Internationalization at Home: An Occupational Therapy Synchronous Collaboration Between Cyprus and the United States

Area of Science:

• Occupational therapy education
• Global health education
• Cultural competence development

Background:

• Internationalization at Home (IaH) programs are crucial for developing cultural competence in occupational therapy students.
• Online cross-cultural collaborations offer a potential method for delivering IaH experiences.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore sustainable and effective methods for enhancing cultural competence in occupational therapy students through online cross-cultural collaborations.
• To assess the effectiveness of an online collaboration program on students' cultural awareness.

Main Methods:

• A pretest-posttest, parallel mixed-methods design was employed.
• Occupational therapy students from European University Cyprus and University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences participated in online video conferencing discussions.
• Qualitative data were gathered through focus groups and individual reflections, while quantitative data were collected using the Cultural Awareness Scale for Occupational Therapy Students (CASOTS).

Main Results:

• The CASOTS did not show significant changes in cultural awareness.
• Qualitative data revealed students' desire for more frequent and diverse cross-cultural experiences.
• Challenges identified included preparation and communication time; suggestions for future implementation included asynchronous sessions and strategies to overcome language barriers.

Conclusions:

• Synchronous cross-cultural online collaborations show promise in enhancing occupational therapy students' cultural awareness compared to traditional teaching methods.
• Further program development is essential to overcome identified challenges and establish sustainable IaH initiatives.
• Documenting benefits and barriers of IaH experiences can guide academic institutions in creating effective cultural competence programs.