Innovative Pedagogies in Enhancing Cultural Variety in the International Business Classroom

The diversification of international business education increasingly depends on pedagogical approaches capable of fostering cross-cultural competence in classrooms that are often less internationally diverse than policy narratives assume. This paper explores how culturally responsive avatars can be used to expand opportunities for intercultural learning within an Internationalization at Home (IaH) perspective. Drawing on the intersection of constructivism, Culturally Responsive Teaching (CRT), and Self-Regulated Learning (SRL), the study proposes a CR-SRL framework for the design of scenario-based learning activities centred on culturally nuanced managerial dilemmas. The paper reports preliminary findings from a pilot implementation in a Cross-Cultural Management course involving 80 undergraduate students from more than ten national backgrounds. In this initial phase, the intervention relied on static avatar prototypes informed by the GLOBE dimensions and collaboratively developed through a co-creation process involving instructors and students. Qualitative evidence from interviews, reflective narratives, and classroom observations suggests that the avatars supported perspective-taking, encouraged reflection on cultural assumptions, and reduced communication anxiety by creating a structured “safe space” for experimentation. At the same time, the pilot highlighted the pedagogical limits of pre-scripted interactions and the need for more dynamic AI-enabled dialogue. The paper argues that the value of avatar-mediated pedagogy lies not only in simulation, but in its capacity to make intercultural learning more inclusive, reflexive, and accessible to students who may not benefit from physical mobility. The discussion concludes by outlining design implications, ethical considerations, and the transition from static prototypes to future LLM-enabled interactions.