Applying Your Skills: Cultural Competence and UDL
Now it’s time to put your communication skills into action. To complete this section, you will choose and complete ONE of the two activities below. Both options allow you to demonstrate your understanding of key communication competencies while providing flexibility in how you showcase your skills.
Each activity is designed to align with the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL), meaning you have the freedom to select the format that best suits your strengths and interests. Within your chosen activity, you may also encounter additional choices to further personalize your learning experience.
Once you have successfully completed your chosen activity, follow the instructions to review your work using the provided self-assessment criteria and submit your final version within the forms below.
If you have any questions during this process, feel free to reach out to Dr. Christine Crefton at christine.crefton@montgomerycollege.edu for guidance.
Activity 1: Reflection on Cross-Cultural Communication
This reflection exercise is designed to help you apply the concepts covered in your readings on intercultural communication. By reflecting on your own cultural norms or engaging with someone from a different culture, you’ll deepen your understanding of how communication varies across different cultural contexts. This awareness is essential for navigating global interactions effectively, both in personal and professional settings.
Choose one of the following options to complete this reflection:
Option 1: Create a Guide for Effective Cross-Cultural Communication
Using the concepts addressed in your readings, design a guide that offers practical tips for effective cross-cultural communication. Your guide should help others navigate the complexities of communicating across cultures by addressing the following:
- Directness vs. Indirectness:
- Reflect on your own cultural approach to directness in communication. Does your culture value straightforwardness, or is subtlety more common?
- Offer at least two strategies for adapting your communication style when interacting with someone from a culture that differs in its approach to directness. Use real-life examples to illustrate how you might handle such situations, drawing on what you’ve learned about high-context and low-context cultures.
- Nonverbal Communication:
- Consider the nonverbal cues prevalent in your culture, such as eye contact, gestures, and personal space. How do these cues influence communication?
- Provide at least two tips for being mindful of nonverbal differences when engaging with people from other cultures. Incorporate examples from your readings, such as the importance of nonverbal communication in high-context cultures.
- Communication Hierarchies:
- Explore how your culture views communication hierarchies, including respect for authority and formality.
- Explain how understanding cultural hierarchies can improve communication, particularly in multicultural settings. Use examples from the content, such as the impact of formality in business etiquette across different cultures.
- Real-Life Examples:
- Share personal experiences where you successfully adapted your communication to suit different cultural norms, or where you faced challenges. Reflect on how these experiences align with the concepts discussed in your readings, such as the importance of avoiding ethnocentrism and embracing cultural differences.
Option 2: Interview and Reflect
Engage in a conversation with a friend or acquaintance from a different culture who is willing to discuss their experiences with cross-cultural communication. Use the following prompts to guide your interview and reflection:
- Communication Styles:
- Ask how their culture approaches communication. Do they prefer direct or indirect communication? What are the norms around giving and receiving feedback? Reflect on these insights in relation to the concepts of high-context and low-context cultures discussed in your readings.
- Nonverbal Cues:
- Discuss nonverbal communication in their culture. What are some common gestures, eye contact practices, or personal space expectations that differ from your own culture? Consider how these differences align with what you’ve learned about the role of nonverbal communication in different cultural contexts.
- Hierarchy and Respect:
- Explore how their culture handles communication with people in various social or professional positions. How do they show respect to elders, authority figures, or colleagues? Reflect on how these cultural norms compare with the importance of formality and respect discussed in your readings.
- Cross-Cultural Experiences:
- Ask your friend to share an experience where they had to adapt their communication style when interacting with someone from a different culture. What challenges did they face, and how did they overcome them? Reflect on these experiences, considering the importance of intercultural communication and the need for openness and patience in overcoming cultural barriers.
- Reflection:
- Reflect on the insights gained from this conversation. How might you apply what you’ve learned to improve your own cross-cultural communication? Consider how this reflection aligns with the principles discussed in your readings, such as the need for ongoing learning and the importance of considering multiple points of view.
Submission Guidelines:
- Whether you choose to create a guide or conduct an interview, your reflection should be thoughtful and detailed. Use real-life examples to illustrate your points and demonstrate your understanding of cross-cultural communication, ensuring that your work aligns with the concepts covered in your readings.
- This Reflection Document includes format requirements and a rubric will be used to assess your reflection, ensuring it meets the necessary criteria for comprehensive and thoughtful engagement with the course material. Please refer to it and use it as your guide.
- Note: A score of 80 or above is required to pass this assignment.
Activity 2: UDL Case Studies
Choose one of the three case studies and examine the following questions and complete the form below:
- What are the barriers for educators and learners?
- What is the impact of each barrier on each stakeholder (e.g., learners, educators, the institution, etc.)?
- How might UDL reduce or eliminate each barrier?
Case Study 1
An international student is hoping to take a classics course. However, as they are reviewing the course description and assessment methods, they notice that the majority of their grade will rely on oral communication like presentations, class discussions and participation, as well as a debate activity. The learner’s written communication skills are very strong, and they have been successful in a variety of other courses, thus far. However, they are less confident regarding their verbal expression as their first language is not English. They are passionate about history, feel they could do very well in the course and are excited to learn, but the format of the course gives them pause.
Case Study 2
An Indigenous student is in her first year of college. She is living with family friends, has made a number of new friends, participates in student clubs, and is progressing well in all of her first-year courses. While she has created community outside of the classroom, she does not feel connected to much of the course content or assigned readings. Her professor appears to be a supportive educator, and they have discussed this issue. However, the faculty member does not feel comfortable or qualified to add Indigenous elements to the curriculum, and the institution has few services to support the professor.
Case Study 3
Every semester, folks in the Office of Financial Aid field hundreds of emails and phone calls from frustrated parents and students struggling to navigate financial support systems. A group of educators in the office are preparing to deliver an introductory session to prospective students on how to apply for financial aid. They wish to let students know about the options that exist (forms, processes, scholarships, etc.), how to apply for each option, what the timelines are and where to go for help if needed. The content is dry, there are many complicated steps, and there is a significant amount of information.
You are invited to record your responses in the way that works best for you, which may include writing in the provided boxes within the form, questions 5, 6, and 7. You will notice that they are not required answers. You can instead choose to upload a drawing, create an audio or video file, mind map, or any other method that will allow you to reflect and refer back to your thoughts on the three questions. Please refer to the Rubric for Activity 2 for more information on how this assignment will be graded.
Case studies adapted from Universal Design for Learning (UDL) for Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility (IDEA) Copyright © 2022 by Darla Benton Kearney is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.