Views and attitudes of academic and administrative staff members towards the role of intercultural communication in tertiary education

Internationalisation of education has become a significant development in Australian universities. With the increase of international students' participation on on-line, in-country and face-to-face teaching modes, universities have promoted intercultural communication competence among their academic and administrative staff members. What does intercultural communication mean to these staff? Is it a new paradigm or a window dressing exercise? What are some of the hurdles in the process and implementation of intercultural awareness? A case study was conducted to examine the significance of intercultural communication awareness in a tertiary education context. Participants from different academic and administrative functions in a university were invited to participate in informal interviews to present their views on intercultural communication and how it affects their interaction with international students. The paper will discuss the results of this study in terms of personal development, intercultural identity, and professional effectiveness.

Key words: intercultural communication, tertiary education, cultural awareness, internationalization of education