Building an Intercultural Ecosystem at the University of Florida

I’ve shared several case studies in this blog highlighting different ways colleges and universities I’ve worked with are building intercultural competence among their students, staff, and faculty (additional case studies can be found here). This month, I’m outlining how a large, public institution—the University of Florida—has been building intercultural capacity in a way that is intentional, yet also organic—an approach Paloma Rodriguez, Director of the Office of Global Learning, has referred to as “building an intercultural ecosystem.”  

Background & Impetus

The University of Florida (UF), located in Gainesville, Florida, enrolls more than 61,000 students, of which approximately 38,000 are pursuing undergraduate degrees. As part of a 2014-2019 institutional initiative to improve internationalization efforts, the university decided to develop its own instruments to measure student beliefs and attitudes. The result was the International Critical Thinking (IntCRIT) and International Communication (IntCOMM) surveys, which have been used to survey undergraduate students in year one through four every year since 2014.

Survey results indicate students have high curiosity and openness to intercultural learning, but less confidence in their ability to effectively communicate and collaborate with individuals from other cultures. The results for critical thinking show students also have limited confidence in their ability to understand cultural norms and approaches to problem solving that differ from their own.

The Evolution of an Intercultural Learning Ecosystem

UF created several programmatic initiatives to address the student learning gaps identified through these surveys by providing faculty with knowledge and tools to integrate intercultural learning into the courses they’re already teaching. For starters, survey results helped justify funding a new position to support the growth of virtual exchange (VE) and COIL (Collaborative Online International Learning) initiatives. Paloma Rodriguez explains, “We thought COIL would widen access and would allow students to develop the intercultural skills they were telling us they were currently lacking.”

I became connected with the institution in 2020, when multiple faculty and staff from UF independently enrolled in my online train-the-trainer program, Facilitating Intercultural Learning (FIL). One of those individuals was Paloma, who was leading an initiative at UF called the Global Learning Institute (GLI). The GLI is “a cohort-based semester long program aimed at providing faculty with relevant tools and techniques to make their on-campus courses more global.” Participating in Facilitating Intercultural Learning helped Paloma better incorporate intercultural learning into the faculty training. Later, when Dr. Hal Knowles, a faculty member who graduated from GLI, asked about next steps he could take for his own professional development, Rodriguez pointed him to my FIL program. 

In 2023, the Dean of UF’s International Center (UFIC), Dr. Marta Wayne, reached out to me to explore how we might collaborate to build intercultural capacity among her team. UFIC staff participated in a private cohort of Facilitating Intercultural Learning in spring 2024, which helped them develop shared language and tools to work together to more intentionally foster intercultural learning.

As the number of UF faculty and staff participating in COIL and virtual exchange continued to increase, the Office of Global Learning, headed by Paloma, recognized a need to equip them with better tools to facilitate those programs. The Intercultural Leadership Institute (ILI) was created as a “next step” for faculty who completed the GLI, as well as staff members serving the university’s international community. A total of 36 faculty and staff from across the university were selected for the ILI. In fall 2024, they participated in a private cohort of Facilitating Intercultural Learning with me to further their own intercultural development and learn to better integrate intercultural learning into their programs and courses. Participants then had to put together and share with the campus community an action plan highlighting how they were integrating intercultural learning into their work.

To provide ongoing support, development, and connection among the 200+ UF faculty and staff who have gone through the trainings outlined above, the Office of Global Learning created a Global Learning Community of Practice (CoP). Members of the CoP come together several times each semester for panel discussions and social activities, and receive information about relevant grants and events.

COIL 4 Staff is another innovative initiative at UF. This program focuses on the internationalization of administrative personnel through intercultural learning. UF staff members engage in a virtual collaboration with a professional counterpart abroad. Program facilitators and several participants are graduates of the ILI. COIL 4 Staff offers an opportunity to apply and practice the principles learned through the ILI. (You can learn more about UF’s COIL 4 Staff initiative in this article.)

Impacts

These programmatic initiatives are helping integrate global and intercultural learning into the broader fabric of the University of Florida. In 2024, UF’s Office of Global Learning was the recipient of the International Impact Award for Global Teaching and Learning by the Association of Public Land Grant Universities.

As a result of their training, UFIC staff report feeling more empowered and capable of designing activities for international students, delivering trainings for faculty involved with COIL and virtual exchange, and supporting curriculum internationalization.

According to Paloma, impacts of the various intercultural capacity-building initiatives for faculty and staff across the institution include:

• More confident and skilled COIL and virtual exchange facilitators;
• Human Resources department infusing intercultural development in their trainings;
• New facilitators of COIL 4 Staff;
• Better informed and more empowered study abroad faculty leaders;
• A common language and shared purpose among faculty and staff involved with intercultural learning.

Paloma adds, “The training has helped faculty understand that they have a significant role as facilitators of intercultural learning.” Faculty now recognize the relevance and potential of intercultural learning in the courses they teach beyond those involving study abroad.

Tips & Take-Aways for Your Institution

What can other institutions learn from the University of Florida’s intercultural efforts? One thing Paloma is quick to emphasize is the importance of recognizing that not building intercultural capacity is itself a risk for universities, as the effectiveness of campus internationalization rests in large measure on the intercultural competence of faculty and staff, as well as students.

Practically speaking, she suggests looking for partners on and off campus (for example, your teaching center, HR office, Title VI Centers, assessment and accreditation units, and external expertise) and looking at possible cost sharing. “Many campus partners have a keen interest in intercultural learning and would… commit their professional development funds to have their staff go through the training if you organize it.”

Paloma also recommends rethinking your grants—considering how you can transform them into specific learning opportunities. “For instance, instead of providing a lump sum, divide a curriculum internationalization grant into installments. You can provide half of the award as salary or professional development and the other half as a paid opportunity to complete a specific program (such as Tara’s FIL). This way you ensure faculty and/or staff continues to elevate their learning.”

Lastly, Paloma advises providing ongoing support and continuing the momentum around intercultural learning on campus by organizing a Community of Practice.

For me, one of the biggest take-aways from the University of Florida is that a systematic approach to building intercultural capacity doesn’t mean you need a long-term plan from the outset. Instead, start by identifying the gaps. Then take steps to intentionally address those gaps, and build from there. You might be surprised by the momentum you start to gain as faculty and staff develop shared language and tools around intercultural learning, and experience their own successes!

In addition, this case study highlights how an institution can utilize external expertise (in this case, the Facilitating Intercultural Learning professional development program) in conjunction with and to grow internal expertise. (Click here for more examples of how institutions are utilizing the FIL program to build intercultural capacity among faculty and staff.)

Photo credit: Brian Garrity, Unsplash