Empowering Educators: HubICL's Contribution to Intercultural Competence Development

Developing an interculturally competent STEM workforce has become increasingly crucial in today's globalized environment. Intercultural competence is an important skill as it enables individuals to interact and behave effectively across different cultures. Higher Education Institutions (HEls) are thus encouraging educators to integrate intercultural competence into their curricula. However, research has revealed that STEM educators and program leaders often feel ill-prepared to weave intercultural learning outcomes into their curriculum. Although training and workshops work to bridge this knowledge gap, they demand significant resources, financial cost, expertise, and time commitment. In light of these challenges, our study investigates the role of an open-access intercultural learning science gate-way, The Intercultural Learning Hub (HubICL), designed to equip STEM educators and program leaders with the necessary resources and activities to foster intercultural competence in learners. It is important to note that intercultural competence is a rapidly growing field; the HublCL serves and supports 1000 unique users monthly ranging from various disciplines across the globe. Therefore, to understand the impact of the HubICL, we conducted in-depth interviews with prominent HublCL users. The interview data was qualitatively analyzed using narrative inquiry. In the interviews, participants reflected on various aspects of the HublCL such as: i) an educational platform for imparting intercultural competence. ii) a developmental tool for enhancing the intercultural competence of instructors and program leaders. iii) a source of experiential learning opportu-nities within classrooms to refine pedagogical approaches. iv) a repository of activities for instructors to actively engage students, allowing them to explore and develop intercultural competencies firsthand. Participants also provided feedback to improve the usability and maximize the potential of the platform. The findings of the study demonstrate that the HublCL is a great asset for STEM educators and program leaders seeking to integrate intercultural competence into their curricula or programs. The HublCL serves as a bridge between educators and students by providing educators with the resources and knowledge to integrate intercultural competence into their learning outcomes. Implications of these findings extend beyond resource provision; they emphasize the necessity of integrating accessible, compre-hensive resources like the HublCL in educational settings to promote intercultural competence. As STEM educators continue to seek efficient means to develop and impart intercultural competence to align with HEI goals for learning outcomes, platforms like the HublCL offer promising solutions to overcome existing barriers to seamlessly integrate intercultural learning into STEM curricula and programs. This study suggests a shift towards leveraging digital platforms for educator development and calls for continued investment in such technologies to enhance the intercultural competence of future STEM students.