Among the most critical skills that almost all university and college graduates require for purposes of citizenship and careers in the currently diverse global society is cultural competence. Various descriptions have been provided for cultural competence by several scholars and studies. Still, the most satisfactory is the one that describes it as an ability to communicate, comprehend and interact effectively with a given people belonging to various cultures. It merely encompasses the ability to be self-aware of the view of one's world and developing a positive attitude towards cultural diversities (Danso, 2018). The importance of cultural competences is affirmed or reinforced by the rise of a society characterized by the majority and minority. Despite its necessity, the relevance of the cultural diversity and expertise in college education is at stake in imparting the students with the ability to navigate through the complexities of multicultural working environments successfully.
Today, all over the state, the number of universities and colleges have gone forth to adopt inclusive excellence as a paradigm explicitly centred for students to address the synergy that exists between quality and diversity in the social and intellectual aspects of the experience in education as well as fostering an inclusive kind of campus environment. Despite this significant step, several institutions have gone to heights to develop intentional and integrated approaches in the scheme of addressing cultural competence in the co-curriculum and curriculum (Arbour et al., 2015). For this reason, the operationalization of this mechanism in higher education and undergraduate experience, it has remained to be one of the most neglected and elusive goals in most institutions today. A study conducted recently points out that culture and education are just as old as time is. This is because time is a shaping factor for both of these variables the reason why in a continuously globalized world, one of the critical challenges facing the education sector is successfully developing students with a cross-cultural competence. The society in the 21st century is characterized by its tendency to continuously forge new paths and connections with people from various parts of the world (Cruz et al., 2016). To facilitate this nature, there is a need for education to foster inquiring mindsets that quench for further cross-cultural competence. Colleges and institutions of higher education need to adapt to the transforming global stage for purposes of equipping leaders and students the knowledge necessary to engage with people from other cultures properly. It is also the responsibility of the institutions to provide students with the opportunity in experimental learning which an out of class learning experience is basically (Danso, 2018). Since the chance to as challenging questions and learning the difference in humanity has been sidelined due to the prioritization of vocational goals, many students barely utilize higher education for the sake of seeking enlightenment and expanding one's horizons.
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From where we stand today, it’s the individual’s responsibility to find out the details concerning the inherent value in the struggle to understand the diversity and connection of the world. Based on the findings of the research, cultural interactions appear to be more prominent as compared to previous years. Today, with a few clicks, it is possible to message or converse with an individual anywhere around the globe. To harness the potential and power of the process of globalization, the starting point is the learning and understanding the sensitivity of various cultures. Students in higher learning institutions should seek to maximally utilize their experience in the college to grasp a basic understanding of how to relate with people from different cultures present in the society (Flood & Commendador, 2016). However, the lack of interest from the individuals themselves or lack of willingness in engaging in cultural diversity, then there lacks a reason or benefit for any institution to integrate cultural diversity in its education system. Since the evolution of the world is taking place at an unparalleled pace, institutions of higher learning should assume the responsibility of providing the promise of developing world-class leaders through the development of global learners. With the increasing demand of cultural competencies, universities and colleges in the state have gone forth to provide opportunities for the learners to relate with as well as learn from other diverse cultures (Griffith et al., 2016). In support of this statement, a subset of the higher education curriculum for the essentials of graduation focuses on learning several foreign languages. This mechanism encompasses various channels such as understanding the lifestyle, literature as well as speaking the words, a favourable but straightforward technique of understanding the breaths and depths of any given culture. Other than full integration of such mechanisms, an alternative that can come in handy is the alteration of the curricula to increase cultural competences through experimental learning and interdisciplinary course (Jani et al., 2016). Interdisciplinary itself is designed in a particular way in which its goal is to bring a variety of options to the subject at hand; hands-on learning facilitates the opportunity to relate knowledge with a real-life setup and be able to receive feedback immediately.
To flawlessly oversee the successful application of cultural competences in high education, her learning institutions require the creation of intersections as well as cultural intersections. These spots or spaces might seemingly resemble the presence of a diverse student body which is facilitated by a process committed to achieve diversity within the admission or similarly provide ample support on the diversification of the campus itself through activities such as the cultural festivals sponsored by the university (Meyer & Wynn, 2018). A study conducted late last year points out that a higher learning institution can encourage an appreciation forum of the diversity itself campus-wide by being focused on the experience model of first-years. The provision of picnic tables in various hang-out areas or similarly, an extension of the time interval between classes are simple actions and steps taken by the administration of a college or university to build cross-cultural competence (Repo et al., 2017). Other examples of large-scale initiatives within high education systems include the designation of dormitory facilities in a manner that facilitates social capabilities. Similarly, a more sophisticated mechanism, the institution at hand can offer several semester options overseas. Since there is need to strengthen the preparation techniques for graduates to work in various cultural settings comfortably, high education needs to assume the responsibility in ensuring that the curriculum is designed intentionally to associate opportunities for students to develop and enhance their intercultural communication skills and competences.
The significance of cultural competence is brought out on how best an individual can treat another who shares a different culture from their own. Since the capability itself is composed of a given set of rules that govern interaction, customs and communication patterns, one can understand and appreciate the nature of a given people with whom they share resources (Shen, 2015). Through cultural competence, students graduating from colleges and universities become aware of their tendencies to stereotype and attitude concerning various cultures provides them with the opportunity to give concern and care to others genuinely. Scholars have pointed out that the U.S has continued to advance racially and ethnically diverse over the last two years by averagely 27.5% despite the existing challenges and other disparities (Meyer & Wynn, 2018). To address such gaps, cultural competence is significant on a system-wide scale. Through cultural competence policies and plans, healthcare disparities and efficiency improvement on the access of quality basic needs are improved, minimizing the gap already in existence. A perfect example is in healthcare facilities where failure in cultural competency is directly proportional to patient dissatisfaction
Following the constant rise in the diversity of the state's population, tailoring and devising high education to facilitate cultural competence is necessary to provide reliability and efficiency in service delivery. As a means of recommending cultural competence, various proposals have been brought forth to ensure that the system at hand operates optimally with minimal glitches (Cruz et al., 2016). Cultural competence can be improved by the recognition that everyone's culture goes beyond the colour of the skin. Skin colour has, for a long time, been used as a form of discrimination against people in the scramble for the available resources. However. To succeed in the integration of cultural competence in today's education system, there is a need to let go of the previously held notion of the power associated with specific skin color (Griffith et al., 2016). There is a need to conduct developmental evaluations to improve the level of cultural competence. Research conducted recently points out that in most cases, cultural identification results to ineffectiveness in service delivery not only at work but in health facilities as well. Having students understand their cultural identity gives them an upper hand in understanding the value of cultural interdependence as they progressively undertake cultural competence programs in their respective colleges and universities (Flood & Commendador, 2016). Last but not least, there is a need to determine the effectiveness of the cultures and languages being taught in institutions to gauge the effectiveness of cultural competences in future.
To understand the implications of cultural competences, it is essential to note that diversity is real. As a society or state, citizens are connected through the continually improving globalization of trade, communications, among other variables. In consideration of the existing interconnected problems and increasing cultural diversity, having to work together appears to be the simplest and best strategy for achieving the goals set (Shen, 2015). This is because any economic and social change is faster by the day and organizations are yet to understand the necessity of cultural competence. Similarly, studies point out that graduates and entrants form institutions of higher learning will continue to be immigrants, people of colour, among others due to the varying immigration patterns (Meyer & Wynn, 2018). Cultural competencies, however, increase the mutual understanding and respect among workers and students; problem-solving abilities are improved through the integration of new ideas and perspectives, it increases cooperation and trust as well as reducing the surprises that slows down any progress made.
In conclusion, building a culturally competent state implies changing the people's thoughts concerning other cultures, how they operate and communicate. This means that leadership, the structure and activities of the state need to reflect on several perspectives, values, priorities and styles. Altering the appearance of a country or organization is an initial step. To obtain a culturally competent state or corporation, there is need to emphasize on the pros of cultural diversity, appreciate the contribution of all cultures, encourage any positive feedback from the interaction of various cultures and ethnic groups and last but not least, support the devolution of power among people coming from diverse cultures. To radically impact change, higher education needs to continue evaluating, programing and celebrates diversity, creating a place that facilitates all cultures. Therefore, there is a need to determine any issue or event that is necessary to prevent the tendency of carrying forward any assumptions that may ultimately be catastrophic.
References
Arbour, M., Kaspar, R. W., & Teall, A. M. (2015). Strategies to promote cultural competence in distance education. Journal of Transcultural Nursing , 26 (4), 436-440.
Cruz, J. P., Estacio, J. C., Bagtang, C. E., & Colet, P. C. (2016). Predictors of cultural competence among nursing students in the Philippines: A cross-sectional study. Nurse education today , 46 , 121-126.
Danso, R. (2018). Cultural competence and cultural humility: A critical reflection on key cultural diversity concepts. Journal of Social Work , 18 (4), 410-430.
Griffith, R. L., Wolfeld, L., Armon, B. K., Rios, J., & Liu, O. L. (2016). Assessing intercultural competence in higher education: Existing research and future directions. ETS Research Report Series , 2016 (2), 1-44.
Flood, J. L., & Commendador, K. A. (2016). Undergraduate nursing students and cross-cultural care: A program evaluation. Nurse education today , 36 , 190-194.
Jani, J. S., Osteen, P., & Shipe, S. (2016). Cultural competence and social work education: Moving toward assessment of practice behaviors. Journal of Social Work Education , 52 (3), 311-324.
Meyer, E. G., & Wynn, G. H. (2018). The importance of US military cultural competence. In Military and veteran mental health (pp. 15-33). Springer, New York, NY.
Repo, H., Vahlberg, T., Salminen, L., Papadopoulos, I., & Leino-Kilpi, H. (2017). The cultural competence of graduating nursing students. Journal of transcultural nursing , 28 (1), 98- 107.
Shen, Z. (2015). Cultural competence models and cultural competence assessment instruments in nursing: a literature review. Journal of Transcultural Nursing , 26 (3), 308-321.
