Making Intercultural Connections: students promoting intercultural engagement Intercultural Connections Southampton has been running for the last 2 years and aims to facilitate better intercultural relations within and beyond the University of Southampton. Working closely with students we have held a highly successful intercultural festival (Welcome to our World) at which we had events and workshops facilitated by University staff, students and local groups. Linked to this we have developed a Cultural Game workshop to raise awareness of the experience of moving cultures which includes having to learn and adapt to different ways of doing and being. Finally, we have recently launched a pilot Intercultural Impact Awards scheme through which students can gain recognition for their efforts in developing projects to promote intercultural awareness and exchange. This is being rolled out as part of our Language Opportunity Scheme, which offers students free language and intercultural communication courses. We currently offer certificates of attendance for all students participating in this scheme but hope to enhance this through the intercultural impact awards scheme through which students can earn (digital) achievement badges. We are also investigating opportunities to develop a student-led social enterprise which will use some of the outcomes of the student projects in order to support and sustain the awards programme in the future.

1. Making an
Intercultural Impact
Alison Dickens, University of Southampton
AULC Conference 12-13 January 2017

2. 2
Overview
• How it all started (Intercultural Connections and
Southampton Language Opportunity)
• The Intercultural Impact Award Scheme
• What we have done so far
• Creating an awards scheme: digital or open badges
• What next?

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• Two-year project funded by UoS
• Two strands: staff development and network & student-led
projects and events
– Two surveys: students and staff
– CPD for staff (teaching and support staff workshops)
– Staff network inc. intercultural cafe
– Intercultural event: WOW festival
– Intercultural workshop: Culture Game
– Intercultural impact award scheme
Intercultural Connections Southampton

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Intercultural Connections Southampton

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Intercultural Connections Southampton

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Intercultural Connections Southampton

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Intercultural Connections Southampton

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• Free language courses for students across the University since
2014
• Introduced Intercultural Communication 2015
• High demand, especially among international students, but
– Non-credit bearing
– High student drop-out
– Little reward (attendance certificate), hence
• Intercultural Impact Awards 2016 (in progress)
Southampton Language Opportunity

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Intercultural Impact Awards

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• Builds on ICS project
• Integrated within SLO scheme
• Student-led (currently managed by two student interns)
• Linked to Students Union Culture Week
• Links to City of Southampton
• Can generate income – some scoping of the potential for a social
enterprise has been undertaken (also by students)
• Rewarded with digtial badge(s) – at least that is the plan
Intercultural Impact Awards

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Planning Christmas
Holidays
January
Exams
4 weeks 4 weeks 8 weeks
Summer
Exams
PHASE I PHASE II
Culture Festival• The Plan
Intercultural Impact Awards

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Phase I:
•Recruit students (21 applications)
•Intercultural training and group bonding
•Small groups projects – design an activity for Culture Week
•Presented to panel
•Panel selection of ideas to take forward to Phase II
Intercultural Impact Awards: so far

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Phase I ideas:
•Photo competition
•Cultural treasure hunt
•Interactive Map activity
•World Ball
•Food swap
Student presentations
Intercultural Impact Awards: so far

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Phase II :
All students working together on:
1.World Ball
2.Interactive map stall
3.#Humans of Southampton Photo competition
Intercultural Impact Awards

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• A “digital badge” is an online, web-enabled signifier of an
accomplishment, competence, skill, quality, or interest.
• Collections of digital open badges can serve as living transcripts or
virtual resumés of competencies and qualities that communicate to key
stakeholders such as peers, schools, higher education institutions, or
employers.
• In higher education they can be used to create incentives for students to
engage a range of learning and social behaviours – they may have a
particular impact where extra-curricular or non-accredited activities
are concerned
• open badges enable the warranting of capabilities including those that
are difficult to measure (such as teamwork and intercultural
competence).
Extracts from: Harvey, F. (2016). Framework for Open Badges Report. University of Southampton
Digital Open Badges

16. 16Open Badge Factory website FAQ
Digital/open Badges

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Digital Badges University of Southampton

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Digital Badge: intercultural impact (draft)

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• Student events (semester 2)
• Development and award of open badges for intercultural
impact and Southampton Language Opportunity
• Evaluation of pilot
• Plans (and funding) for 2017/18
• ???
What next

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• Twitter: @ImpactAwardSot
• Blog: http://www.southampton.ac.uk/interculturalawards/
Or contact us:
• intercultural@soton.ac.uk
Thank you for listening
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