Abstract:

In today´s globalized world, undergraduate students of health degrees need a comprehensive and meaningful training to acquire the necessary skills to successfully face the new challenges of global health. Given the close relationship between health and sustainability, Higher Education Institutions are also playing an increasingly important role in helping to meet the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3 of the United Nations 2030 Agenda: “Good Health and Well-being”. Therefore, raising student´s awareness about global health problems has become imperative for the training of future health professionals. Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) is an innovative pedagogical methodology that connects students and professors from universities in different countries to build collaborative learning experiences using digital technologies. The aim of the present work was the development of an international project of collaboration on a major global health issue, diabetes mellitus, between students of the Faculty of Health Sciences of the UCH-CEU University and students at the University of Monterrey (UDEM). Working in multidisciplinary multicultural groups for 5 weeks, students completed a series of learning activities designed to improve intercultural and communication skills and to foster scientific knowledge exchange. This international experience allowed students not only to gain cultural awareness, but also to develop global perspectives about health and sustainability.

Keywords:

Virtual Exchange, Collaborative Learning, Global Health.