UNICORN MOOC

The MOOC is meant for UNICORN students, who are combining an international mobility experience with an experience of service-learning abroad. This tool is meant to support these students in acquiring a set of competences that is be useful to make the most of their experience abroad and in the community. The MOOC endows students with some conceptual understandings which is crucial to make sense of their first-hand experience of studying abroad and service-learning. It can support the student’s learning process and contribute to making it effective for their personal and professional development.

The UNICORN MOOC is articulated around two macro-topics:

  1. Service-Learning & Community Engagement (definition, methodology,philosophy, objectives, requirements, conditions, phases, etc.)
  2. Intercultural Competences.


These topics are regarded as two areas of competence in which the UNICORN students should develop some basic knowledge and skills before going on mobility. The UNICORN MOOC will endow students with some conceptual understanding which is crucial to make sense of their first-hand experience of studying abroad and Service-Learning. It will support the student’s learning process and contribute to make it effective for their personal and professional development. Specifically, this MOOC will help students develop civic and democratic competences such as critical reflection, teamwork, civic mindedness, openness to other cultures, respect for cultures and human rights. These competences are becoming more important to become an active and global citizen and a competent professional in today's complex and diverse societies.

The MOOC is organized in five weeks:

  • Week 1 is an introduction to what civic, democratic and intercultural competences are and why they are so important in nowadays global society.
  • Week 2 is an introduction to the Service-Learning approach and its application in intercultural contexts.
  • Week 3 is about the implications of engaging in the community at local and international levels; it will give an overview at different types of community organizations.
  • Week 4 will argue that power dynamics have to be always taken into consideration when working/serving in the community and in all intercultural relations.
  • Week 5 will show how critical reflection is crucial both in Service-Learning and in intercultural learning

 

Please have a look at this video of general introduction to the MOOC