Higher education institutions are charged with preparing students to be world citizens who possess holistic perspectives on diverse international cultures. The demand for technology-enhanced Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) courses with international partners has increased due to the travel restrictions as a result of the global pandemic since early 2020.
This presentation will explore two faculty members’ journey of collaboration between Mexico and the United States, and share the process of developing and delivering COIL courses using innovative pedagogy, high impact practice, and technology to facilitate the students’ learning experience and address the Sustainable Development Goal # 4 of quality education. Student voices will be highlighted in content, aligning to the student learning outcomes and professional organization’s standards. The presenter will discuss the lessons learned and strategies used to overcome the barriers related to different languages, time zones, cultures, and disciplines. The presentation will also talk about the pandemic’s impact on student’s motivation during the development of the COIL course, how teachers and students could work together to cope with low motivation due to the pandemic, and how students can be resilient and find education a tool to find the drive that has been blocked by the ongoing conditions around the world.
Presenters:
Dr. Jie Zhang, Professor, State University of New York Brockport
Ms. Silvia García Himmelstine, Professor, Universidad del Caribe
