Intercultural Communication and Leadership Course to be Offered at All CIEE Locations

By Alexandra Wood

By Academic Year 2020, all CIEE locations worldwide will offer the course Intercultural Communication and Leadership (ICL).

We consistently see meaningful movement by ICL students along the Intercultural Development Continuum, which IDI, LLC describes as a set of knowledge/attitude/skill sets or orientations toward cultural difference and commonality. We see ICL students across terms, program models (traditional semester vs short-term, such as summer), and regions shifting their cultural perspective, and moving towards a mindset of acceptance and adaptation.

Furthermore, pre/post assessment of students’ Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) scores demonstrates that the ICL supports student growth and helps students have a more positive perception of their study abroad experience.

ICL continues to be CIEE’s top-enrolled course worldwide, with nearly double the student registrations vs the next highest enrolled course title, International Marketing, which is offered both by CIEE and by host institutions.

We’ve found that ICL has been particularly powerful for Frederick Douglass Global Fellows, ten outstanding students from Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) who are selected through a competitive process to attend an intensive study abroad program focused on leadership and intercultural communication. For the third consecutive summer, strong IDI average change results and positive student feedback indicate that the Frederick Douglass Global Fellowship program’s four-week ICL curriculum – which is enhanced by skilled instructors, IDI debriefs, and professional digital storytelling resources – collectively make a major impact on student outcomes.