Everything about this program leads to equity and respect for diversity. Students from male dominated cultures being led by a female Muslim student wearing a hijab, a High Distinction student spending the time helping a fellow Pass student, Indian, Arabic, Chinese and Brazilian students laughing, eating and working together in their team, are examples of where the magic happens.   Our domestic students also benefit from this exposure, wth everyone  developing vital intercultural skills to assist with engaging in the global workplace.

Students with disabilities unable to attend the unit in person also participate successfully by means of virtual teams, where they interact via electronic means with their teams, studio mentors and industry mentors.

These student quotes are from many, documented exit interviews that we hold with each student at the end of the program, from their weekly reflective diary blogs, from their video learning journeys with their teams and from emails.

“When we looked back the whole semester, we found there are so many things we have learned and experienced in this unit. We realize there are so many aspects we need to know to develop an application, including hard skills and soft skills. But especially communication across cultures. Our team was made up of different cultures and it was difficult at the beginning but, with practise, we understood how to get the best out of each of us. We understood that people think differently and that’s OK”

Program graduate, 2018

“The unit has helped us become more confident in terms of how we approach a particular problem scenario and how we can resolve them. The unit has made us industry ready. We have learnt how to embrace cultural differences in a team by using effective communication channels thereby improving our personality.”

Program graduate, 2017

” I’ve been blown away by the enthusiasm and creativity of the students undertaking the IT industry experience project. The entrepreneurial and enterprising spirit of the student teams was infectious and it was great seeing so many skills set on display including, communication, problem solving, innovation, planning and organisation and the use of tools and technology – very impressive. The ability of the teams to develop real products and services that have the potential to make a difference in society is something that would have made Sir John Monash proud….. Monash students at their very best!”

Professor Darrell Evans, Vice-Provost (Learning and Teaching), Monash University

I have always chosen and worked with teams from my own culture. Being forced into  a team with students from all over the world initially made me unhappy but now I have made friends from very different cultures with very different ways of doing things. I am so pleased that this happened

Program graduate, 2017