Intercultural Communication Advancement Program

Announcement: ICAP has now completed its student recruitment through to Fall 2011. However, UBC Continuing Studies has recently added a new program to support undergraduate-level preparation. The new program is named IUSPP, the International Undergraduate Study Preparation Program. The entrance requirements are a bit higher than for ICAP, but it also includes elements of credit study at UBC. Please follow the IUSPP link to find out more.

curriculum:

Living and studying in a new cultural environment is an exciting experience for many young students. Not only are there opportunities to improve language skills, but students also experience new ways of doing things, new ways of thinking and have new experiences that challenge their ideas of how the world should be.

Studying internationally can certainly be a dynamic and creative time. It can also be a challenge to perform effectively as a student in North America for the first time. This world may include life away from their families and friends for the first time, new cities, new studies and new responsibilities. Typically it is a time of emotional highs and lows, successes and failures, growth and challenges.

For this reason, the ICAP curriculum is an interactive program of academic, cultural and communication skill development conducted in English. The curriculum focuses on these areas in order to prepare students for the adjustments they need to make in order to succeed in their future academic, professional and social goals in North America and beyond.

Therefore, in short, the ICAP curriculum is designed to help today’s international students go beyond simply attaining undergraduate admission to having the skills and knowledge essential for undergraduate success.

The curriculum for ICAP in 2010 and later is divided into several main components:

• Program Orientation
• Selected Topics
• Intercultural Communication Skills
• Academic & Professional Skills Development
• Guided Field Studies
• Project Work 
• Socio-Cultural Activities
• Directed Independent Study
• Self-Directed Community Exploration   

During the program, the participant’s time will be spent in both the classroom and community with approximately 21-28 hours of structured activity for the participants each week. The remaining time will be spent in Directed Independent Study to allow each participant to complete his or her assignments, readings and research.

Finally, there will be time for Self-directed Community Exploration when participants can follow their own interests (athletics, travel) while practicing their communication skills outside the classroom.

1) Program Orientation:
The program begins with a concentrated overview of the curriculum’s objectives, outcomes and expectations. Students are oriented to the University of British Columbia campus, the city of Vancouver and how to adjust to living and studying in a new cultural context. This also orients students to Canadian style family life and includes instructions on how to use the public transit system in order to navigate their way around the region. Students will be assessed on their communication abilities, cultural competence, understanding the orientation program content, and their academic and career plans. The Program Orientation is designed to get to know each student individually and to introduce iCAP policies regarding attendance, language-use, and academic integrity.

2) Selected Topics:
These non-credit academic courses enable students to sample learning in three core areas applicable to any student preparing for further academic study for credit. We feel that a focus in these areas is critical because today's competitive academic climate requires creative, imaginative students who have developed sound reasoning and judgment skills. These areas are typically chosen from Arts, Business and Science. Each of the three courses chosen will be addressed for approximately 36 hours of classroom work plus assignments.

Below are several possible courses:

• Western Approaches to Critical Thinking
• Introductory Statistics
• Introduction to Macro-Economics
• Academic Writing
• Introductory Psychology
• Organizational Behaviour
• Topics in World History
• Ecology, Genetics & Evolution
• Literature & Criticism

3) Intercultural Communication Skills:
For communication to succeed, words are not enough. Communication requires knowing the cultural rules of what to say, when to say it, and how to deliver the message. Culture can be national, professional, generational, organizational, etc. Therefore, every message is sent and received through numerous filters; our own filters and those of others. Intercultural communication focuses on how to communicate with awareness of these filters.

The focus of the Intercultural Communication Skills course is on learning the principles of intercultural communication, and – just as importantly – developing them in a variety of hands-on and interactive activities. In our approach, the focus is on developing the ability to communicate successfully in new situations.

In this way students become oriented to life in Canada and to the expectations and cultural differences of working and studying in North America. Students have the opportunity to build their communication skills. They develop their cultural sensitivity, knowledge of local and other cultures, and confidence in communicating effectively in English in professional, academic and community settings.

Much of the work in this course is experiential and will build understanding and confidence for living in Canada, personal and academic development, conversation and social networking. 

The following areas are stressed:

• Awareness & understanding of your own and of other cultures
• Communication and presentation skills in professional and academic contexts
• Interpersonal skills
• Living well in a new culture
• Confidence for study in multicultural and international environments

4) Academic & Professional Skills Development:
This course focuses on the challenges students face as young adults preparing for academic and professional life.  This includes:

• Creating a personal academic plan
• Techniques to manage stress
• Conducting a personal research project
• Accessing university and student support services
• Gaining peer assessment and feedback
• Developing leadership skills
• Sharing opinions comfortably in conversation and discussion
• Debating a range of topics and presenting effectively to audiences
• Working in teams with consideration of project and time management
• Understanding academic conduct (intellectual property, plagiarism, cheating)

5) Guided Field Studies
The guided field studies segment is designed for participants to explore beyond the classroom and to reach into the wider community to develop their skills, broaden their knowledge of the multicultural elements of Canada and gain understanding of the social philosophies, institutions, businesses and commercial enterprises that sustain communities and their economies. This might include opportunities for community service learning (e.g. volunteer work for the Red Cross Society).

6) Project Work:
Independent project work will also be part of the curriculum. Working individually and in teams, participants will be asked to pursue knowledge in areas of academic interest and to report their findings to their peers and instructors. Project work is to be completed outside of class time and each project team will receive mentorship from our faculty and staff and training in presentation skills to help them prepare their projects.

7) Socio-Cultural Activities:
Students can enjoy a range of organized socio-cultural activities while in British Columbia. It is a chance to take part in the cultural life of Canada including music, art, dance, athletics, and general leisure. Participation in these activities is often mandatory, however, some are optional.

8) Directed Independent Study:
Instructors will assign students tasks and research related to the workshops, courses and lectures in the program. Students are expected to complete these assignments independently and outside of class time.  Time in the schedule for study is set aside several evenings each week for these assignments.

9) Self-Directed Community Exploration:
Free time in the schedule is also provided for students to enjoy and explore the area of Vancouver according to their own interests.  During this time we encourage students to practice their observation, language and cultural skills in the community.

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