Internationalisation in higher education led to new international activities and programmes included in the Erasmus+, such as Blended Intensive Programme (BIP) and Collaborative Online International Learning. Students can access these opportunities in an extended and flexible way. These occasions offer multicultural and interdisciplinary experiences, as well as the opportunity to develop valuable expertise and soft skills. In this study, we investigate the development of intercultural competence in relation to factors of multicultural effectiveness within a BIP focused on Mathematics for security and defence education. The Multicultural Personality Questionnaire items were embedded in the initial and final questionnaires submitted to 47 university students attending the BIP “Problem Solving and Critical Thinking”, delivered by the University of Turin and the Italian Army Officers School in March 2025. Through quantitative statistical analysis, we conclude that, although the short-term nature of the BIP experience, it significantly promotes certain aspects of intercultural competence, particularly cultural empathy and open-mindedness.
Exploring Multicultural Effectiveness Development in a Blended Intensive Programme in Mathematics for Security and Defence
Alice Barana;Giulia Boetti;Marina Marchisio Conte;
2025-01-01
Abstract
Internationalisation in higher education led to new international activities and programmes included in the Erasmus+, such as Blended Intensive Programme (BIP) and Collaborative Online International Learning. Students can access these opportunities in an extended and flexible way. These occasions offer multicultural and interdisciplinary experiences, as well as the opportunity to develop valuable expertise and soft skills. In this study, we investigate the development of intercultural competence in relation to factors of multicultural effectiveness within a BIP focused on Mathematics for security and defence education. The Multicultural Personality Questionnaire items were embedded in the initial and final questionnaires submitted to 47 university students attending the BIP “Problem Solving and Critical Thinking”, delivered by the University of Turin and the Italian Army Officers School in March 2025. Through quantitative statistical analysis, we conclude that, although the short-term nature of the BIP experience, it significantly promotes certain aspects of intercultural competence, particularly cultural empathy and open-mindedness.
I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
