Diversity can attract foreign students

Promoting cultural diversity is crucial for any university, as all students benefit from encouraging inclusiveness, raising awareness of intercultural education and approaching teaching with cultural sensitivity. Increasing multicultural understanding and including the same not only promotes acceptance and enables students to flourish in a world with increasing diversity but also helps students of varied origins to prosper academically.

There are several ways a university can ensure that both the classroom environment and curriculum are responsive to the increasing cultural diversity of our society. These techniques will promote diversity in the student community, increasing each student’s sense of identity and promoting cultural knowledge among all students.

Knowing student’s behaviour

Spending some time getting to know a student’s cultural background, interests, preferred learning methods and other distinctive characteristics will ensure that cultural awareness is emphasised in the institution. One may build rapport with students and make them feel appreciated by showing a genuine interest in finding out about each one of them and their culture. Communication is the foundation of a culturally aware and inclusive institution, so if students feel valued by the faculty, they are more likely to feel the same way about their classmates and respect them.

Communication routine

Teachers should continue engaging with students throughout the academic year. One-to-one sessions must be given consistently to understand their behaviour and perspectives extensively. This will give the students an opportunity to discuss their issues openly and can make their overall experience better. This discussion can also include talking about their academic progress and providing advice on how they may do better.

Reflect cultural sensitivity

Considering the cultural subtleties of each student, including their learning preferences and language usage and using this to engage with the student is a good step. Making learning experiences that are more collaborative and participatory rather than using the typical lecture method is also a need. These factors will more likely make each student feel valued, have the freedom to learn as they like and have the opportunity to achieve.

Let lesson plans include diversity

Cultural awareness can be promoted in the classroom but one also needs to make sure that lesson plans take diversity into their account. Alternately, include cross-cultural allusions and their comparisons in the courses and homework to encourage personal connections among students from various origins. Including speakers from different backgrounds is a fantastic way to give a range of perspectives and real-world context to various topics. Irrespective of the subject, teachers should make an effort to relate teachings to current events. When students can relate to a real-world example, it is easier to encourage cultural understanding in their lessons.

Freedom is a mandate

Students can have their own approach to the subjects that can help them read and present their own materials that connect to the core lesson. As a teacher, one can serve as a mediator to provide constructive disagreement between opposing viewpoints. In addition to exposing students to various viewpoints, group assignments give them the opportunity to collaborate on research and improve their approach-solving skills. In a diverse workplace where they will collaborate with a variety of people to achieve their professional objectives, this will also assist in preparing them for the same

Diversity in education exposes pupils to a range of ethnic and societal groups, preparing them to be better community members. It is more crucial than ever for institutions to include culturally responsive training in the classroom given our increasingly varied and global society. Keeping in mind the importance of diversity and cultural sensitivity in the classroom and the advantages it can provide for students in both the short and long run is critical.

(The author is a trustee and a member of the board of governors, Dayananda Sagar University)