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Enhancing the cultural competence and sensitivity of social work students through an embedded course structure

This project will develop a new cultural competence and sensitivity framework for the social work curriculum across both undergraduate (BASW) and postgraduate (MSW) programmes in the department. Three features of the teaching and learning experience are emphasized:

Developing Flipped Learning experience in cultural competence and sensitivity social work education, such as: interactive experience through human library, case dialogue and discussion, and role play analysis within and outside the classroom.
Embedding the curriculum into existing courses with a consistent learning of skills, knowledge, and values as a culturally competent social worker.
Using AI and immersive technology to experience oppressive and discriminatory experiences in a “do-not-harm” principle for social work students and the clients, such as: Chatbot dialogue with clients

Beyond the project’s features, it aims to achieve the following objectives:

To equip the cultural competence and sensitivity of the social work student within the existing courses of the social work curriculum
To develop a teaching pedagogy of using AI in social work education about anti-oppressive and discriminatory practice
To evaluate the effectiveness of culturally specific flipped classroom teaching and learning for social work education

Teaching and learning in the target course/training:

Four Skills of Cultural Diversity Competence Training (Skill-set)

The intensive one-day training workshop(6hrs) adopted the theoretical and Conceptual framework of the Four Skills of Cultural Diversity Competence (CDC) by hogan(1999). She proposed the framework and published a manual to conceptualize practical knowledge and skills for human service students and practitioners working with people from diverse ethnic backgrounds. The four skills are (a) understanding culture as it operates on different social levels; (b) understanding common barriers to effective communication and relationships; (c) practicing personal and interpersonal cultural competence; and (d) practicing the design and implementation of organizational strategies and action plans. To maintain the profession and the quality of training, social work teachers and practitioners attended a train-the-trainer workshop she organized as the framework’s founder. Afterwards, trainers offer the workshop to BASW and MSW students who attended as part of the pre-placement training.

2. Culture of Human Library (Knowledge-base)

The making-of video series will share real-life stories of growth and development in an environment that embraces diverse cultures. Users from South and East Asia at different developmental stages will be invited to serve as characters in the human library. Students can access their stories via the project website for the case analysis assignment in the course assessments for Human Behaviour and Social Environment (BASW) and Advanced Human Behaviour & Social Environment (MSW).

3. AI Chatbot – dialogue with people who suffer from oppression and discrimination (Value-driven)

Under the principle of “Do no harm” in the social work profession, AI Chatbot charters will be developed based on real-life case scenarios involving people experiencing oppression and discrimination in the community. Students are developing and evaluating chatbot charters and initiating dialogues with “service users” in lectures on justice and human rights in the social work profession within courses on Generic Social Work Practice with Groups, Organizations, and Communities (BASW) and Critical Introduction to Social Work (MSW).

Sustainability strategies
All teaching and learning tools in this project will adopt various strategies to create and sustain impact, ensure duration, and support follow-up after the project. First, once the train-the-trainer workshop and cross-cultural teaching materials are developed, the Four Skills of Cultural Diversity Competence Training will be offered as regular training within the preparatory workshop in the social work curriculum. Both videos and the AI Chatbot will continue to display on the Culture of Human Library website. The website will be registered under University Central Web Hosting Services as a standardized solution for centrally managed websites on the Linux Docker platform (OKD). Subject teachers of the course can use the resource to support course development, review both courses on human behavior and the social environment, and introduction of social work.

This project is supported by PolyU APSS Departmental Learning and Teaching Grant Funds 2025/26

Project Leader

Dr. Lo Kai Chung
Lecturer, PhD., MSScSW, BSS, RSW
GH321, Department of Applied Social Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong

Tel: (852) 2766 7727
Email: Kai-chung.lo@polyu.edu.hk