video needs to be done by 15 October.  

Peer commenting:
Please comment on at least 2 blog posts or videos. Remember to be constructive and encouraging! 

Learning outcome:You are able to look in more detail into the surrounding learning environment or work environment.
You can describe what the teaching methods/corporate culture is like.
You can explain what the everyday life is like in your host country.
You can bring out the highlights of your exchange, so far.
You are also able to explain what has been challenging and explain why.
 

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