Practical Introductory Course to Develop Cross-Cultural Communication Skills (Exploring the Possibility of Developing Global Human Resources through Classroom Lectures and Activities)

Abstract

This is a practical report on an educational course aiming for intercultural communicative competence through domestic classroom lectures and activities. Each session is constructed by a combination of a lecture, a related case study and/or a workshop based on Kolb’s experiential learning model. This paper makes a specific and detailed description of the organization of the course and students’ reaction to it. The mean of Likert scale of student satisfaction with the course was significantly higher than that of the overall on-campus courses. Even if it did not contribute much to the direct exchange with foreigners, the students’ concern in different cultures was sufficiently improved. The effect of learning has been enhanced by a well-balanced arrangement of academic lectures, practical case studies/story-telling and simulated work experiences.