Part 1: 7 May 2025, 09h00 – 16h30
Part 2: 21 May 2025, 09h00 – 16h30
Participation fee for both days: 760 CHF 

ZHAW, Zurich locations 
Stefanie Neumann, ZHAW Applied Psychology, and Susan Schärli-Lim, ZHAW Health Sciences 

This first Intercultural Competence workshop focuses on

• what constitutes culture and how cultural competence is defined,
• recognizing facets of culture which affect intercultural interaction,
• awareness of one’s own cultural values and developing a sensitivity to the values of others,
• differentiating between different communication styles and forms of communication and how these may lead to miscommunication.

Participants will also reflect on their individual mindset towards their own as well as other cultures by completing the Intercultural Development Inventory questionnaire prior to the workshop.

In the second workshop, participants will build on their experience from the first workshop. In particular, the focus is on

• recognizing own intercultural conflict styles and those of others,
• being able to recognize critical incidents from one’s own professional life,
• addressing critical incidents in the workspace,

adapting one’s communication and cooperation behavior to different cultures in an appropriate manner defining future individual learning objectives.

23 June 2025, 09h00 – 12h00
Participation fee: 270 CHF

Online Workshop
Jacqueline Bürki, BFH Business School, and Sandra McGury, ZHAW Applied Linguistics  

Join us for an in-depth workshop aimed at educators looking to integrate virtual exchange (VE) in their educational practices.  We will provide a comprehensive overview of VE programs, focusing on their goals and the essential components that contribute to their success. We will emphasize the importance of clearly defined learning outcomes, distinguishing them from traditional course outcomes and highlighting the necessity for explicit articulation of global competence development in VE contexts. Participants will learn a systematic approach to designing VE activities and assessments aligned with these learning outcomes. The workshop will conclude with discussions on the critical role of evaluating virtual exchange programs to assess their effectiveness and impact on participants› global competence development.

Workshop 4

20 November 2025, 09h00 – 16h30
Participation fee: 380 CHF

BFH, Berne
Ioana Gatzka, BFH Virtual Academy 

This workshop is designed for educators seeking to align their degree programs with the demands of global competence and future-ready graduate attributes. Participants will explore the integration of future skills—such as critical thinking, collaboration, and intercultural understanding—into curricula, using the principles of constructive alignment to ensure coherence between program goals, intended learning outcomes, teaching strategies, and assessment methods.

Through an emphasis on student-centered learning and challenge-based education, this interactive session will provide tools and methods to foster skills critical for graduates› success in a rapidly changing and interconnected world. Educators will engage in collaborative exercises, guided discussions, and curriculum analysis to refine their frameworks and ensure their programs address global challenges and opportunities.

By the end of the workshop, participants will have actionable strategies to design curricula that prepare students to thrive in diverse, complex, and future-oriented professional and societal contexts.

Workshop 5

6 February 2026, 09h00 – 12h00
Participation fee: 270 CHF

Online
Paul Kelly, ZHAW Applied Linguistics and Patrick Studer,  ZHAW Applied Linguistics

The number of courses being taught through English in higher education is increasing worldwide. Switching the medium of language to English, however, involves much more than simply individual teachers translating their slides and changing the language of content delivery into English. It impacts everything: from planning our courses, to the delivery and pedagogy. In this course, we will look at how English fits into the internationalized classroom. We will critically review current practices and analyse the potential and pitfalls university teachers have to look out for. The workshop will focus on

• definitions, current trends, and quality aspects of English-medium instruction (programs)
• communicative and didactic requirements
• teacher mindset
• planning courses and programs.

Participants in this course will be able to orientate themselves when planning to teach on, when planning to develop, or when planning to evaluate an English-medium instruction program in higher education.