Developing technical competency through cross-campus intercultural student collaboration: An undergraduate assessment

Abstract

Cross-campus collaborative assessments have become an integral feature of internationalised undergraduate curricula, particularly in large, digitally mediated courses. This study explores undergraduate students’ perceptions of intercultural collaboration and technical skill development in a cross-campus data analytics assessment at an Australian university. Grounded in social constructivism, intercultural competence theory, and the Technology Acceptance Model, the assessment required first-year commerce students to work in diverse teams using Microsoft Excel to address an authentic real-world business scenario. Survey data were collected from 172 students across campuses in Australia, Mauritius, Malaysia, Singapore, and fully online cohorts. Quantitative analysis employed factor analysis, reliability tests, ANOVA, and regression modelling. Results showed positive perceptions of intercultural collaboration (M = 3.65) and technical skill development (M = 3.86). Differences emerged across campuses, with students in Singapore and Mauritius reporting stronger intercultural engagement, while technical skill development was more strongly predicted by English proficiency than by campus location. These findings suggest that language ability plays a critical role in shaping students’ confidence with technical tasks, whereas intercultural engagement is more closely linked to the campus context. The study highlights the importance of structured group formation, scaffolding, and inclusive practices to ensure equitable learning experiences across culturally diverse cohorts. The study contributes to internationalised higher education by offering evidence-based guidance for designing collaborative, cross-campus assessments, highlighting the importance of structured group formation and inclusive support strategies that strengthen both intercultural learning and digital literacy.

Keywords

• Intercultural collaboration
• Cross-campus assessment
• Technical skills development
• Higher education

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