The paper analyses the emergence of a new competence in academic environments. The unstable framework of modern society requires new skills, more appropriate for the integration of knowledge. Making a priority of the linguistic element is no longer an option as students present heterogeneous profiles and needs. Including a multicultural dimension into the foreign language class should become a compulsory characteristic of the educational process and curricula. The present study also proposes several modalities of raising awareness among students regarding the prerequisite of being culturally competent. Furthermore, multicultural skills have become one of the most important requirements on the job market. As far as educators are concerned, culturally-based adaptive education has been increasingly present in teachers’ preoccupations, as they have recently become more involved in online learning environments. Both students and teachers are advised to cooperate in negotiating multicultural skills and their comprehension in the academic environment.

multicultural competence, adaptive learning, cultural identity, ESP

social sciences

Presentation: oral