1. Sarah Dietrich & Didem Ekici
Transcending Boundaries of Language and Culture: Developing Cultural Competence through Online Interaction 
Sarah Dietrich & Didem Ekici

2. Presentation Outline
Definitions of cultural competence and service learning
Cultural competence and service learning in online collaborations
Explanation of our project study step by step
Data analysis and project assessment through the lenses of the framework
Principles of good practice QA

3. What is cultural competence?
Cultural competence is generally defined as the ability to effectively communicate with people from different backgrounds. (Diller & Moule, 2005; Hammer, Bennet & Wiseman, 2003)

4. What is service learning?
Transformative
Experiential education
Links to curriculum
New skills, knowledge, leadership, self-awareness
Social responsibility

5. In online collaborations
Cultural Competence
E- Service
Learning
Direct contact with people from other cultures

6. Integrating Service Learning into Curriculum (http://academics. utep
Selecting Projects
Developing the Syllabus
Orientation/Training
Supervision
Reflection
Assessment/Evaluation

7. 1- Selecting projects Course goals and objectives Community partner
Mutual benefit

8. Wicked Local: Marblehead. Marblehead, MA. January 2, 2017 

9. Participants UNITED STATES (tutors) AFGHANISTAN (tutees)
TESOL Graduate students
Current and future teachers
Two international students (Syria, China)
Female and male students from Herat and Mazer-el Sherif
Age range: 18-24
English language proficiency level: Upper intermediate and advanced level

10. 2- Developing the Syllabus
Service learning (SL) project expectations
Course content/objectives and SL project
Materials (readings, videos, websites)
Assessment (journals, discussions, presentations)

11. 3- Orientation/Training
Explore expectations, objectives, and logistics
Invite someone from the partner organization as a guest speaker
Provide the background information about the organization, students and their culture
Address student concerns, fears, and expectations regarding the service experience

12. 4- Supervision
Make sure the students are not falling behind the timeline you created
Have a back up plan for the others
Always be in touch with the community partner

13. 5- Reflection Connection(s): course content and service learning
In-class discussions
Graduate student journals

14. 6- Assessment & Evaluation
Ongoing data collection
Analysis and assessment
Program evaluation

15. CULTURAL COMPETENCY FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE
Cultural competence for social justice is defined as the ability to live and work effectively in culturally diverse environments and enact a commitment to social justice (Goodman, 2016)
CULTURAL COMPETENCY FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE
SELF AWARENESS
UNDERSTANDING AND VALUING OTHERS
KNOWLEDGE OF SOCIETAL INEQUITIES
INTERACTING EFFECTIVELY WITH DIVERSE PEOPLE IN DIVERSE CONTEXTS
FOSTERING EQUITY AND INCLUSION

16. Self awareness: privilege (4), prejudice (1)
Understanding and valuing others: intersection of culture and identity, learning about another culture and appreciating difference (8)
Knowledge of societal/global inequities, (4) eye opening, better understanding of the world, so g=hard to access education etc.
Skills to interact effectively with diverse people in different contexts: (2)
Skills to foster equity and inclusion: continuing working together,
Educating themselves (4): more confident, willing to take risks, learning persistence etc.

17. Transcending boundaries (participant’s quote)
“….in light of the horrific events this weekend, I would like to touch on the impact this tutoring experience has and will have on me moving forward. As I was listening to the news and reading posts on the internet about the Orlando shootings connected to Islamic extremism, I could not help but reflect upon my brief but growing relationship with my tutee in Afghanistan. With so much hate and misunderstanding between the U.S. and the Middle East, it is not only refreshing but overwhelmingly encouraging to know that it is still possible for two people from completely different walks of life to make a genuine connection despite the political/ideological chaos that surrounds. I am hopeful that someday we may focus our attention on building such positive relationships rather than condemning each other for our differences.”
(Student journal, Summer 2016)

18. Service-Learning Pedagogy: Principles of Good Practice (Howard, 2001)
Principle 1: Academic credit is for learning, not for service.
Principle 2: Do not compromise academic rigor.
Principle 3: Establish learning outcomes for students.
Principle 4: Establish criteria for the selection of service/community placements.
Principle 5: Provide educationally-sound learning strategies to harvest community learning and realize module learning outcomes.
Principle 6: Provide supports for students to learn how to harvest the community learning.
Principle 7: Minimize the distinction between the student’s community learning role and the classroom learning role.
Principle 8: Re-think the academic staff (lecturer’s) teaching role.
Principle 9: Be prepared for uncertainty and variation in student learning outcomes.
Principle 10: Maximize the community responsibility orientation of the module/ course.
Bender (2005), p. 6

19. Conclusion Build bridges, despite the walls
Connections to better understand “the other”

20. Reflection from one of the tutors

21. SARAH DIETRICH (sdietrich@semo. edu) DIDEM EKICI (dekici@dons. usfca
SARAH DIETRICH DIDEM EKICI