Intercultural education for student mobility

This special issue of Intercultural Education intends to foster discussion on educational initiatives which aim to lay the ground for and support intercultural learning in study abroad. It engages not only with the theory, but also with the practice of teaching the intercultural in the context of student mobility. The articles includes two position papers, three research studies, and one example of best-practice. While each contributes with its own original perspective, the articles have in common that they address the issue of how better to foster intercultural learning through the study abroad experience, considering in particular the perspectives of students, teachers, and curriculum planners in higher education. Thanks to the multiplicity of views it presents, the collection of articles intends to shed light on the complex phenomenon of student mobility, where indeed diverse voices may be heard (Murphy-Lejeune 2008). The special issue has its origin in an international conference organised in June 2014 at the University of Bologna and entitled ‘Teaching the Intercultural in Contexts of Student Mobility’. The conference brought together researchers in intercultural education as well as other educational professionals interested in intercultural and student mobility issues, programme administrators and teachers. It was an opportunity to discuss aims, methods and outcomes of available courses, as well as innovative ideas to improve the preparation of mobile students from an intercultural point of view. The conference was organised within the context of IEREST (Intercultural Education Resources for Erasmus Students and their Teachers), a three-year Erasmus Multilateral project co-funded by the European Commission within the Lifelong Learning Programme 2007-2013.