Eighteenth International Conference on Diversity in Organizations, Communities & Nations

Abstract

Through a lens grounded in the six foundational characteristics of connected learning (interest-powered, production centered, peer supported, shared purpose, academically oriented, and openly-networked) this study will identify how online mediated learning through networked sites, in combination with professional training and personal experiences, influence the development of intercultural competency in graduate students. Questionnaires and interviews illuminate insights into how groups, platforms, resources, support structures, and relationships influence the negotiation of intercultural competency and cultural empathy. This research lies at the intersection of higher education, intercultural competency, and connected learning by examining why students participate and persist in the development of intercultural competency, what challenges students face along the way, how students reconcile conflict and create opportunities, and how students define salient learning outcomes.