Portable Intercultural Models (PIM) Help Student Navigate Foreign Cultures

Outcome/Accomplishment

Students get extra preparation for navigating foreign cultures through videos, lessons, and activities developed at the Center for Innovative and Strategic Transformation of Alkane Resources (CISTAR), an NSF-funded Engineering Research Center (ERC) based at Purdue University.

Impact/Benefits

The content of the Portable Intercultural Models (PIM) was positively reviewed by a senior specialist at Purdue's Center for Intercultural Learning, Mentorship, Assessment and Research (CILMAR). She recommended the material for use in three separate PIMs for study-abroad related courses.

Explanation/Background

CISTAR won a grant to develop PIM to be inserted into courses preparing students for study abroad. The material also helps CISTAR summer program participants whose mentors come from different countries.

Pilot tests of the PIM show that it spurred thought-provoking conversations, while the accompanying exercise, activities, and discussions highlighted how culture awareness helps one work more effectively with others.

Shown are two of the six pairs of students as they converse about navigating different cultures, part of the PIM called "Successfully Navigating Culture Across Countries."
Shown are two of the six pairs of students as they converse about navigating different cultures, part of the PIM called "Successfully Navigating Culture Across Countries."

Location

West Lafayette, Indiana

e-mail

cistar@purdue.edu

website

https://cistar.us/

Start Year

Energy and Sustainability

Energy and Sustainability Icon
Energy and Sustainability Icon

Energy, Sustainability, and Infrastructure

Lead Institution

Purdue University

Core Partners

University of New Mexico, Northwestern University, University of Notre Dame, University of Texas at Austin

Fact Sheet

CISTAR Fact Sheet.pdf
Shown are two of the six pairs of students as they converse about navigating different cultures, part of the PIM called "Successfully Navigating Culture Across Countries."
Shown are two of the six pairs of students as they converse about navigating different cultures, part of the PIM called "Successfully Navigating Culture Across Countries."

Outcome/Accomplishment

Students get extra preparation for navigating foreign cultures through videos, lessons, and activities developed at the Center for Innovative and Strategic Transformation of Alkane Resources (CISTAR), an NSF-funded Engineering Research Center (ERC) based at Purdue University.

Location

West Lafayette, Indiana

e-mail

cistar@purdue.edu

website

https://cistar.us/

Start Year

Energy and Sustainability

Energy and Sustainability Icon
Energy and Sustainability Icon

Energy, Sustainability, and Infrastructure

Lead Institution

Purdue University

Core Partners

University of New Mexico, Northwestern University, University of Notre Dame, University of Texas at Austin

Fact Sheet

CISTAR Fact Sheet.pdf

Impact/benefits

The content of the Portable Intercultural Models (PIM) was positively reviewed by a senior specialist at Purdue's Center for Intercultural Learning, Mentorship, Assessment and Research (CILMAR). She recommended the material for use in three separate PIMs for study-abroad related courses.

Explanation/Background

CISTAR won a grant to develop PIM to be inserted into courses preparing students for study abroad. The material also helps CISTAR summer program participants whose mentors come from different countries.

Pilot tests of the PIM show that it spurred thought-provoking conversations, while the accompanying exercise, activities, and discussions highlighted how culture awareness helps one work more effectively with others.