Intercultural competence resources

Resources and opportunities to engage across cultures in a positive way

What is intercultural competence?

Intercultural competence (ICC) can be defined as “The ability to develop targeted knowledge, skills and attitudes that lead to visible behaviour and communication that are both effective and appropriate in intercultural interactions” (Deardorff, 2006).

In other words, ICC helps us become aware of our own and others’ culture, perspectives, attitudes, behaviours, and identities leading to more meaningful and mindful interactions across cultures. ICC is for life, as we expand our worldview and intentionally focus on applying skills in all spheres of our lives, at home and abroad.

Our current resources include: 

• Framework for anti-racism and intercultural competence
• Open-source modules for developing intercultural competence

For questions about ICC resources, contact Sandra López-Rocha. Or connect with Sacha Geer to learn more about the Global Learning team's work.

 Framework for anti-racism and intercultural competence (ARICC)

The ARICC framework is a three part document that emerged from the need to address misconceptions around the parity between anti-racism and intercultural competence. These two areas often intersect, and encourage meaningful transformations when combined.

The framework offers some clarity on how aspects of anti-racism and intercultural competence converge and differ. It provides a comparative list highlighting the focus of each of these areas along with an explanation on how they converge. Although the two areas may have a different approach to content and emphasis, they often align in practice.

The last part of this framework includes scenarios with examples of the type of content and approach required to address a given issue, to determine the most appropriate training.

 Open-source modules for developing intercultural competence 

This project was funded by a grant from eCampus Ontario with the goal of developing content for a short-duration learning. Through support from a cross-campus team of collaborators, the project focused on

• promoting learning, appreciation, and understanding of cultural differences,

• creating opportunities to engage cultures by valuing unique perspectives and life experiences, and

• utilizing intrinsic and extrinsic strategies to interact and communicate across cultural groups.

How to use it

This interactive, open-access program has three successive modules, with the option for you to select specific topics to focus on. It uses various media types to help learners reflect and think critically, and also provides instant feedback, key points, strategies, self-evaluation and practical steps for intercultural learning.

The estimated time for completion of the program is 12 hours (four hours per module). While users have the option to pause and continue later, answers are not saved on the platform. All content and activities are supported by intercultural development theory and real-life examples, making it relatable and engaging.

This program is available in two languages.