Maximising the Study Abroad Experience

Abstract

Given societal stakeholders’ (Government, employers, workers, educators, students) increasingly recognize intercultural competence as being a crucial aspect of one’s human capital development in this contemporary globalized world, the nurturing of interculturally competent graduates is thus a meaningful outcome of internationalization efforts in higher education. At CityU, globalization is embedded into our strategic plans, with a goal to "Enhance students’ international perspectives, global awareness and multicultural sensitivity". Yet despite growing interest and mobility amongst CityU students to spend a semester or a summer on a study abroad experience, unfortunately most students are ill-prepared, and thus do not maximise on this valuable opportunity of a potentially life-transforming event. It is therefore vital that some (pre-departure) intervention be provided to assist students to derive maximum benefits from going overseas for an immersion experience. The purpose therefore is to facilitate this learning process by: first, motivating students and then aiding them to clarify their rationale for choosing to study abroad; guiding them to better understand what actions may be required to actively enhance their intercultural competence, and highlighting methods for further developing their cultural intelligence; guiding them to on how to effectively communicate and articulate their intercultural learning experiences with peers (to contribute back into our CityU community) and prospective employers (for job search and career purposes).