AfK-Nr. 693 Seminar: Global Competence: Cross-Cultural Skills for an Interconnected World

In many areas of study, cultural sensitivity and adaptability are essential qualities for success – before and after graduation. By increasing self-awareness, global perspective, and cultural intelligence, students open many valuable doors for themselves. In this e-learning course, you will examine the importance of certain skills areas for global competence, and subsequently, focus on cross-cultural communication skills as part of being a globally competent citizen of the 21st century. A particular emphasis will be taken on management (and self-management) in culturally diverse settings such as international teams.
It will provide selected practical strategies and tools to more effectively and appropriately navigate cultural differences, and learn and grow through intercultural learning experiences. We will be utilizing the GlobeSmart Profile©, a statistically validated cultural intelligence software that identifies your personal work style and allows you to compare your results with peers from different cultural backgrounds. You will be able to reflect on how to bridge style differences and leverage similarities, so you can work and study effectively with individuals both locally and abroad.
The course is comprised of five self-study units (e-modules). Each module takes about 1-2 hours to complete, there is no fixed order through the modules – just explore topics that you want to learn more about at your own pace. In each e-module, the learning content you need to know will be presented through a collection of multimedia formats (text, video, audio). You can learn by reading articles, watching videos, listening to several audio units, taking several short quizzes, and other OLAs (online learning activities) to help you check your understanding.
Course structure (as it will be displayed in ILIAS)
Welcome page | Course Info | FAQ-Section | Intro: Warm-Up-Activity
Module 01: What is culture? Why is it important? Why cultural diversity and inclusion matter?
Module 02: Culture, Values, Worldviews: Developing Cross-Cultural Skills
Module 03: How GlobeSmart are you? Reflecting work-style, communication, and cultural differences
Module 04: Communication across cultures: challenges and strategies
Module 05: Culture and Leadership: The Journey Continues
Written Assignment + Submissions | Your virtual takeaway bag | Discussion Forum

Examination requirements:
To pass this course and gain 2 CP accordingly, you are expected to 1) complete all 5 e-modules (learning progress green indicator for minimum 4 e-modules), 2) submit a short written essay (either in English or German), 3) participate in the online Discussion Forum (you may contribute in English or German). Deadline: 3rd July 2021.

IMPORTANT NOTE.
This asynchronous course is self-learning or self-paced, which means that you alone direct the pace and intensity of your engagement with the course. From the moment the course content is activated in ILIAS, you can start learning immediately and study according to your schedule throughout the semester until the closing deadline.

Online activation: 3rd May 2021, closure deadline: 3rd July 2021.

There will be two synchronous sessions via video conference:
• Kick-off session: 30th April 2021, 3:00 pm – 4.30 pm and
• Wrapping-up session: 2nd Juli 2021, 3:00 pm – 4.30 pm
(Link will follow in the info email before the course starts.)

The learning contents are accessible to you around the clock, at least as long as you are logged in to ILIAS. The e-modules are multimedia-based and go beyond a mere collection of Pdfs. The entire course work and interactions within the course are carried out completely via the internet on the ILIAS learning platform. An integrated Discussion Forum will allow you to interact with the instructor and your fellow students. The learning progress is displayed to you accordingly in ILIAS (a digital color-coding system is integrated).