Intercultural NDBS Scenarios
VPAC / People Leaders
N - Notice your reaction (discomfort, awkwardness, confusion, etc.). Step back and pause.
D - Describe the interaction in neutral terms, the context, what happened, what do you know as factual (vs. interpretation)?
B - Brainstorm and consider all the possible perspectives and interpretations.
S - Through this process suspend certainty and immediate judgement.
Then consider possible next steps or solutions.
(Group 1) A first-year male student of Korean-descent comes in for advising at the end of the academic year because his grades are very low and he does not meet the minimum requirement to get into his choice university in the fall. He wants information from the advisor about what he can do to ensure acceptance into the university this fall. The advisor explains that he needs to consider other options and discusses the possibility of retaking his courses and applying to his choice university later. The student says that this is not an option, as his parents expect him to be finished at the college this year, and prepared for finishing his degree at the university that fall. He said that his parents will not pay for his tuition unless this all goes according to plan.
(Group 2) A student attended an event at Douglas College called “Choosing your Major”. The student is personable and hardworking, but their academic standing, especially in their accounting courses, is weak. They are discussing their options with an advisor and the student insists on remaining focused on a career in accounting because "it is stable.” It comes out that this is the preference of their parents. You ask them if this is what they would like to do, and apparently “not really”, but they will continue to work towards this because it is their parents’ wish.
(Group 3) The end of the term has arrived and all grades are posted. One of your students who failed the course has contacted you by email and asked/begged that you bump the grade to a passing mark. You can’t change the grade at this point and you meet with the student and review the course grades and offer suggestions for improvement in the next course. The student continues to ask for a passing grade and contacts you repeatedly by email with the same request.
(Group 4) During a recent department meeting, a faculty member shares her disdain over a recent move by her department’s Chair/Head to change the traditional “Merry Christmas” greeting at the front foyer to “Happy Holidays.” She exclaims that faculty were not consulted and that the growing diversity of her school has made it hard to celebrate her favourite holiday saying, “I suppose I can’t call the decorated tree a Christmas tree anymore either.” She is considering starting a petition to have the department bring back the Christmas greeting, and wants the blessing from Faculty Relations.
(Group 5) A faculty member of South Asian descent visits Faculty Relations (or the equivalent) after having received a negative evaluation from one of their students. They are new to the Commerce and Business Administration department and despite feeling a connection with South Asian students, there has been difficulty connecting with other instructors and faculty. The new faculty member explains feeling like there is some resentment when she/he/they speak in Urdu or Punjabi with students, but feels very awkward forcing students to speak in English. They were excited to come to Douglas because of the demographics of the community, but are feeling very upset about the negative evaluation.
(Group 6) Campus Security is hiring for a position. Towards the end of the day of interviews, a candidate enters the room, with a noticeable physical disability. The interviewers, conduct the interview as they would normally, but are feeling uneasy about addressing the physical demands of the job, and afraid they may come across as discriminatory. When given the opportunity to ask a question, the candidate asks, "Are you going to ask me about my disability?"
(Group 7) The front desk assistant coordinator has sent out an email inviting international students at Douglas to sign up for mock interviews “ASAP”, as part of an event called “Starting your Career in Canada”, exclusively for international students to help them gain professional experience. The day before the mock interviews, the registrations are only at half of the program’s capacity. Some students have come to inquire about how to sign up for a mock interview and a few other students have emailed back inquiring about the meaning of “ASAP”.
(Group 8) A male student of South American descent comes to the Career Centre for job search advice. When discussing strategies for networking or setting up informational interviews, the student is shown how to approach people over Linkedin and Twitter, and is provided a few examples, including giving a compliment on ones career path, mentioning mutual connections, and an open invitation for a chat over coffee. The student becomes very uncomfortable and looks away. When asked what's wrong, the student tries to change the topic and seems in disbelief. After insisting a couple of times, the student opens up and points to the screen and asks, “Can I really send this message to that woman? How can I approach a woman I do not know, and invite her to connect and for a coffee chat? How's that going to be perceived?