Category: MOOCs

MOOC: Intercultural Competency in Education (Iceland but Online)

“MOOCs”MOOC: Intercultural Competency in Education, offered by the University of Iceland, Reykjavik, Iceland, through edX. Free enrollment every 6 weeks.

Instructors: Hanna Ragnarsdóttir, Professor of Multicultural Studies at the School of Education, University of Iceland; Fríða Bjarney Jónsdóttir, Director at Reykjavík City Department of Education, Iceland; and Ingebjørg Lundevall, teacher at Oslo VO Rosenhof, Norway.

“Some of the challenges we are facing in the world today are related to the ongoing trends towards immigration and globalization of education and the labour market. Combined with increased numbers of refugees in many countries, this has led to greater interpersonal cross cultural encounters and heightened cultural concerns. All school levels are facing complex challenges in adjusting their services to an increasingly diverse student population, irrespective of their background. It is therefore of great importance that employees at all school levels are culturally competent and can understand and adapt their services when working with people with diverse cultural backgrounds.

The aim of this course is to help the students develop intercultural competence by broadening their understanding of different cultures and different identities, as well as promoting students´ awareness of their own culture, learning from the experiences of international educators as well as professionals at the municipality level in the Nordic countries. An added value is that the course is open to participants from different parts of the world, which creates a cross-cultural learning and teaching environment.

By the end of this course you should have learned practical intercultural skills and increased your understanding of intercultural competence; how to talk about and address intercultural opportunities and challenges, how to develop strategies to respond to diverse and hybrid identities in a fairer way, and how to promote social justice in education and respect for different languages, preventing conflicts and enhancing societal cohesion.”

The course can be taken for free, or with a variable certificate for $69. It is designed to take 5 weeks, with 2-4 hours/week of time.

MOOC Teaching and Learning in Multicultural Contexts (Italy)

“MOOCs”Teaching and Learning in Multicultural Contexts MOOC, created by Politecnico di Milano, Italy. Opens 8 May 2023 with free access until 5 May 2024.

The growth of human mobility together with globalization are shaping the demographics of many societies and of many interactive contexts, including new ways of learning and of working modalities. Thus, the possibility of facing intercultural relationships, even without moving, is today very frequent. And in the academic contexts, the internationalization of higher education makes the issue of teaching and learning in multicultural contexts, whether in person or online, relevant and essential to be learned and managed effectively.

This MOOC is divided into six weeks, with an estimate of 2-3 hours of time per week. It is addressed mainly to university teachers, with the aim to enhance their intercultural and global citizens’ skills and practices, so they can consciously foster the same skills in their students. It is open to anyone who is interested in understanding cultural diversity, thus to better live together and collaborate in multicultural contexts. It is taught in English, and it is offered without charge.

One of the instructors will be Maura di Mauro, affiliated with CID, who developed it for the Politecnico of Milan and for Somali National University. 

MOOC Intercultural Communication 2021 (China)

“MOOCs”Intercultural Communication MOOC, Shanghai International Studies University (SISU), Shanghai, China. Opens March 15, 2021 with free access for 7 weeks from any start date between March-July 2021.

In a time when online learning helps those limited by COVID measures, the SISU-Future Learn “Intercultural Communication” course provides an important forum for cross-cultural exposure and interaction. To help connect people virtually world-wide again, a new run of the course opens March 15 until July 2021 and offers FREE access from the day of enrollment for 7 weeks of learning. Nearly 65,000 have enrolled in the SISU-FutureLearn “Intercultural Communication” MOOC course from nearly 200 global countries and regions since it was first launched in 2015.

The course invites participation on every “learning step”. Learners of all ages and backgrounds and our active team of Mentors comment on their questions, insights, “likes,” or responses to others. The “5 week” structure (which you can go through at your own pace) addresses topics like

  • Comprehending Intercultural Communication
  • Contextualizing Cultural Identities
  • Comparing Cultural Communication Styles
  • Clarifying and Contrasting Values
  • Cultivating Intercultural Adaptation
     
    to guide active participants toward greater awareness and practice of intercultural competence.

 

 

MOOC on Inclusive Leadership by Brenda Allen

“MOOCs”Inclusive Leadership: The Power of Workplace Diversity, taught by Brenda J. Allen, through the University of Colorado System, on Coursera.

This course is designed to empower and equip you to develop inclusive cultures where everyone feels valued and respected. You will learn how highly inclusive leaders from around the world use processes of social influence to interact effectively with individuals from a wide variety of backgrounds. You will deepen your understanding of the benefits of diversity. And, you will explore a wealth of perspectives and practices to help you to reap those benefits. The course is FREE (with the option to earn a certificate for $49.95).

Dr. Brenda J. Allen (Communication Professor Emerita) is a retired Chief Diversity Officer who offers highly-rated workshops, consultations, and presentations on topics such as inclusive leadership, racial equity, strategic planning, respect in the workplace, and diversity recruitment/retention practices. 

MOOC: Promoting and Protecting Human Rights: A Global Overview (Italy)

“MOOCs”MOOC: Promoting and Protecting Human Rights: A Global Overview, offered by Global Campus on Human Rights, Venice, Italy, . Free enrollment starting June 15, 2020.

In times of violence and crisis, human rights are important safeguards. In times of peace, security and development, they are important pillars sustaining our common humanity. They are more than moral or legal concepts: they are the lymph of our lives. For them to run effectively, we need to relentlessly promote and protect them.

Human rights are an inherent part of every individual. They are the outcome of long struggles and achievements. Responding to the necessity to counter – and in the future prevent – the tragic effects of genocide, war, economic depression, nationalism and colonialism, they were engraved in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as “a common standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations”. Then, they carried the hope for freedom, justice and peace in the world. Today, they are often questioned, attacked, dismissed and violated. But they still stand to remind us that “we are all born equal and free in dignity and rights”.

Promoting and protecting human rights is yet a work in progress. Much still needs to be done, but we can build on the concrete improvements and achievements that human rights have already allowed over the years. We can defend cases, advocate for change and bring about progress on the basis of legal instruments and mechanisms: laws, institutions, courts. We can face challenges with the strength of the benefits that have been demonstrated around the world: greater freedom and democracy; better health, education, and standards of living. To continue our efforts, we need information, education, awareness and action. This course provides you with a solid basis to understand, know and stand up for human rights.

Enroll and earn a certificate for free upon completion of all 7 classes.

MOOC: Intercultural Dialogue Skills (Canada)

“MOOCs”MOOC: Intercultural Dialogue Skills, Francophone University Agency (AUF), Montreal, Canada. Deadline: June 29, 2020.

Massive open online course (MOOC) on Intercultural Dialogue Skills begins June 29. This course consists of 42 videos, extending over five weeks. It is offered in French with text translation in English. Taught by Sélim el Sayegh (Professeur de droit et de science politique, directeur du Centre d’Analyse des Différends et leurs Modes de Solution, Université Paris-Saclay et Université La Sagesse) and Racha Omeyri (Docteur en Science Politique, Enseignante à l’Université Paris-Saclay et l’Université La Sagesse, Chercheure au Collège des Etudes Interdisciplinaires, Université Paris-Saclay).

Les Compétences pour le dialogue interculturel

Ce cours vise un grand public conscient de l’importance du dialogue interculturel dans le monde contemporain. Face aux défis de rupture du lien social et de conflictualité, maîtriser le dialogue devient impératif. Dans ce cours, il est expliqué en tant que communication que résolution ou transformation des conflits. Mais au-delà de la prise de conscience de ce concept, il s’agit désormais de savoir comment être et comment faire pour sa mise en œuvre. D’où la question des compétences. Cette association entre connaissance et compétences forme la singularité de cette formation. Elle permet au public universitaire ainsi qu’aux professionnels de développer leurs talents dans ce domaine. Ce cours est ouvert à tout public francophone et anglophone. Il est proposé en français avec sous-titrage en anglais. Il se décline en cinq semaines qui donneront lieu à une attestation. Chaque semaine comporte des vidéos avec des quizz ainsi qu’un forum de discussion intégré dans la plateforme.

Coursera MOOCs: Free Certificates for Learning

“MOOCs”Free Courses with Certificates, offered through Coursera. Deadline: July 31, 2020.

At the end of March, the world’s largest Massive Open Online Course provider Coursera announced that they are offering 100 free courses in response to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Most recently, Coursera added another 35 new courses from its Latin American university partners and extended the deadline. See the entire list put together by Dhawal Shah. There are none on any intercultural or dialogue topics, but here are some that still may be of interest:

Language learning courses include: Chinese for Beginners, First Step Korean, and Tricky American English Pronunciation. Job skills include: How to Write a Resume, and How to Write and Publish a Scientific Paper. More general skills courses include: Creative Problem Solving, and Communication Strategies for a Virtual Age.

Be sure to follow the link above and read the directions for how to earn certificates for free. (MOOCs are always free, by definition, but many universities typically charge a fee to award a certificate proving success.)

MOOC: Memory Sites and Human Rights (Italy)

“MOOCs”MOOC: Memory Sites and Human Rights, offered by Global Campus on Human Rights, Venice, Italy, April 27-June 21, 2020. Free enrollment until May 31, 2020.

Why and how do we remember past atrocities and human rights violations? What is the role of memory sites in social reconstruction, transitional justice and democratisation? How do memory sites shape communities, societies, identities and nations? As witnesses and testimonies of abuse and horror, memory sites aspire to build reflection, teaching and learning, critical memory and non-repetition. Memory is dynamic and constantly evolving, so memory sites function as places where to look at the past to better understand and shape the present and the future of a society and its approach to human rights. As “sites of conscience” drawing on history lessons, memory sites stimulate dialogue and healing, and inspire citizens’ action. This MOOC focuses on the role of memory sites in their crucial interplay with historical trauma, the reconciliation process, the chosen methods for dealing with the past, as well as with nation building dynamics and the shaping of societal identity.

MOOC Intercultural Communication (China)

“MOOCs”Intercultural Communication MOOC, Shanghai International Studies University (SISU), Shanghai, China. Opens March 2, 2020 with free access for 7 weeks from any start date between March-July 2020.

Virtual education is especially being promoted across China or other affected areas to limit the spread of the Corona virus. To help students from anywhere connect with the world during this time, the SISU “Intercultural Communication” course is being offered again as a MOOC (Massive Open Online Course).

This introductory 5-week course (doable in about 4 hours per week) seeks to engage global learners to better appreciate, adjust to, and work or study in different cultures. The weekly topics focus on (1) comprehending intercultural communication, (2) contextualizing cultural identities, (3) comparing cultural communication styles (4) clarifying and contrasting values, and (5) cultivating intercultural adaptation.

For those who may also be interested in languages, SISU/FutureLearn are also opening 3 other introductory courses for learning Chinese at the same time: Chinese Pronunciation and Tones, Chinese Grammar, and Chinese Conversation.

 

MOOC: Europe Engage

“MOOCs”MOOC: Europe Engage.

Participants in this course will learn how service-learning can be used in higher education to engage students in real-life projects that complement their theoretical learning and stimulate critical thinking and other 21st century competencies, while fostering student engagement with community.

The course was developed by the Europe Engage project team. The project “Developing a Culture of Civic Engagement through Service-Learning within Higher Education in Europe” is a 3-year project funded by the EU (Erasmus+ program) with the purpose of identifying existing service-learning practice, promoting service-learning and creating a European network. This course will provide participants with an introduction to service-learning pedagogy and methods of integrating a meaningful community service into the curriculum, as well as the evaluation.