Abstract:

The internationalization of Higher Education Institutions can occur across borders and at home. Considering that, for several reasons, cross-border internationalization is not always an opportunity within everyone's reach, internationalization at home, as it does not involve physical mobility or associated investment, has become an increasingly frequent option (Barbosa, Santos, & Prado-Meza, 2020). In this context, the option for virtual mobility or collaborative online international learning (COIL) gains special relevance. COIL "encompasses projects based on the involvement of teachers and students with different geographical, language and cultural backgrounds, for the development of collaborative teaching and learning processes using online communication tools" (UA, 2021), thus facilitating not only the consolidation of technical skills, but also of transversal skills.

As they are based on online collaboration between geographically distant classes, COIL projects also allow the strengthening of cooperation in the Portuguese language, facilitating the articulation between students and teachers of the various countries of this extensive linguistic community. It is, therefore, an excellent opportunity to contribute to the achievement of the objectives of the CPLP (Community of Portuguese Language Countries), particularly with regard to multilateral cooperation in science, technology and higher education. In parallel, these projects seem to be contexts that facilitate the strengthening of digital and multicultural skills, thus preparing those involved for professional practice in multinational and geographically distant teams (Rubin, 2019).

This article describes a COIL project that took place between March and June 2021, involving 26 students from the degree in Secretarial and Business Communication of the University of Aveiro (Portugal) and the degree in Public Relations and Executive Secretariat of the Public University of Cabo Verde. The project, entitled "Communication tools in the context of job search in Portuguese-speaking markets: Portugal and Cabo Verde", was streamlined in a context of aggregation of skills between disciplines in the area of Portuguese and Computer Science, with the participation of 5 teachers. Each student selected a job offer in the partner country and produced a multiformat CV (digital support and video CV), adapting it to a situation of applying for real job opportunities. The project included familiarization sessions, open classes regarding the labour market in both countries, extra-class meetings between students and moments (in class and extra-class) to follow up the work in progress.

After the end of the project, a questionnaire was applied to the students involved, and 24 answers were obtained: 13 from Portugal (all participants) and 11 from Cabo Verde (out of 13 possible). The respondents indicated curiosity, the possibility of meeting new cultures/people and acquiring new knowledge as factors that motivated them to participate in this COIL project. Overall, participants were very satisfied with the development of this project. The answers obtained also made it possible to identify the most and least positive aspects in the implementation of the project, to find out the technical and transversal skills developed from this experience, and to list the communication tools/digital tools that the students used the most. The data is presented globally and according to the country of the respondents.

Keywords:

Virtual mobility, Internationalization at home, Collaborative Online International Learning, Portuguese Language, Digital Competences.