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Crossing Borders

Code: 106135 ECTS Credits: 3
2025/2026
Degree Type Year
Nursing OT 4

Contact

Name:
Nina Granel Gimenez
Email:
nina.granel@uab.cat

Teachers

Maria Dolores Bernabeu Tamayo
David Téllez Velasco

Teaching groups languages

You can view this information at the end of this document.


Prerequisites

It is recommended that students have an interest in, be in the process of applying for, or have been accepted to an Erasmus or SICUE mobility placement. The subject will be held at the Bellaterra Campus (UAB).


Objectives and Contextualisation

 

    • Promote educational mobility and learning in diverse contexts, both formal and informal.

    • Acquire cultural and language skills related to different countries, fostering intercultural understanding.

    • Become familiar with the use of third languages as tools for learning and communication.

    • Recognize and analyze cultural, social, and professional diversity both in one’s own workplace and in international settings.

    • Reflect on personal behavior, internal functioning, and implicit biases.

    • Question one's own value systems in order to develop a more critical and open mindset.

    • Implement effective communication strategies with people from diverse cultural backgrounds.

    • Foster lifelong learning and the development of critical thinking skills.

    • Adopt a professional, objective, and respectful approach when analyzing complex situations, while avoiding personal prejudices and assumptions.


Competences

  • "Demonstrate an understanding of people without prejudice: consider physical, psychological and social aspects, as independent individuals; ensure that their opinions, values and beliefs are respected and guarantee their right to privacy, through trust and professional secrecy."
  • Make changes to methods and processes in the area of knowledge in order to provide innovative responses to society's needs and demands.
  • Promote and respect the right to participation, information, autonomy and informed consent in decision-making by the patient, in accordance with the way they are experiencing the health-illness process.

Learning Outcomes

  1. Acquire and use the necessary instruments for developing a critical and reflective attitude.
  2. Identify the importance of cultural competence in nursing care.
  3. Identify the way in which people manage health processes taking into account possible cultural aspects, values and beliefs which could lead to prejudice.
  4. Propose new methods or alternative solutions that have a firm basis, and are innovative and creative.
  5. Respect the right to participation in the decision making process by people for their own care, in accordance with the way in which they are experiencing the health process.

Content

Course Description
In this course, students will explore topics related to the internationalization of the nursing profession within our context, drawing on theories and practices of intercultural communication, cultural competence, and cultural sensitivity. Through a critical and reflective approach, students will deepen their understanding of the factors influencing professional nursing practice in diverse cultural settings and prepare for future academic or professional mobility experiences.

Note: This course does not include content related to the administrative procedures of Erasmus/SICUE exchange programs.

Main Topics

  • Cultural competence and cultural sensitivity

  • Intercultural communication

  • Transcultural nursing

  • The nursing profession in local and European contexts

  • Health and illness: cultural beliefs and practices

  • Patient safety culture in Europe

  • Contextual analysis ofthe destination country (politics, economy, healthcare system, etc.)


Activities and Methodology

Title Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Type: Directed      
Seminars 19.5 0.78
Theory 5 0.2
Type: Supervised      
Courseworks elaboration 10 0.4
Type: Autonomous      
Self-study 20.5 0.82

Theory
Lectures with audiovisual support focused on the core content of the subject. Active student participation is considered essential for the successful development of the sessions and understanding of the key concepts. All classes will be conducted in English, promoting exposure to academic content in third languages within an international learning environment.

Seminars
Small group sessions designed to encourage collaborative work, critical reflection, and the practical application of theoretical concepts. Students will participate in oral presentations and discussion activities. Seminar evaluation will focus on communication skills, message clarity, and the effective use of resources, placing greater emphasis on expressive and interactive abilities than on grammatical or syntactic accuracy in the language used.

 

 

Annotation: Within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.


Assessment

Continous Assessment Activities

Title Weighting Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Assistance and active participation 10 7 0.28 5
Elaboration of courseworks/reports 25 8 0.32 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Oral presentations 25 3 0.12 2, 3, 5
Written evaluation using objective tests 40 2 0.08 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

This course follows a continuous assessment model based on active participation, written assignments, oral presentations, and a final written exam. A single final assessment option is not available.

  1. Attendance and active participation in tutorials and in-person sessions (10%)
    Attendance is mandatory. Students must attend at least 83 % of sessions to be eligible for evaluation. Active participation during class will also be assessed. Otherwise, the student will be graded as Not assessable.

  2. Written assignments (25 %)
    Assignments must be submitted in English within the established deadlines. Failure to submit an assignment will result in a grade of 0 for that task. Late submissions will not be accepted.

  3. Oral defence of assignments (25 %)
    Assignments must be presented orally in English. Special emphasis will be placed on clarity, communication skills, and the use of appropriate resources, rather than on grammatical or syntactic accuracy.

  4. Final written exam (40 %)
    Students will complete an objective written exam based on the course content. This exam can be retaken if the minimum passing grade is not achieved.

General evaluation criteria:
In group activities and oral presentations, communication skills, creativity, and the use of supporting resources will be positively assessed, with greater weight given to effective expression and interaction than to formal grammar or syntax accuracy.

  1. Additional considerations

    • Any act of academic dishonesty (plagiarism, document manipulation, etc.) or disrespectful, violent, or discriminatory behavior toward classmates or instructors will result in automatic failure of the course.

    • Students who do not complete any of the assessment activities or fail to meet the minimum participation requirement will be graded with a 0 and marked as Not assessable. the only part to retake is the final examen.

      For this course, the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies is permitted exclusively for support tasks such as text correction and presentation development. Students must clearly identify which parts have been generated using these technologies, specify the tools used, and include a critical reflection on how these tools have influenced both the process and the final outcome of the activity. Lack of transparency in the use of AI in this assessed activity will be considered a breach of academic integrity and may result in partial or total loss of marks for the activity, or more severe sanctions in serious cases.


Bibliography

Cambridge English for Nursing. Virginia Allum and Patricia McGarr. Cambridge University Press ISBN: 0521141338. 2010.

It is not considered appropriate to include a list of bibliography due to students should acquire strategies for autonomous learning.

 


Software

Not aplicable


Groups and Languages

Please note that this information is provisional until 30 November 2025. You can check it through this link. To consult the language you will need to enter the CODE of the subject.

Name Group Language Semester Turn
(SEM) Seminars 101 English annual morning-mixed
(SEM) Seminars 102 English annual morning-mixed
(SEM) Seminars 103 English annual morning-mixed
(SEM) Seminars 104 English annual morning-mixed
(SEM) Seminars 301 English annual morning-mixed
(SEM) Seminars 302 English annual morning-mixed
(SEM) Seminars 501 English annual morning-mixed
(SEM) Seminars 621 English annual morning-mixed
(TE) Theory 101 English annual morning-mixed
(TE) Theory 301 English annual morning-mixed
(TE) Theory 501 English annual morning-mixed
(TE) Theory 601 English annual morning-mixed