Intercultural communicative competence has become an indispensable skill for university students amid today’s interconnected and multicultural world. However, traditional courses often fail to nurture it effectively, hampered by a disconnect between theory and practice, and rote, lecture-based pedagogy. The Design for Change (DFC) model, grounded in design thinking, addresses these shortcomings through its student-centered, action-oriented cycle of Feel, Imagine, Do, and Share. This study explores the DFC framework’s principles and pedagogical value, demonstrates its fit with intercultural communication curricula, and proposes a reform blueprint that redefines course goals, structure, methods, and assessment. This framework connects theoretical learning with real-world practice, transforming teaching from knowledge transmission into competence cultivation and helping students engage with cultural diversity through empathy, creativity, and confidence.

Chengchieh Su. Enhancing College Students' Intercultural Communicative Competence through the Design for Change (DFC) Teaching Model. Frontiers in Educational Research (2025), Vol. 8, Issue 11: 156-162. https://doi.org/10.25236/FER.2025.081123.

[1] Deardorff D K. The Identification and Assessment of Intercultural Competence as a Student Outcome of Internationalization [J]. Journal of Studies in International Education, 2004, 8 (2): 110-125.

[2] Design for Change India. (n.d.). The DFC story. Retrieved from https://designforchangeindia. com/the-dfc-story

[3] Design for Change World. (n.d.). Lesson plans. Retrieved from https://dfcworld.org/SITE

[4] Khushu M. The Relevance of Student Voice in the Teaching Profession [J]. Connect: Supporting Student Participation, 2011(190), 9-11. 

[5] Arasaratnam L A, & Doerfel M L. Intercultural Communication Competence: Identifying Key Components from Multicultural Perspectives [J]. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 2005(29), 137-163.

[6] Kim Y Y. Becoming Intercultural: An Integrative Theory of Communication and Cross-Cultural Adaptation [M]. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications, 2001.

[7] Emert H, & Pearson J. Intercultural Communication: A Reader [M]. Boston: Allyn & Bacon, 2007.

[8] Lawrence D. Intercultural Communication: Competence and Context [M]. Boston: Pearson, 2011.

[9] Byram M. Teaching and Assessing Intercultural Communicative Competence [M]. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters, 1997.

[10] Byram M. From Foreign Language Education to Education for Intercultural Citizenship [M]. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters, 2009.

[11] Deardorff D K. The SAGE Handbook of Intercultural Competence [M]. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE, 2009.

[12] Hall E T. Beyond Culture [M]. New York: Doubleday, 1976.

[13] Hofstede G. Culture’s Consequences: Comparing Values, Behaviors, Institutions and Organizations across Nations (2nd ed.) [M]. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications, 2001.

[14] Hofstede G. Cultures and Organizations: Software of the Mind (3rd ed.) [M]. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2010.

[15] Chen G M, & Starosta W J. Intercultural Communication Competence: A Synthesis [J]. Communication Yearbook, 1996(19), 353-384.

[16] Fantini A E. Assessing Intercultural Competence [M]. The SAGE Handbook of Intercultural Competence, 2009, 456-476.