A workshop exploring how a 'capability set of competencies for being intercultural' can be infused within the teaching and deliver of the multicultural groupwork assessment process

The impact of the free market, neoliberal ideology of globalisation has initiated student mobility within higher education circles; Initiating a shift towards a diverse multicultural student base within universities (Albech 2002; Thomas 2004). These sliding landscapes have impacted the dynamics within the group work process often providing for greater diversity in communication styles helping the development of intercultural competence (De Vita 2000; Popav et al. 2012). Despites these benefits MCGW has been found to exert conflicting influences of asymmetrical power relationships within the group members often initiating challenges and tensions for students. Clearly cultural diversity cannot be stereotyped as factors such as age and gender can affect groupwork dynamics. However, literature indicates socio-culture behavioural norms may impact small groupwork and a lack of knowledge of the differences in members’ social norms, behaviour and values may provide for conflicts within the multicultural groupwork assessment process; as student socio-cultural expectations of verbal communication norms may be challenged within small groupwork (Popov et al. 2012; Vryonides 2007; Cox and Blake 1991; De Vita 2002; Kimmel and Volet 2010; Bourdieu 1990; Eisner 1992). What is less known is how to manage these challenges. Workshop Format The aim of this workshop is to bring awareness of how socio-cultural behavioural norms may impact the group assessment process. This will be achieved by presenting a series of models derived from literature encapsulating the benefits and challenges students face. The workshop will then unravel a ‘capability set of competencies for being intercultural’ as derived from the work of Bridges (2014; Nussbaum 2002) which indicate that if students possess these key multicultural competencies they will become better communicators within the MCGW process. What is less known within literature is how an appreciation of these competencies can be infused and taught within Higher education. This will form the main element of the workshop Empowered with these studies the workshop will invite lecturers to consider: 1) How the ‘capability set of intercultural competencies’ can be infused within their teaching. 2) To design a conceptual model which will enable students from different cultural backgrounds to appreciate the diversity and maximise their group productivity. It is hoped that this workshop will bring light on how to capitalise on the benefits cultural diversity brings to the groupwork assessment process