COIL Standard – #2

COIL Standard – #2

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Cultural Awareness

Decorative image of the COIL logoLearners engage in activities that help them recognize their partner’s cultural values, beliefs, and biases, as well as their own.

Review these Explanations

Co-Instructors support and foster effective student collaborations by helping to practice mitigating and resolving conflicts with peers. By creating a Welcome Module, the learner is welcomed/ greeted /introduced to the COIL Module portion of the parent-course. They are provided with the context of the project as well as introduced to the partner campus’ instructor and fellow students.

Developing a culturally responsive curriculum that integrates teaching practices to address the different needs of both partners’ learners is essential in a multicultural and inclusive classroom. Offering students a variety of ways to demonstrate their learning is another successful teaching tactic. This can be accomplished through group projects, project-based evaluations, or even letting learners select the format they want to deliver their COIL project. Giving learners the opportunity to express themselves in a way that resonates with them can help you build a more diverse and culturally aware COIL experience. When participating in a COIL virtual exchange, it is just as important to acknowledge learner self-autonomy in their deliverables while still maintaining the integrity of the project deliverable(s).

Developing a sense of community reduces feelings of loneliness and isolation among online learners (Bibeau, 2001). Learning can take place “in a social context” (Dewey) and the impression of a correspondence course is lessened by courses that foster a sense of community inside the class. Early-course activities that foster a sense of community among students usually fall into three categories:

  1. Social events that emphasize personal expression, such as an Icebreaker and/or ‘Welcoming Meeting’ on Zoom/WebX.
  2. Cognitive exercises that center on achieving professional and academic objectives that may include a learning inventory and/or pre-COIL survey with cultural and self-reflection.
  3. “Getting Started” activities introduce students to the course materials and technologies, including a scavenger syllabus hunt, or a cultural introduction game.

These types of activities encourage social presence, increase student involvement, and create channels for communication. Affective expressiveness, candid communication, and group cohesion are all components of social presence. In an online COIL collaboration, each of these elements encourages learner participation (Annand, 2011). After getting to know one another and forming first impressions in an online course, learners experience a sense of belonging that builds trust and a sense of class community.

References

Berardo, Kate., & Deardorff, D. K. (2012). Building Cultural Competence : Innovative Activities and Models. (1st ed.). Stylus Pub.

Bragadóttir, H., Potter, T., (2019)  Educating nurse leaders to think globally with international collaborative learning. Nordic Journal of Nursing Research. 39(4):186-190.  

Gilbert, R. M. (2019). Inclusive Design for a Digital World Designing with Accessibility in Mind / by Regine M. Gilbert. (1st ed. 2019.). Apress.

Molinsky, A., & Jang, S., (2016, January 20). To connect across cultures, find out what you have in common. Cross-Cultural Management: Harvard Business Review.

Moran, R.T., Harris, P.R., & Moran, S. (2007). Managing cultural differences. (7th ed.) OX: Elsevier.

Moran, R.T., Harris, P.R., & Moran, S. (2010). Managing Cultural Differences (8th ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781856179249

Pennsylvania State University Work Campus. (2021). Lesson 4: Global communication. OLEAD410. Retrieved at  https://psu.instructure.com/courses/2103357/modules/items/30942186

Williams, H. (2019). Toward Being Inclusive: Intentionally Weaving Online Learning, Reconciliation, and Intercultural Development. New Directions for Teaching and Learning.  Volume 2019, Issue 157 Special Issue: Learning at Intercultural Intersections: Indigenization, Internationalization and Intercultural Learning, Wiley, Wiley Online Library. 

Winkelman, M. (2005). Cultural awareness, sensitivity & competence. Peosta, Iowa: Eddie Bowers Publishing Co., Inc.

Refresh Your Course with These Ideas

General Suggestions

    • Provide learners with activities designed to develop a sense of community within the partners This will encourage open communication, foster frequent and meaningful interaction, and establish confidence throughout the COIL project.
    • Provide a platform for learners to share their heritage and experiences. Create a safe and brave space where they’re free to speak their minds and have questions answered. This will promote understanding and empathy between learners.
    • When participating in a COIL virtual exchange, it is just as important to be mindful of content development as it is collaborative development. 
    • Establish a mechanism for proper collaboration and space to allow for learners to openly engage, will encourage more meaningful interactions within the project.
    • Tervalon, M. & Murray-García, J. (1998).   Cultural Humility Versus Cultural Competence: A Critical Distinction in Defining Physician Training Outcomes in Multicultural Education. Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved, Volume 9, Number 2, May 1998, pp. 117-125. Johns Hopkins University Press.

    Parkinson, A. (2009)“The Rationale for Developing Global Competence“ Online Journal for Global Engineering Education: Vol. 4: Issue 2, Article 2.

Cross-Cultural Considerations

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