The Intercultural Workshop Experience
Anne O\'Mahoney, ISAE Supaero (France)
Abstract
Our goal at the start of every school year now is to convince 350 international graduate aerospace engineering students in Toulouse, France that the Intercultural Workshop, a unique learning experience run by the Humanities Department at ISAE Supaero, is first an essential but also an exciting and enjoyable part of their program. Our fourth edition is just over. How do we make it work? We will share creative classroom content and demonstrate a different approach to engaging students in intercultural learning. There are several key factors that make this a unique learning experience; the number of students, the number of tutors, the different programs involved, the use of several languages by tutors and by students, the multitude of cultures involved, the learning outcomes and the overall program design. Some key content areas include: cohort building (group identity, teamwork, team dynamics ); cultural awareness and sensitivity training; case study work on ITER, the most international and scientifically ambitious project in the world right now. The classroom is literally transformed several times over the course of the Workshop to suit the content and the teaching and learning methods. Adaptability and diversity are the key factors in making this project successful.