ICIA: Enhancing Cross-Cultural Communication and Transnational Perspectives

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ICIA Enhancing Cross-Cultural Communication and
Transnational Perspectives
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Curricular Themes and Sites

• Fall Semester Sites South Africa, Tibet, Brazil,
  U.S.
• Spring Semester Sites Vietnam, Great Britain,
  Iraq, U.S.

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International Partners

• International Rescue Committee Working in over
  25 countries, including with immigrants in the
  San Diego region, to provide relief, resettlement
  services, and advocacy for people uprooted or
  affected by war and oppression.

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International Partners

• Horace Mann Middle School a neighborhood school
  serving a predominantly immigrant population and
  launching an innovative curriculum focusing on
  social justice

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Learning Objectives

• Foster cross-cultural and historical
  understandings of identity (cultural, national,
  racial, ethnic, religious, sexual, gender,
  political) within a global context
• Enhance students abilities to construct bridge
  between learning inside and outside the classroom
  and across cultural and national boundaries

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Learning Objectives

• To deepen critical reflection on the
  interrelationship of peoples on different parts
  of the globe
• Foster appreciation of difference and diversity
• Acquire skills that enhance communication and
  understanding among diverse constituencies
  (students, faculty, community learning partners,
  site directors)

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Learning Objectives

• Draw upon multiple sources, methods, and
  perspectives to enhance global understandings and
  critical thinking abilities
• Develop multiple literacies.

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Service Learning Blogs

• Students compiled a semester-long service
  learning blog that required their reflections on
  the connections between the service experience
  and other course content.
• Goals
• Increase student interaction concerning service
  learning experience
• Increase and streamline faculty feedback.
• https//blackboard.sdsu.edu/webapps/portal/framese
  t.jsp?tabcoursesurl/bin/common/course.pl?course
  _id_99599_1

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Blogs for Service-Learning Site Directors

• Address serious challenges of communication among
  students, faculty, service-learning site
  directors.
• Must be in place from day one.

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Changes?

• Most students unfamiliar with blogs.
• Prepare a checklist for students to better
  prepare them for success.
• Like any long-term, ongoing assignment, clear
  check-points necessary throughout the semester
  that provide faculty monitoring and help students
  address questions and problems.

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Student Power Point Presentations

• Required of all students as way to represent
  important aspects of service-learning experience
• Translation of service learning experience into
  academic language and academic forum, e.g.
  providing historical context to their experience
  for their faculty and peers.
• Bridge between classroom learning and
  community-learning experience.
• Enriched curriculum for all students by creating
  globalized curriculum for peers.
• Introduce the sites to others who may be working
  at the alternative site next semester or in the
  future.

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Student Achievements with Technology

• Outstanding use of technology directly integrated
  into class performance (visual, charts, text,
  music, images).
• Global curriculum enhanced through link back into
  readings with international content and specific
  curricular themes such as multiple cultural
  identities.

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ASSESSMENT

• Selected response format assessment that
  addresses general learning objectives
• Open narrative response format that contains
  relevant information
• Selected response survey collecting data on use
  of technology specifically
• Power-point portfolio assessment by three-person
  faculty team
• Service learning blog questions specifically
  address objective of acquire skills that enhance
  communication