Build students’ intercultural competence in online classrooms

Internationalisation in higher education has traditionally required physical mobility. Now, in an increasingly fractured yet interconnected world, formats such as the global shared learning classroom (GSLC) offer affordable alternatives. Such models show that internationalisation does not have to be about the miles travelled. It can also be about encountering different cultures and perspectives virtually across borders. 

From monolithic to negotiated leadership

Leadership tends to be viewed as a universal set of traits. And skills such as strong communication and organisation are frequently filtered through a single cultural lens. A common trap in global education is to believe that “good leadership” in one location automatically translates to success elsewhere.

We worked with international partners UNINORTE in Colombia, PUCP in Peru, and the University of Houston in the US to demonstrate otherwise. In these environments, even basic tasks, such as setting a meeting agenda or defining quality criteria in research, are interpreted differently. It shows that leadership in a globalised world is not a monologue; it is a negotiation. One cannot lead a global team without understanding their specific cultural contexts.

Real-world friction as a pedagogical tool

The GSLC model uses real-world projects, such as the analysis of the global chocolate industry, to provide masterclasses in complexity. 

For instance, in our collaborations with Central Michigan University and the University of Saskatchewan, cultural clashes are often less about language and more about political identity. Students must navigate microcosms of regional tension, learning to move past political bias to analyse objective data like supply chain realities.

Similarly, research into the chocolate industry reveals a divide between ritual and consumption. North American textbooks may treat cacao as a mere commodity, and corporate strategists may view it through the lens of modern consumption culture that dictates global trends. Meanwhile, Mexicans, Peruvians and Colombians may reframe it as an ancestral ritual. By crossing these perspectives, students learn that sustainable trade looks fundamentally different to an artisanal producer in the Andes and a corporate strategist in Houston.

The pedagogical gap

The most significant lessons often emerge from cultural diversity. A successful GSLC must manage a merger of styles: 

• the methodical, rigid approaches typical of certain European or North American cultures
• the relaxed, flexible styles found in parts of Latin America
• the reserved, observant attitudes often seen in Asian academic contexts.

While clashes yield creative tensions, these moments also teach students to become cultural chameleons.

The digital empathy gap

For a GSLC to be successful, it needs to overcome the psychological distance between learners online, otherwise known as the empathy gap. In a globalised curriculum, the digital platform is not only a tool, but also the environment that hosts cultural negotiations. For it to work, students need to be actively engaged. 

• Spotlight guide: Teaching and researching across international borders
• Clear communication as the key to international collaboration
• A good plan is essential to make online international courses a success

We’ve seen virtual proximity grow when we use digital tools to bridge this empathy gap. This can happen through use of collaborative whiteboards or informal chat channels such as WhatsApp. The important thing is that we leverage technology to create a sensory experience of a foreign culture. 

When students share a glimpse of their physical surroundings (for example, a student in Michigan showing her peers her weekend activities or a Mexican student sharing a view of their local mountains), the screen stops being a barrier and becomes a window. This transforms a standard online meeting into a trust-building cross-border encounter.

Advice on implementing a GSLC

Institutions must look beyond the syllabus and focus on logistical and human communication:

• Prioritise preparation and faculty alignment: agree on every detail with colleagues (grading rubrics, platforms and protocols) before the semester begins. A united faculty is the only way to prevent student confusion when distinct academic cultures merge.

• Help students get to know each other: cultural agility is a valuable skill in today’s job market. Develop it in students by teaching them basic communication techniques. This will prevent them from reaching mid-collaboration without really knowing who their peers are. Also, ensure students are aware that peers may be enrolled in multiple courses that involve GSLC projects, which can sometimes be a source of confusion. Treat every GSLC as a distinct professional ecosystem to reduce the risk.

The cost of regional isolation

Isolated learning encourages students to stay within their own intellectual limits, mistaking local biases for universal truths. The result is a loss of epistemological diversity (the ability to see a problem from multiple sources of knowledge). It also diminishes strategic empathy; it is easier to make cold-hearted decisions about international markets when one hasn’t shared experiences with international peers. 

Ultimately, without these collaborations, universities produce specialists who are technically competent but culturally blind. The GSLC model turns the classroom into a laboratory for cooperation, a necessity in this current global climate.

Jorge Alberto Mosqueda Benavides is a professor at Tecnológico de Monterrey, Mexico.

If you would like advice and insight from academics and university staff delivered direct to your inbox each week, sign up for the Campus newsletter.