Abstract:

Background:
Collaborative Online International Learning programs (COIL) are innovative and cost-effective pedagogical approaches that offer students global learning opportunities to enhance their collaborative experiences and increase their self-efficacy in intercultural contexts. COIL brings different perspectives and nationalities together in a virtual assignment, calling on the development of technological skills, intercultural communication, and collaboration to fulfill competencies. Purpose. This study aimed to explore undergraduate students' global cultural competence and self-efficacy by evaluating the impacts of their engagement both before and after completing a COIL course. Method. A 5-week COIL project was created for undergraduates from a four-year Upstate New York University in the United States and The Hague University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands. The COIL project consisted of pedagogical techniques related to health promotion through the use of open discussion forums, collaborative project work between students where they create shared experiences and understanding through a multimodal of online communication. Participants used critical thinking and problem-solving techniques to compare and contrast cultural backgrounds, target populations, policies, and regulations related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The study was a pretest-posttest quasi-experimental design. SPSS V. 28 was used to analyze the data. Results. A total of 24 participants (United States N= 14; Holland N= 14) completed both the baseline and follow-up surveys from the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) and The Global Learning Experience (GLE) questionnaire. Results showed that there was a significant mean difference between the pretest (M= 4.50, SD=1.13) and posttest scores (M=6.21, SD=1.61); t(27)= -4.67, p<.001 related to students' contact with people from other countries due to their international collaboration with the COIL project. Participants gained valuable global competency skills, with 35.2% stating the COIL course introduces students to a new outlook and new way of thinking about how they relate to the world. 44.4% of participants stated the COIL course changed their perception of another culture and country, and 33.4% stated the course and project provided skills and knowledge they will use in the future.

Results from open-ended questions found that students appreciated the opportunity to learn about cultural differences, make new friends, share cultural experiences and interests, and learn how to communicate with someone from a different culture. Results also showed that participants valued integrating different multimodal methods for online communication and project creation such as zoom, skype, WhatsApp, and other social media mechanisms such as Instagram messaging and Snapchat videos. Conclusion. Preparing undergraduate students with cost-effective opportunities to build international relationships helps college students explore and develop cultural competencies and gain experiences with communication and engagement in a global context.

Keywords:

Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL), Global Learning, Cultural Competency, Technology, Pedagogy.