Two-Part Masterclass

As educators, we are tasked with preparing students not just for employment but for ethical global engagement, intercultural responsibility, and collaboration in increasingly AI-shaped environments.

This two-part masterclass invites educators, trainers, and other learning enthusiasts to reimagine intercultural work in an age of disruption, digital mediation, and accelerating automation. Grounded in a human-centered, systems-aware approach, it explores both a return to the relational roots of intercultural interaction and an exploration of the emerging tools and trends reshaping global learning. We’ll explore the growing need to see interculturally sensitivity as a core skill, the ethical implications of AI in team-based collaboration, and the urgent need to design inclusive, resilient, and scalable virtual spaces for connection.

Part 1: Back to Basics – Reclaiming the Relational Core of Intercultural Work

Focus: Reflection, reconnection, and resilience

Key Topics:

• The fractured present: Why interculturalism matters now more than ever
• Reframing “competence” as relational fluency and ethical engagement
• Making space for difficult conversations without collapse
• Virtual Exchange (VE) as a bridge, not a compromise

Learning Outcomes:

• Renewed clarity on the purpose and practice of intercultural work
• Tools for designing brave, inclusive learning spaces, both virtual and in-person
• Strategies for supporting learners in polarized and politicized contexts

Part 2: Forward to Inclusion – Trends and Transformations in Intercultural Practice

Focus: Innovation, integration, and ethical use of technology

Key Topics:

• Emerging trends: AI, hybrid collaboration, and algorithmic inclusion/exclusion
• Real-world Example: Global Work (GloW) Competency Model: Intercultural, digital, sustainability
• Designing intercultural learning for hybrid, remote, and AI-mediated teams
• Building critical AI literacy into leadership and teamwork curricula

Learning Outcomes:

• Insight into the latest intercultural and DEIB-adjacent trends
• Frameworks for embedding AI-awareness and cultural ethics into programs
• Practical models (like the Global Case Study Challenge virtual exchange) for scalable, impactful experiential global learning

ABOUT THE SPEAKER

Eithne Knappitsch is Professor of Intercultural Management at the School of Management at Carinthia University of Applied Sciences, Austria. Her teaching focuses on relational dynamics in organizations, leadership, and collaboration in diverse and global teams. Her research and practice explore intercultural communication, conscious collaboration, and relational intelligence for sustainable and inclusive leadership. She advises organizations on team effectiveness in hybrid and transcultural contexts. She is co-founder of the Global Case Study Challenge, an educational non-profit focusing on global experiential learning and currently serves on the Board of the International Virtual Exchange Consortium.