Tools to promote Cultural Diversity in Higher Education - The HE4u2 project

Abstract

During the last decade Europe has faced an increasing flow of migrants arriving from regions affected by war, conflict or disaster in search of an opportunity and a better life. In 2015, the photograph of the young child dead on the beach shocked thousands of people – finally the World paid attention to what was happening. The forced mobility of all these individuals arriving to Europe compelled our societies to respond and to include these newcomers in our current systems in the best way possible. We are continuing to learn how best to facilitate this process. These changes in our society require attention at different levels - not every professional is prepared or has access to tools that help him/her to deal with it. There is a clear need for the education system to respond, including providing training for teachers working with migrant or ethnic minority students, to reform the delivery of support for these learners, integrating at the same time an intercultural dimension for all learners in the classrooms in an inclusive approach. The HE4u2 project tried to respond to the above context by developing an approach to the intercultural dimension of existing curricula, developing a set of guidelines and a generic CPD course for staff to understand how cultural diversity can enhance their work, and a set of policy recommendations focusing on the curricula and the teachers of adults in HE, who often provide access for disadvantaged groups.