International Competencies and Learning Outcomes (ICOM) have been developed as part of the KULeuven Association project. The ICOM framework focuses on specific skills required for effective intercultural interaction.

The ICOM framework has been developed to provide a place for the different learning outcomes that a programme must include in its curriculum in order to address internationalization in an integrated way. In other words, it aims to develop the competences of both the at home students and the students participating in international mobility. In this context, it advocates a holistic and integrated approach.

International experience does not necessarily lead to intercultural competence. This means that the term 'international competence' cannot simply be replaced by the term 'intercultural competence'. Firstly, international competences go far beyond interculturalism, and secondly, it is very difficult to obtain significant differences in interculturalism, because the development of interculturalism is an arduous and lifelong process.

The ICOM competences are not 'exclusive' to internationalization. Some of these competences are also developed in non-internationalized ways, i.e. the student can acquire them in curricular activities that are not necessarily linked to an actual international component.

The ICOM framework is a balanced framework for international competences and consists of five separate domains, which are interrelated and mutually influential:

Personal Growth: these are the outcomes associated with personal maturity, personal development and personal growth of students.

It includes the following competences:
- work independently
- cooperate and network
- have self-confidence
- adopt a flexible attitude
- explore other perspectives
- show creativity
- have a clear vision of the future
- perform well in stressful situations.
Language Proficiency: learning another foreign language seems to be a natural part of international competence related to higher education. Linguistic skills, language proficiency or language learning is therefore a second cluster of learning outcomes of internationalization.

It includes the following competences:
- write a text in another language
- speak a foreign language
- understand a spoken text in a foreign language
- understand written text in another language
- use language strategies.
Global Engagement: a third cluster of learning outcomes relates to the relationship between the student and society. More specifically, this cluster includes all references to the student's commitment and willingness to participate in the constructive development of social issues at national, European and international levels. Global engagement involves an international perspective, in which facts and events are placed in an international context, but also in which the wider consequences of local events and the influence of the wider international context on the local situation are not ignored. Global engagement also involves taking a stand on international issues. However, global engagement is more than expressing opinions; it is also reflected in active social participation and involvement in socially responsible organizations.

It includes the following competences
- have an international outlook
- express your own opinion on social or international issues
- express your own opinion on social or international issues
- show social commitment
International Disciplinary Learning: This field is domain-specific and concerns the cultural foundations of disciplines, knowledge and theories and the profession, international developments directly affecting the discipline and the profession, policies and programmes of international regimes (e.g. EU, ...) relevant to the profession, and comparative skills and knowledge within the profession and the discipline.

It includes the following competences:
- place the discipline in an international context
- recognize the cultural specificity of the discipline
- have knowledge of professional practice in other countries
- be familiar with international organizations relevant to the discipline
Intercultural Competence: within the ICOM framework, two definitions are used to define this domain. 1) "the ability to communicate effectively and appropriately in intercultural situations based on one’s intercultural knowledge, skills and attitudes" and 2) "intercultural competence is the proper and effective interaction management between people, who, to some extent, represent the different or divergent affective, cognitive or behavioral orientations of the world." In other words, intercultural competence is the ability to interact effectively and appropriately in intercultural situations.

It includes the following competences:
- cultural self-awareness
- cultural flexibility
- cultural resilience
- cultural receptivity
- cultural knowledge
- cultural relational competence
- cultural communicative competence
- cultural conflict management
- multiperspectivity

You can consult the list of ICOMs in this document:

List of ICOMs (2).pdf

For more information on the ICOM framework, visit this website:

Welcome • International Competences (internationalecompetenties.be)