COIL Standard – #5

COIL Standard – #5

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Geopolitical Pedagogical Fluency

Learners engage in activities that help them recognize how Decorative image of the COIL logogeopolitical, technological, and material circumstances influence international collaboration and work with partners to support equitable participation.

Review These Explanations

Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) brings learners and instructors from different countries together to participate in collaborative learning experiences. While online technologies make these international interactions possible, participating in the same virtual environment does not necessarily mean that learners and instructors have access to the same resources, infrastructure, or opportunities to participate. Differences in economic, political, environmental, and institutional circumstances can influence access to reliable electricity, internet connectivity, technology, and other resources needed for online collaboration. Time zones, academic calendars, local conditions, and institutional expectations can also affect when and how learners and instructors are able to participate.

Geopolitical Pedagogical Fluency, introduced by Jiménez-Figarotti (2026), refers to an understanding of the structural circumstances that shape the experiences and opportunities of international partners. His research highlights how differences in resources, infrastructure, and institutional conditions can create unequal opportunities for participation, even when learners are using the same online platforms and working toward common goals. For example, a synchronous video meeting may be convenient for participants at one institution but difficult for partners experiencing unreliable electricity, limited connectivity, or expensive internet access. In his research, Jiménez-Figarotti (2026) introduces the concept of the Water-Data Nexus to illustrate how access to digital technologies and essential resources, such as water, may be affected by the same fragile infrastructure. In some communities, unreliable electricity can disrupt both internet connectivity and water distribution, requiring learners to navigate competing demands for limited resources. Under these circumstances, expectations for continuous connectivity or high-bandwidth participation may create additional burdens for learners who must also manage basic daily needs. Recognizing these interconnected challenges can help COIL co-instructors make more informed decisions about technologies, participation expectations, and alternatives for collaboration.

These differences can also lead to misunderstandings. When a learner misses an online meeting, responds late to a message, or participates less visibly in a group activity, international teammates may interpret these behaviors as a lack of interest or commitment without recognizing the circumstances affecting participation. This reflects what researchers refer to as the Fundamental Attribution Error, the tendency to explain another person’s behavior in terms of personal characteristics rather than situational circumstances (Ross, 1977).

Geopolitical Pedagogical Fluency encourages COIL co-instructors to recognize these potential differences and work together to design learning experiences that accommodate the circumstances of their international partners. This can include selecting appropriate technologies, establishing realistic timelines, providing flexible participation options, and developing shared expectations for communication, collaboration, and assessment. The concept also encourages consideration of whose perspectives, experiences, and expertise are reflected in the design of COIL activities. International collaboration should provide opportunities for learners from all participating institutions to contribute meaningful perspectives and experiences, rather than positioning one group as the primary source of expertise and another primarily as the recipient.

COIL activities can also provide opportunities for learners to examine how geopolitical and material circumstances shape their own experiences and those of their international partners. Through guided reflection and collaboration, learners can develop a greater awareness of structural differences, reconsider assumptions about participation, and explore ways to work together more equitably. By incorporating these considerations into the design and facilitation of COIL experiences, co-instructors can support meaningful international collaboration while helping learners develop a more informed understanding of the diverse circumstances in which their partners live and learn.

References:

Jiménez-Figarotti, J. L. (2026). Social complex systems in virtual Thirdspaces of global education: Sites of structural inequalities and radical pedagogical possibilities [Doctoral dissertation, Florida Atlantic University]. Florida Atlantic University Digital Library. https://digitalcommons.fau.edu/etd_general/410/

Pellow, D. N. (2018). What is critical environmental justice? Polity Press.

Ross, L. (1977). The intuitive psychologist and his shortcomings: Distortions in the attribution process. In L. Berkowitz (Ed.), Advances in experimental social psychology (Vol. 10, pp. 173–220). Academic Press. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0065-2601(08)60357-3

Explore these Additional References:

Castells, M. (1996). The rise of the network society. Blackwell.

Escobar, A. (2020). Pluriversal politics: The real and the possible (D. Frye, Trans.). Duke University Press. https://doi.org/10.1215/9781478012108

Soja, E. W. (1996). Thirdspace: Journeys to Los Angeles and other real-and-imagined places. Blackwell.

Wallerstein, I. (1974). The modern world-system I: Capitalist agriculture and the origins of the European world-economy in the sixteenth century. Academic Press.

Refresh Your Course with These Ideas

General Suggestions

  1. Discuss partner circumstances early in the COIL planning process. Co-instructors can explore differences in technological resources, internet access, academic calendars, institutional expectations, local conditions, and other circumstances that may affect participation. Use these discussions to inform collaborative decisions about the design of the COIL project.
  2. Select technologies that are appropriate for all participating partners. Consider differences in connectivity, bandwidth, devices, and access to digital resources. Explore low-bandwidth alternatives, mobile-friendly options, and downloadable materials when appropriate. Avoid assuming that all learners have access to the same technologies or connectivity.
  3. Build flexibility into communication and collaboration. Combine synchronous and asynchronous activities as appropriate for the project and participating institutions. Establish realistic response times, provide alternatives when live participation is difficult, and develop contingency plans for interruptions in access or communication.
  4. Establish shared expectations for participation and assessment. Work with international co-instructors to develop clear expectations for communication, teamwork, deadlines, and individual contributions. Consider how technological or contextual barriers may affect participation, and use assessment approaches that distinguish demonstrated learning and contributions from circumstances beyond learners’ control.
  5. Prepare learners to recognize differences in circumstances. Include pre-COIL orientation activities that introduce learners to the geographic, institutional, economic, and technological contexts of the participating institutions. Encourage learners to consider how these differences may influence communication, collaboration, and participation without making assumptions about individual partners.
  6. Encourage learners to examine their assumptions about participation. Use discussions, scenarios, or reflection activities to explore how delayed responses, missed meetings, or limited online presence may be interpreted differently when contextual circumstances are considered. Help learners develop strategies for communicating respectfully, clarifying misunderstandings, and responding constructively when challenges arise.
  7. Design collaborative activities that value diverse experiences and perspectives. Create opportunities for all learners to contribute relevant local perspectives, disciplinary expertise, and experiences to the shared project. Avoid structuring activities in ways that consistently privilege the perspectives, resources, or institutional expectations of one participating group.
  8. Support equitable partnerships among co-instructors. Recognize that differences in institutional resources, professional responsibilities, and available support may affect the work required to develop and facilitate a COIL project. Share planning and facilitation responsibilities appropriately and explore available institutional supports when partners face additional challenges.
  9. Provide opportunities for ongoing reflection and adjustment. Invite learners and co-instructors to reflect on how differences in circumstances influence collaboration throughout the COIL experience. Use feedback to identify barriers, adjust activities or expectations when appropriate, and inform future COIL project design.

Cross-Cultural Considerations

Geopolitical Pedagogical Fluency extends beyond recognizing cultural differences to understanding how broader structural circumstances may shape the experiences of international partners. Learners and instructors may bring different expectations about technology, time, communication, participation, and academic responsibilities that reflect not only cultural practices but also institutional, economic, political, and environmental conditions.

Recognizing these differences can help COIL participants avoid assumptions about one another and develop more equitable approaches to international collaboration.

  • Avoid interpreting participation without considering context. Limited connectivity, delayed communication, or the inability to participate in synchronous activities should not automatically be interpreted as a lack of interest, preparation, or commitment. Encourage learners to clarify expectations and circumstances respectfully.
  • Recognize how cultural expectations and geopolitical circumstances intersect. Differences in expectations about communication, time, participation, decision-making, and authority may interact with institutional, economic, technological, and other local circumstances to shape how learners and instructors engage in COIL activities. Encourage participants to discuss expectations openly, consider how cultural and contextual factors may influence interactions, and develop shared approaches that respect the perspectives and circumstances of all partners.
  • Respect the experiences and expertise of all participants. Learners’ local perspectives and experiences can contribute meaningfully to the exploration of shared academic questions. Create opportunities for learners to examine problems from different contexts without requiring them to disclose personal hardships or represent an entire country or culture.
  • Recognize that circumstances vary within countries and institutions. Avoid assuming that all learners from a particular country experience the same conditions or have the same resources. Encourage curiosity, respectful dialogue, and reflection rather than generalizations or stereotypes.

Geopolitical Fluency Considerations

Examples and Questions for Reflection.

Geopolitical circumstances can influence how learners and instructors experience and participate in COIL collaborations in ways that may not be immediately apparent to their international partners. Differences in infrastructure, economic resources, institutional conditions, and local circumstances can affect access, communication, participation, and opportunities to contribute.

The following examples and reflection questions, informed by Jiménez-Figarotti’s (2026) research, are intended to help COIL co-instructors recognize circumstances they may not have considered and explore how these circumstances might influence the design and facilitation of their projects.

Access to Technology and Essential Resources

Access to the internet is often treated as a simple question of whether learners have a device and a connection. However, participating in online activities may require resources that are limited, expensive, or unreliable. In some locations, electricity interruptions can affect both internet access and essential services such as water availability.

Consider: A COIL project relies on weekly video meetings. Students at one institution have reliable broadband connections, while some international partners depend on expensive mobile data and experience frequent electrical outages that also disrupt essential services, including access to water. For these students, participating in a video meeting may require navigating demands on resources that other participants take for granted.

Questions for reflection:

  • What assumptions are we making about the availability, affordability, and reliability of technology for all participants?
  • What resources might learners need to prioritize beyond their coursework?
  • Are we considering the circumstances of all partners when selecting technologies and designing activities?

Different Experiences of Time

COIL projects often involve differences in time zones and academic calendars. However, the availability of time can also be influenced by infrastructure, economic circumstances, employment responsibilities, and local conditions. Not all participants can necessarily organize their schedules with the same degree of predictability.

Consider: A project establishes fixed weekly meeting times and short deadlines. Some students can organize their schedules around these expectations, while others must accommodate unpredictable interruptions in connectivity, electricity, or other essential services.

Questions for reflection:

  • Whose schedules and institutional expectations are shaping the project timeline?
  • Do all participants have comparable opportunities to plan and manage their time?
  • What circumstances might make apparently reasonable deadlines or meeting expectations difficult for some partners?

Understanding Participation and Engagement

In online environments, participation is often interpreted through visible behaviors such as attending meetings, responding promptly to messages, or contributing regularly to shared documents. However, these behaviors do not always reflect a learner’s interest, motivation, or commitment.

Consider: An international teammate repeatedly joins meetings late, leaves their camera off, or takes longer than expected to respond to messages. Other team members begin to question the student’s commitment to the project.

Questions for reflection:

  • What assumptions might learners make about their international partners based on what they can observe online?
  • What circumstances might explain differences in participation that are not visible to other team members?
  • How can we encourage learners to seek understanding rather than make judgments about their partners?

Whose Perspectives and Expertise Are Valued?

Differences in institutional resources, geographic location, language proficiency, and perceived academic status can influence whose contributions receive attention or authority during international collaboration. These differences may affect how learners engage with one another and whose perspectives shape the shared project.

Consider: In a collaborative project examining an international issue, students from one institution primarily introduce the theoretical frameworks and determine how the problem will be analyzed, while students from another institution are expected to contribute examples from their local experiences.

Questions for reflection:

  • Whose perspectives and experiences are shaping the questions, approaches, and interpretations used in the project?
  • Are all learners recognized as capable of contributing meaningful insights and expertise?
  • Does the collaborative activity create opportunities for participants to question assumptions and consider alternative perspectives?

The Circumstances of International Faculty Partners

Geopolitical and institutional circumstances can also affect the instructors responsible for developing and facilitating COIL projects. Faculty may work under substantially different conditions related to technology, institutional support, compensation, workload, and access to resources.

Consider: Two co-instructors share responsibility for a COIL project, but one has institutional support and reliable technological resources while the other must independently manage recurring connectivity problems, limited resources, and additional coordination responsibilities.

Questions for reflection:

  • What assumptions are we making about the resources and support available to our international faculty partners?
  • Are planning responsibilities, expectations, and workloads realistic given the circumstances of each institution?
  • How might differences in institutional resources affect decision-making, responsibilities, and the sustainability of the partnership?

Recognizing Differences Without Making Assumptions

Geopolitical fluency also requires recognizing that circumstances are not uniform within countries, institutions, or communities. Awareness of structural differences should encourage curiosity and understanding rather than reinforce stereotypes or assumptions about what individual learners and instructors experience.

Consider: A group of students learns that their international partners live in a country experiencing economic or political difficulties. They begin to assume that all their partners face the same challenges.

Questions for reflection:

  • Are we distinguishing between broader geopolitical conditions and the circumstances of individual learners?
  • How can we encourage respectful curiosity without expecting international partners to disclose personal hardships or speak on behalf of an entire country or culture?
  • How can we create opportunities for learners to explore different circumstances while recognizing the diversity of experiences within every participating community?

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