Abstract:

Globalization trends and increased mobility of the educated work force urged higher education institutions (HEIs) to develop internationalisation strategies for a wider outreach to attract overseas students and to connect with more diverse social and economic environments. At the same time, local candidates started pressuring higher education institutions to offer knowledge and competences synchronized with global trends and needs of an international labour marked to the local communities. The response to these pressures on the universities’ missions has been the development of internationalised campuses, the effort to include an international perspective to the teaching, learning and research processes, and the accelerated capacity building for international cooperation and improved quality of teaching and learning (Marinoni 2019). In universities which consider internationalisation as highly important, language competence and intercultural communication stand as cornerstones of their missions. Proficiency in multiple languages dismantles communication barriers, enabling seamless exchanges of ideas and knowledge across borders. Moreover, intercultural communication cultivates respect for varying perspectives, nurturing a global mindset essential in today's interconnected world. In the universiy campus, international students are faced with the challenge of communicating in a foreign language, whether an international language or the local language, and adapting to a new local and institutional environment. The present paper describes an approach to language competence and intercultural communication development by fostering learning communities among international students in a HEI. These communities serve as immersive environments where individuals interact, collaborate, and learn from one another, transcending linguistic and cultural barriers. By engaging in shared activities, discussions, and collaborative projects, participants not only enhance their language skills but also gain deeper insights into different cultures, customs, and perspectives. We will show how learning communities can provide a supportive space that encourages meaningful exchanges, can contribute to improved linguistic proficiency and helps students embrace the richness of a diverse, internationalised university campus.

Keywords:

Global mindset, global competence, intercultural communication.