Abstract:

The internationalization of Latin American students is very low compared to European or North American students, due to their socioeconomic level and the lack of opportunities they have. Particularly in Mexico, internationalization does not even reach 1%, according to a study presented in 2022 developed by Castiello-Gutiérrez, S., Chávez, N. K., Lizárraga, A., Rodríguez-Betanzos, A., Rojo, G ., & Vinatier, C.

Professor Agata Michalska mentions, in her article “Different Applications of the COIL Methodology in Collaboration between Mexican and American Business Schools” that in the European environment, the exchange programs under the Erasmus program are very popular and are funded by different scholarship systems, so more students could study abroad; compared to Latin America, where students does not always could cover the cost of studying abroad, other forms of internationalization of students are sought in the process of teaching-learning.” (Michalska-Haduch, A. (2022)).

For this reason, I looked for a COIL collaboration to develop a multicultural mindset in International Business students through an online experience with Erasmus students. Online teaching offers opportunities to expose International Business students an internationalization experience that allows them to interact with various nationalities, using a language other than their native one and in different time zones. This is an innovative method of experiential teaching that supports the international experience of students. The educational innovation to improve the teaching-learning process is to use the COIL methodology, developed by Jon Rubin at the State University System (SUNY); ensuring that the group with which we work is multicultural, with at least ten different nationalities and that the use of native language (Spanish) is not allowed.

The objective of the research was to develop a multicultural mindset in students of International Business through using the COIL methodology through remote work with Erasmus students of different nationalities, in a language other than Spanish and in a different time zone that reflects in the development of multicultural mindset. Specifically by doing a role playing of negotiation where students work with students of nationalities other than their own, in a language other than Spanish and in a different time zone.

As a result of the research, it was found that COIL collaboration between Mexican students and Erasmus students helped them to develop a multicultural mindset in order to aid them in their future professional lives.

At the end of the course, the results, showed that 100% of the students surveyed considered that the activity allowed them to manage multicultural teams in virtual format with empathy and respect. 80% of the students considered that it will definitely help in their professional life to work with teams from different cultures. About the development of multicultural mindset, 90% considered that the collaboration helped them to develop it.

Keywords:

Erasmus, multicultural, international, COIL, remote, collaboration.