Planning intercultural group work in engineering education: the importance of a multilevel approach

Intercultural group work (IGW), where students from different cultures work together, can play a crucial role in contributing to international and group work learning outcomes, yet presents significant pedagogical challenges. Despite this, the teacher perspective has largely been overlooked in IGW research. This qualitative study takes a multilevel approach to the planning of IGW at two European universities, focusing on the teachers. Data sources include interviews with programme and course managers and documentation from international to course level. The results highlight the extent to which multilevel learning outcomes and teacher purposes for group work influence the planning of IGW, exemplified through choices around group forming, facilitation and assessment. A conceptual framework has been developed, highlighting the dynamic interplay between context and group work planning, and emphasizing the importance of both the structural setting and human interactions. The findings underscore the necessity of considering context in future IGW planning and research.