| Title | Chapter 9: Using virtual excursions to foster intercultural competence of undergraduate health care students |
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| DOI | https://doi.org/10.4102/aosis.2024.BK486.09 |
| Landing page | https://books.aosis.co.za/index.php/ob/catalog/book/486 |
| License | https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ |
| Copyright | Adri du Toit, Neal Petersen & Iman C Chahine. Licensee: AOSIS (Pty) Ltd. The moral right of the editors and authors has been asserted. |
| Publisher | AOSIS |
| Long abstract | Higher education has a multifaceted purpose, including preparing students for their careers and fostering social and cultural readiness. Cultural sensitivity is crucial for health care students as they will work with patients from diverse backgrounds in their future professions. Understanding and appreciating intercultural differences improves patient care and satisfaction, while a lack of cultural competence can lead to communication breakdowns and disparities in health care. Hence, it is vital to prioritise cultural sensitivity training for health care students in South Africa, integrating it with undergraduate education to ensure that they are equipped to provide quality care to diverse patients. This chapter reports on how a virtual excursion learning event was used to foster intercultural competence in undergraduate health care students. The research question guiding this study was: How does the use of a virtual excursion contribute to fostering intercultural competence in undergraduate health care students? Framed from a social constructivist approach, a qualitative study design was used. Data were collected by means of an online, open-ended reflective questionnaire and thematically analysed. Findings revealed that participating in a virtual excursion sensitises health care students to embracing intercultural competence in an increasingly diverse environment. Additionally, findings confirmed that Deardorff’s models could guide the fostering of intercultural competencies in undergraduate health care students to foster attitudes of respect, openness, curiosity and discovery– aspects crucial for intercultural competence. |
| Print length | 27 pages |
| Language | English (Original) |
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Jessica Pool is the director of the Centre for Health Professions Education(CHPE) in the Faculty of Health Sciences. In her role as director, Pool is responsible for the coordination and implementation of initiatives including the development of a scholarly approach to teaching and learning (SoTL), enabling discipline- and subject-based teaching-focused communities of practice, promoting research-led teaching development workshops and promoting knowledge production and knowledge sharing about university teaching and learning. Pool has completed her PhD in Education, and her research interests include curriculum development, implementation and evaluation. More recently, her research focus has shifted to the development of academics as university teachers. Her publications include book chapters, refereed journal articles, non-refereed journal articles and book reviews. She is actively involved as a reviewer for conference abstracts and proceedings, as well as serving as a keynote speaker. Additionally, she is the chief editor of the book titled Scholarly approach to student success in higher education.
Yolande Heymans is a professor in the Centre for Health Professions Education, Faculty of Health Sciences, North-West University, Potchefstroom, South Africa. Heymans’ main research focus is on health professions education in the higher education context, with specific reference to the scholarship of teaching and learning, enhancing student engagement and interprofessional collaborative learning. She also has a keen interest in large-class teaching and online learning. Heyman’s accolades include the National Teachers Awards for Excellence in Secondary Teaching (2010), the HB and MJ Thom Award for contribution to education (2011), the Foundation for Advancement of International Medical Education and Research (FAIMER) fellowship (2019–2020) and the Open Educational Research Fellowship (2021–2022). Heymans acts as a supervisor for postgraduate students in the field of health professions education, and her recent publications include a book chapter titled ‘The potential of scholarship of teaching and learning research towards transformative pedagogies in higher education: An approach to ethical mindedness’.
Rhea Koch obtained her BA Hons in Psychology and her MA in Sociology in 2001. After working in the private sector for many years, Koch has returned to the academic world and recently obtained her PhD in Health Science Education. In 2021, Koch was appointed as an academic developer at North-West University, Potchefstroom, South Africa, for a three-year project to decolonise health sciences curricula, which is managed by the Centre for Health Professions Education and funded by the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) University Capacity Development Programme (UCDP). She has a keen interest in instructional design and collaborative online learning.
Gontse G Mokwatsi is a researcher in the Hypertension in Africa Research Team (HART) in the Faculty of Health Sciences, North-West University, Potchefstroom, South Africa. Within HART, Mokwatsi’s main research focus is the early development of hypertension and blood pressure monitoring for the control of hypertension. She is also a senior lecturer within the Department of Physiology with teaching and learning responsibilities at first, third and Honours (Hons) year levels. She also has an interest in student development and support to assist first students to transition into university life (academically and socially). Fulfilling this role, Mokwatsi is part of a first-year WIL project, which uses online excursions for students to focus on self-development, leadership, problem-solving and professional identity. She has published articles (as first or co-author) in international peer-reviewed journals and is also a supervisor for postgraduate students (Hons, MSc and PhD).