COIL Foundations August 2024 by SUNYCOIL

Reflection case study

sunycoil — 2024-08-09 21:23:53 UTC

Let’s use the Describe - Analyze - Evaluate/Apply model (What? So what? Now what?) on a scenario that comes up often in COIL collaborations. Read through the scenario, click + at the TOP of the column to start a new post, and:

DESCRIBE: What’s happening?

ANALYZE:
Why is this happening? What cultural differences are contributing to this? How do you think the students are feeling about their collaboration?

EVALUATE/APPLY:

What would you do if this situation was presented to you? Are there things you could do to prevent this from happening?

SCENARIO

One group of students:
They want to build trust by talking about personal things. We like to build trust through delivering work. We felt they were too relaxed and maybe a little lazy. We didn't know if they were doing anything. When they delivered their part of the work, we were caught off guard, because we never reached an agreement on the approach. Now it looks like we are lacking.

Their COIL partner students:
In the beginning getting to know each other was tricky. We did not know anyone, and it was large leap of unknowingness which dazed us, and we did not know what to expect. We feel as if it also happened vice-versa.

Icebreaker

sunycoil — 2024-08-09 21:23:53 UTC

One of the key first steps in a COIL Collaboration is to develop trust among students. Helping students gain a sense of who they are as people goes a long way towards team building.

For many people and cultures, finding something they have in common with others they work with provides the foundation for trust.

Let's try that here - let's see what we have in common.

Click the plus sign and tell us about some things you like to do outside of work.

Be as specific as you can, for example, I like to tend a flower garden, or I like to listen to jazz music.

Don't forget to add your name!

Comment on your colleagues' posts and build on what they say. Let's see if we can find 3 things we all have in common.

Hi !! Hope here

sunycoil — 2024-08-09 21:23:53 UTC

Hi everybody! Welcome welcome! I am so glad that you’re here.My name is Hope Windle. I will be the facilitator for this course. A little bit about myself... I like to sit on a big ball while I work instead of a chair it keeps me focused. I really like dark chocolate. I have a cute dog named Bagel and we go on big walks every day in the woods near where I live. We walk a couple times a day so that I can breathe in the day and nature, even just to hear birds and see the trees. I don’t think the dog gets sick of it. He likes to chase frogs. I love to meet people from different places. There is something about it that gets me so excited! Especially when we first meet through technology, I love reading about each person and then to meet you on ZOOM is so fun. An added bonus is to meet in person.. like at a conference or visiting each others' schools. The whole process is so exhilarating! I don't live near the ocean but I love the sounds, smells and floating in water of any size, either to swim or kayak or just walk alongside a river or creek.

COIL Model

sunycoil — 2024-08-09 21:23:53 UTC

Before we get started, let's review the basics of Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL).

Can be created in any discipline; interdisciplinary collaborations work well
Encourage active student learning and teamwork
Include an emphasis on cross-cultural interactions and understanding
Typically run for 5-8 weeks
Are a graded activity in each participating class
Are usually mostly asynchronous with some synchronous activity
Can use any technology tools that serve the learning goals

Typically, a COIL collaboration lasts for several weeks during the course, running as a class project during that time. Most of the work your students will do on their COIL Collaboration happens outside of regular class time.

COIL is designed by you with your COIL teaching partner, and therefore can be designed to meet the overall learning objectives of your class.

For more information on COIL, see https://online.suny.edu/introtocoil/suny-coil-what-is/

Here also is a course layout
showing all the parts to a COIL Collaboration https://padlet.com/sunycoil/copy-of-intercultural-negotiation-in-international-business-4ya1s0oi0c9cx535

Flow of a COIL Collaboration

sunycoil — 2024-08-09 21:23:53 UTC

Effective COIL collaborations follow a recognized progression through specific phases.

The team building phase includes introductions and icebreakers, along with discussions and activities designed to help students get to know and feel comfortable working with one another online and across cultures.
The discussion phase includes comparative discussions and organizing the project that teams of students will be working on. This phase continues to build student teams, but focuses the work on the course topics to prepare students for effective collaborative project work.
The project phase is the main activity for the collaboration. This is the time that students apply their knowledge, create something together or have substantive discussions around the topic of the collaboration.
The concluding phase includes presentation of work completed, in any format agreed upon by the collaborating professors, final reflections, and concluding.

Please note that for maximum benefit, reflection should happen throughout the COIL Collaboration.

Why is partnering important?

sunycoil — 2024-08-09 21:23:53 UTC

The COIL model relies on teaching partners to plan, design and guide collaborative experiences between their students. Partnerships do not have to be perfect. They do, however, require both professors to be fully engaged, to communicate regularly, and to take responsibility for the success of the collaboration during the planning and implementation phases. Issues of time, trust, leadership and communication are as important to the collaboration between COIL teaching partners as they are between students.

Please watch this playlist of experienced COIL professors ("COILers") sharing their perspectives on cultivating good COIL partnerships. https://bit.ly/3gargHO

Please read this article https://journal.unicollaboration.org/article/view/38199/36345 to become aware of inequities between partner professors and students from the Global North ( ie technology, resource & capital rich) and Global South (less resources and money, more likely to suffer from poverty, and political violence). These are issues that need to be recognized and addressed when embarking on a partnership.

Click the + at the bottom of the column to start a new post.

What do you think are the most important considerations for partnerships after watching these videos and reading the article? Did anything surprise you?

Share your thoughts on how you will consider issues of time, trust, leadership and communication for a successful partnership.

Finding a partner

sunycoil — 2024-08-09 21:23:53 UTC

Maybe you have a colleague in mind with whom you have worked before. Perhaps your university has relationships through which they will help you find a partner. Or perhaps you don't have anyone in mind yet.

One thing to bear in mind is that COIL collaborations can work well in related disciplines, and between quite unrelated disciplines. Focus on what you want students to get out of the collaboration, including the process as well as the content, and you may find that an interdisciplinary pairing would work very well.

A key to having an effective partnership is for you to understand how they work and communicate with a partner, and to be clear about what they are looking for in a COIL partnership. Examples can include language proficiency, comfort with ambiguity, teaching style, communication style, expectations for interaction with students, flexibility, subjects or topics of study, etc.

One way to get this clarity is to create a partner profile. This can be useful even if you have someone in mind, but is particularly important if you need to find a partner. The SUNY COIL Center creates partnership bulletins to help interested professors find COIL partners. Each professor needs to create a profile to be included in the bulletin. Profiles should be fairly specific but not too narrow, and are built from prompts.

Here is an example of a strong profile - complete, indicating some flexibility. https://bit.ly/2ZXdnax

Here is an example of two weaker profiles - one too specific, one too broad.

https://bit.ly/3jK9ca3

After looking at the examples, identify what you think makes a strong profile. What information is important to include? What would you look for in a partner's profile?

Click the + sign at the end of the column to start a new post, and write your COIL partnering profile.

Provide feedback to your colleagues.

The importance of reflective practice in COIL

sunycoil — 2024-08-09 21:23:53 UTC

Reflection is a key element in a COIL Collaboration.

When?

Ideally, you will have reflection opportunities throughout the collaboration, for example, after discussions or other activities, or during a weekly check in. Reflection is key in helping students understand how to work in intercultural teams. It is also really important for you, as the professor, to help ensure you reach your learning objectives and that students clearly understand the purpose of doing a COIL Collaboration. You could start by taking 10 minutes during a class to debrief your icebreaker and team building activities, helping students identify differences, develop curiosity or theories about these differences, and prompt them to take some action - perhaps asking questions of the other students or generating ideas for good communications.

How?

Reflection can be done individually, in small groups, or in a large group; it can effectively be a written assignment or a discussion. You can do reflection activities with the combined group, though it also usually a good idea to have some opportunities for reflection that are either individual or with just your local class, particularly if a conflict arises or there is frustration with cultural differences in one or both classes. This gives students the opportunity to process conflicts and frustrations without worry of escalating the issues.

Why?

By guiding students to reflect on their experiences, you can increase their understanding of what’s going on, allow them to problem solve issues that commonly occur during COIL collaborations, help them see the cultural basis of people’s approach to work and communications, and help them develop skills in reflective practice that they can use in future situations. In short, reflective practice empowers both you, as the professor, to guide student learning without being responsible for mediating cultural misunderstandings, and empowers students to analyze situations and develop options to move forward..

Describe - Analyze - Evaluate/Apply

sunycoil — 2024-08-09 21:23:53 UTC

Maybe you have a lot of experience with reflective practice and have an approach that works for you. If so, great! Feel free to use that in your COIL Collaboration. If you don’t have a lot of experience with reflective practice, a model and technique that works well is Describe - Analyze - Evaluate.

Describe

What happened? Describe the situation without adding emotion or evaluation, as if you were an outside observer. Who did what? What was said? Where did this take place?

Analyze

This is where we really try to understand what’s going on. Why do I think this happened? What do I know about the cultures involved and how they are influencing the situation? Can I make connections to situations I’ve encountered before? Try to generate theories or ideas about what’s going on and why. If I don’t really understand why something happened, how do I become better informed?

Evaluate/Apply

What did I learn from this? What does it mean going forward? How do I apply what I learned from this situation next time? Are there generalities I can take from this?

An easy way to remember this is:

What? = Describe

So What? = Analyze

Now What? = Evaluate/Apply

Note that in a situation where emotions are high, you may also want to add a short time for students to react. This will acknowledge their feelings, but keep the focus on What- So What - Now What. If you add a reaction time at the beginning, students should use "I" statements and keep the reaction focused on their feelings, not on what they perceive as happening. For example, "I was really frustrated" or "I felt disrespected" without assigning blame allows students to express their emotions before moving onto the reflection prompts.

Click the link below or on the video at the top of this post to learn about the What - So What - Now What reflective practice in education. https://youtu.be/vGyjF9Ngd8Y

What, when, who?

sunycoil — 2024-08-09 21:23:53 UTC

Students need support around specific areas

What to expect with an international, intercultural, team based project and exchange ?
What’s in it for me? How can I succeed? How can I prepare to be a digital professional?
Where can I access the information?

There are lots of resources you could include in a student COIL orientation. Here are a few...

SUNY COIL Student Orientation https://sunyolis.libguides.com/sunycoil/start
Redundancia Game

For native language speakers to experience what it is like to speak a second language

Cultural exchange area

A dedicated section for cultural exchange could be added to your online work place to encourage students to share aspects of their own culture and learn about their peers' cultures. This could foster deeper cross-cultural understanding.

Language guidelines section

Given the emphasis on language and communication, maybe a section of the online project space outlining language guidelines, including expectations for using the shared language(s) and strategies for inclusive communication, could be beneficial.

What is Culture?
https://whatisculture.org/?page_id=71
Intercultural Modules for Orientation
for students before a COIL collaboration
https://www.purdue.edu/ippu/cilmar/learning/pim.html
Survey/ Assessment
Will you use an assessment tool to capture data about doing COIL? Here is a pre and post survey questions tool, free to use from Perdue University https://www.purdue.edu/cie/globallearning/ASKS_version3_combo.pdf

Start a new post and list the 3-5 orientation / reflection elements that are most important to be shared with your students? Click the plus sign below to create your post. Read and respond to your colleagues' posts.

Consider your partner's world as you embark on this relationship...

sunycoil — 2024-08-09 21:23:53 UTC

Consider how to create equity between you, your instructor and their partner especially if one of you is in the "Global North" and one is in the "Global South".

Take a moment and read this Positionality website, 6 cultural awareness approaches and this article from COIL Coordinators and professors in the SUNY COIL Global Partner Network.

https://engineerinclusion.com/what-is-positionality/

https://www.theedadvocate.org/6-ways-teachers-can-foster-cultural-awareness-in-the-classroom/

https://journal.unicollaboration.org/article/view/38199

An unspoken truth: faculty (in)equity in the context of invisible violence: virtual exchange case studies

Authors

José Luis Jiménez Figarotti, Catholic University Andres Bello, Caracas, Venezuela
Suba Subbarao, Oakland Community College, Detroit, Michigan, US
Eleonora Bagatelia, Oakland Community College, , Detroit, Michigan, US

ACTIVITY

Consider your position and what that brings up for you...
Consider 2 things you can do to support your partner and their students?
Consider 2 things you can do to support your local students to think well about your partner and their students?

Support your students to create EQUITY in communication, language and across your COIL collaboration.

sunycoil — 2024-08-09 21:23:53 UTC

What can YOU as COORDINATOR do to create equity within your international COIL projects?

1. FOR NATIVE language SPEAKERS:

Read the article (also noted below) to become aware of inequities between professors and students from the Global North ( ie technology, resource & capital rich) and Global South (less resources and money, more likely to suffer from poverty, and political violence). How can you support your instructors and students to create equity?

2. FOR NATIVE language SPEAKERS:

Provide a local orientation specifically for native language speakers to include activities and reminders about language equity and support. See image below for pointers. Remind your students throughout the collaboration. We forget. ;0)

3. FOR NON_NATIVE language SPEAKERS:

Consider inviting an EFL/ESL course that perhaps includes the students in your course to follow your COIL project to provide additional opportunities to discuss concepts and practice speaking/writing about topics.

TIPS

Clarity and Simplicity: Use clear language and avoid jargon or complicated expressions. Simplicity aids better understanding, especially when there are differences in language fluency.

Use of Translation Tools: Take advantage of translation tools like Google Translate to enhance mutual understanding. However, be mindful of their limitations and verify the accuracy of translations.

Respect for Cultural Differences: Be aware of cultural differences in communication. What may be acceptable in one cultural context may be interpreted differently in another. Cultural sensitivity is key.

Practice Active Listening: Foster active listening to fully comprehend messages. Ask students to repeat or paraphrase to ensure they have understood correctly.

CHALLENGES

Language Barriers: Differences in language proficiency can be a challenge. Some students may feel insecure expressing themselves in another language, affecting participation.

Cultural Understanding: Understanding cultural nuances in communication can be complicated. Cultural misinterpretations can lead to misunderstandings and impact collaboration.

Differences in Speaking Speed: Speaking speed can vary significantly between native and non-native speakers. This can affect comprehension, especially in real-time discussions.

Time Coordination: If there is a time zone difference, coordinating real-time meetings and discussions can be a challenge. Careful planning is essential.

SUCCESSES

Cultural Enrichment: Linguistic diversity adds cultural richness to collaboration. Students can learn not only the language but also customs and perspectives of others.

Development of Intercultural Communication Skills: Collaboration in a multilingual environment develops valuable skills for intercultural communication, essential in a globalized world.

Overcoming Challenges: Facing and overcoming linguistic challenges strengthens students' resilience and adaptability, crucial skills in diverse workplace environments.

Building Bridges: Successful collaboration in different languages can build lasting bridges between people of diverse cultures, fostering understanding and mutual respect.

DO THIS ACTIVITY

1. What do you do to create equity on your campus can you request support of these campus approaches for your COIL program, your instructors and in your classrooms?

2. How will you apply those ideas/activities to your instructors' COIL collaborations?

Understanding High / Low Context Communicating Styles

sunycoil — 2024-08-09 21:23:53 UTC

Let’s compare and contrast Low Context AND High Context communication.

Low Context communication

is direct.
Meaning is conveyed primarily by the words themselves.
Summarizing and repetition of key points are used to ensure that messages are clear.
The relationship between individuals, particularly in an educational or work setting, does not have much impact on how things are communicated; there is no assumption that we have shared understanding so I need to say what I mean.

High Context communication

is in-direct
relies on shared understanding to derive meaning.
Non-verbal cues are very important, such as tone and body language.
It’s the overall context of the communication that leads to understanding, not reliance on the words used.

WATCH & READ

Here’s a video and a blog post that focus on high context and low context communication.

Understanding Cultural Communication Differences:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0W9iLrfyq20&t=6s

How to recognize and navigate in communicating between high and low context https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kujUs_6qeUI

A blog post written by a Polish woman living in the UK: http://www.projectabroad.eu/the-culture-map-communication-low-and-high-context-cultures/

POST A RESPONSE

Now think about your students and their communication styles with students from another country, culture

Are your students/is your culture generally High Context or Low Context?
Will your students expect short, frequent, direct questions and comments that clearly state their opinions? OR Would your students be annoyed or offended by short direct communication?
Would they expect that type of messaging after they have developed a sense of team, or would that communication style help them develop a sense of team?

1. Click the + to start a new post.

2. Reflect on communications as it relates to the COIL project you want to develop. This could be your own communication style, the expectations of your students, experiences you have had working with people with different expectations for communications, or considerations you will bring to developing an effective COIL teaching partnership.

3. Please share any questions, concerns or tips you have.

1. Click the + to start a new post.

Aspects of culture that impact COIL collaborations

sunycoil — 2024-08-09 21:23:53 UTC

There are many aspects of culture that need attention for your students to explore during a COIL collaboration.

First, before the COIL project starts, consider having your students warm up to thinking about cultural differences by examining their own cultural identity. Here above is a Positionality, Intersectionality, and Privilege mnemonic that can inform a personal identity map that each student can create from a template. You can choose from many on the web. Consider a form of this exercise for students see the difference between given, chosen and core identities and how that is impacted by the wheel and intersection of power and privilege.

In the teambuilding phase, you will likely want your students to have some comparative discussions to explore cultural differences, such as the role of students and professors, transportation, food, recreation, etc. These are good ways for students to discover both differences and similarities.

Once students start working on the main activities of the collaboration, different aspects of culture play into the way students will work together in teams. Issues of trust, time, leadership and communication are the areas of cultural difference that students (and collaborating professors) are most likely to encounter in a COIL Collaboration. Helping your students understand and work comfortably with differences in these four areas will greatly contribute to a positive outcome. These four areas are informed by different underlying cultural realities.

These realities have been described by various theories, including:

Collectivism - Individualism
High Context - Low Context communication
Task-based or Relationship-based orientation to work and trust

For example, a person with a relationship-based orientation to work and trust is likely to see time invested in getting to know someone as very productive because that’s ultimately how they will collectively succeed. Someone with a task-based orientation and a low-context communication style may see leadership in that same group as cutting off the “chit chat” that the first person sees as relationship building, and instead directing people to the tasks that need to be completed, which is their idea of efficient use of time.

Check out these short articles for more illustration:

Task-based and Relationship-based orientation:

https://cqsavvy.com/build-trust-relationships-across-cultures/

Collectivism - Individualism

https://www.andrews.edu/~tidwell/bsad560/HofstedeIndividualism.html

We will explore culturally informed communications styles in the next column, and we will discuss all of these aspects more during our synchronous meeting.

Please note, when we talk about culture as applied to a nationality, we are, of course, talking in generalizations. There are a lot of variations among people and groups in any culture, but for the purpose of illustrating aspects of cultural differences here, we will use broad generalizations. Please feel free to use a different lens or frame of reference in your posts.

Collectivistic vs Individualistic Cultures

sunycoil — 2024-08-09 21:23:53 UTC

Introducing the concepts of collectivistic and individualistic cultures can greatly enhance the effectiveness of a Collaborative Online Intercultural Learning (COIL) project. In individualistic cultures, such as Canada and the United States, the emphasis is on personal achievement and autonomy. Conversely, collectivistic cultures, like many in Asia and Latin America, prioritize group harmony and collective well-being.

When facilitating a COIL project, I begin by explaining these cultural dimensions and how they might influence communication styles, decision-making processes, and teamwork dynamics. For instance, individualistic students may focus on personal contributions and direct communication, while collectivistic students might prioritize group consensus and indirect communication.

By discussing these differences upfront, students can better understand their peers’ perspectives and adapt their collaboration strategies. Additionally, I emphasize the importance of seeing each team member as an individual, avoiding stereotypes, and conducting regular reality checks to ensure respectful and effective intercultural interaction. This approach fosters a richer, more empathetic learning experience for everyone.

Talking about culture

sunycoil — 2024-08-09 21:23:53 UTC

UNESCO defines culture as the set of distinctive spiritual, material, intellectual and emotional features of society or a social group, that encompasses, not only art and literature, but lifestyles, ways of living together, value systems, traditions and beliefs (UNESCO, 2001)

Watch this quick video from UNESCO Canada - What is culture: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SidKFCZ65ik

Now consider some student views of what culture is from participants in exchange programs with the US: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57KW6RO8Rcs

Even though UNESCO has an established definition of culture, UNESCO delegates to their conference in Ottawa still had trouble describing and defining it. Students from different countries who lived in the US and adapted to US culture also had varying ways to describe it. So how do you talk about culture with students?

Unless your course is focused on the study of culture, you don’t have to get into extensive definitions of culture. It’s usually sufficient for students to have an idea of what culture is so they have the vocabulary and framework to discuss cultural differences. You can focus on some of the aspects of culture that will impact the ways they interact with their peers during their COIL Collaboration. We’ll explore some of these aspects in the next column and during our synchronous session, but first, let’s look at how we can help students understand why expanding your cultural frame of reference is important.

Why intercultural skills matter

sunycoil — 2024-08-09 21:23:53 UTC

COIL connects students across cultural differences. To help students get the most from this experience, we need to help them understand what culture is, why its important, and how to successfully bridge differences.

You may have heard of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, a Nigerian Novelist. Apart from her novels, she is also known for her very popular TED Talk, The danger of the single story, in which she warns that we risk critical misunderstanding if we hear only a single story about the world. When she talks about "stories", she's talking about different cultures, different cultural perspectives and different realities between places in the world.

Please watch the video by clicking the link below.

Click the + at the bottom of the column to start a new post.

What are your reactions to the ideas she brings up in her talk?
How will you convey the importance of intercultural skills to your students?

Session 1

sunycoil — 2024-08-09 21:23:53 UTC

RECORDING

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1MTAo5zgiYpfU005L542tO2Bg2m1VexVv/view?usp=sharing

SLIDE DECK

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1Yv9e1uj4Yidxcxgpm4xlO0Ya4MKlKRAcRlQo1Nbarpg/edit?usp=drive_link

RESOURCES

COIL Academy - September 20 !

Opportunity to see COIL projects described by partner professors, students. Hear about COIL connected to scholarship, promotion. COIL from an Administrator point of view. Join us online or in person

https://oneonta.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_cD6BlGnjLThaA74

Partnering Information for Sept Bulletin and Fair

PARTNERING FAIR

September 10 @10-11:30am

PARTNERING BULLETIN

This is the Partnering Bulletin Form LINK for professors to fill in for the Bulletin to find partners.

PAST PARTNER BULLETINS
Here are links to the Partner Bulletin from May and February.

People might still be looking and available.

Session 2

sunycoil — 2024-08-09 21:23:53 UTC

RECORDING

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ub4HT7k6Q-pWAULQdr3MLpvfKxLLJDQS/view?usp=sharing

SLIDE DECK

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/10U6P_X-l_uq0Rg2J5Nwz1i7cIvH5U6142dYBX7n4HJI/edit#slide=id.gd35fb64964_0_178

RESOURCES

Jamboard activities for thinking about COIL - Culture + Working together

https://jamboard.google.com/d/1MbwWXnGJcHQOsBBNcoBZBGJcMwzZtLM_UoRG0z5gRX0/viewer?f=8

OSCQR + COIL

https://oscqr.suny.edu/coil/

Brave Space thinking

https://www.theteachertoolkit.com/index.php/tool/classroom-contract

Stay in Touch!

sunycoil — 2024-08-09 21:23:53 UTC

Please share your email or WhatsApp and or LinkedIn

to connect as partners or just stay in touch !

Here is mine

hope.windle@oneonta.edu

WhatsApp

+152 845 658 3676

LinkedIn

https://www.linkedin.com/in/hopewindle/

Send your Certificate request to hope.windle@oneonta.edu

sunycoil — 2024-08-09 21:23:53 UTC

To receive the COIL certificate for this course, you need to participate in ALL of the YELLOW BOX activities ... posting your ideas, peer responses, curriculum activities and reflections.

You will receive the certificate once you have posted and we can acknowledge your participation in the online course space in addition to your wonderful presence in our ZOOM meetings.

As you know, we are just mirroring what YOU as instructor, would observe and note the work of your students.

What to expect for the synchronous connection

sunycoil — 2024-08-09 21:23:53 UTC

We will have weekly synchronous meetings to participate in COIL activities and answer questions.

Each meeting is one hour long.
Each meeting will prepare you for the synchronous part of your COIL project.
All meetings will be recorded and posted on the Padlet platform.

HERE IS THE ZOOM LINK

https://suny-edu.zoom.us/my/coilmeeting

no password needed

We will meet on the following DAYS:

MEETING 1 - Thursday15 August
MEETING 2 - Thursday 22 August
MEETING 3 -Thursday 29 August

We will meet at the following TIMES:

8 -9 AM PST(UTC-8) Sacramento, California, USA
9-10 AM UTC -6 CST (UTC -6) Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Chiapas, México
11am -12pm EST(UTC-5) New York, USA
4-5 pm SAST(UTC+2) Durban, South Africa

Check this Time / Date Meeting Planner to make sure you have the right time.

Welcome & Getting Started, Questions? PLEASE ASK!

sunycoil — 2024-08-09 21:23:53 UTC

Welcome to the COIL Foundations workshop! By the end of this 3 week workshop, you will have a better understanding of how COIL works, how to develop a successful partnership with your COIL teaching partner, reflection techniques for deepening student learning, and how you can help your students develop their intercultural skills through online collaboration.

All you need for this workshop is included in this Padlet or via a link. If you have not used Padlet before, watch the video above.

Content for each week is labeled in the column header. There are generally 2-3 topics/activities per week. Posts with activities you need to complete are highlighted in yellow.

This workshop includes asynchronous work and one synchronous meeting per week, together requiring about about 1 -2 hours per week.

Keeping up with the activities and providing feedback to your peers are important to both creating community and to understanding what works and doesn't work from a participant perspective, so we really encourage you to participate actively.

That being said, being flexible is one of the main ingredients for COIL success! If you fall behind, jump back in and catch up as soon as you can.

Please ask any general questions you have, anytime, by posting them in the Water Cooler column (the last column all the way to the right).

To receive a CERTIFICATE for this course, you must respond to each activity in yellow. You must also Make at least 1 comment on your peers responses in all the activities in YELLOW.

How to use Padlet

sunycoil — 2024-08-09 21:23:53 UTC

Padlet is a tool for sharing and collaborating. Click anywhere in this column to be able to scroll down the column. To expand posts, which may make them easier to read on a computer screen, hover over the upper right corner of the post and click on the three vertical dots that appear.

To start a new post, click on the "+" sign at the TOP of the column.

While you are writing a post, click on the icons that appear in the bottom of the post to add photos, voice, and video.

You do not need to have a Padlet account to use it, however, if you are not logged in, please be sure to add your name to your posts so we know who you are - otherwise you will be listed as anonymous.

If you need more help, visit the Padlet support center at https://padlet.com/support

Low-Context for Clarity? High-Context for Sincerity?

sunycoil — 2024-08-09 21:23:53 UTC

Should we be looking at this in a slightly different way?

Are there parts of the COIL project where low-context communications are preferred (e.g. student assignment instructions) and other parts of the project where high-context is preferred (e.g. getting to know each other Ice Breaker activities)?

What do you think?

CLASSROOM TIPS - Remember to get your partners' and your students' names correct!

sunycoil — 2024-08-09 21:23:53 UTC

So important to pronoun peoples' names correctly! Thank you Naomi Sigg. For virtualexchange, remember to share this with your students. microaggressions like these add up to no trust and not good team work. Everyone wants to make a COIL project work so keep this in your toolbox!

and

Here are ideas to better serve your international colleagues and students in your synchronous VIDEO sessions

Language as cultural expression vs means of communication

sunycoil — 2024-08-09 21:23:53 UTC

We have considered the cultural basis of communication styles. What about language? Language and culture are closely related. The words we have in our language help us describe the world around us and help us organize our thoughts to make sense of it. Vocabulary can both reflect culture and define it.

Among people who speak the same language, slang, idioms and accents create a sense of group identity - whether that’s a national, regional or local difference, or identity in a group defined in other ways, like ethnic groups, organizations, social class, etc. Using language as cultural expression can be a way to include people in a shared identity, but can also exclude those who don’t have the shared frame of reference.

In a COIL Collaboration, we need to help students think about language as cultural identity and as a means of communication. This is particularly important if the language of the collaboration is the primary language of only one group. To get students introduced to the idea of language as identity and communication tool, you can have your students greet the other students in that group’s language as part of the icebreaker. Students can then talk about greetings, for example, how they would greet a teacher, a grandparent, a close friend, a stranger.

Attached is some advice from the University of Kansas about communicating with people if proficiency is unequal. These tips can be helpful to share with your students, and can be helpful reminders for yourself if you and your COIL teaching partner don’t have the same level of proficiency in the language you will use for communications.

Another technique that COIL professors use is to have posts in the dominant language of both groups. That is, if the primary language of one group is Spanish and the other is English, students have to post in both languages. If they don’t have proficiency in one of the languages, they need to use available tools, like Google Translate, to assist. This can help give all students the perspective of communicating in a language that’s not primary to them and generate conversation about language and communication. You can do this for one or more discussions, even if you agree on one language for the collaboration. It does require some guided reflection to help students unpack the experience and apply learning going forward - more on that next week.

Click the + column to start a new post. If you have experience communicating across languages, share some stories, tips, challenges and success you’ve had that could help your students and your colleagues as they prepare their COIL collaborations. If you don’t have a lot of experience, do you have concerns, questions, things you’re looking forward to?

DEEPER DIVE Celebrating languages

sunycoil — 2024-08-09 21:23:53 UTC

When we become nervous about considering language equity we forget to enjoy the fun mash-ups and play that can happen..

Here are a few very short videos celebrating languages:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9fmJ5xQ_mc

https://youtu.be/9Wi9Dfhqd1A

Here is a website reminding us to bring the languages together, rethink and remove English dominance. https://www.msudenver.edu/writing-center/faculty-resources/linguistic-white-supremacy/

ACTIVITY

Can you think of a fun activity to celebrate the languages in your COIL collaboration?

Where do I start this COIL journey?

sunycoil — 2024-08-09 21:23:53 UTC

Whether you will do a 3 week collaboration or 6 weeks..

Where it fits in your own course?

How do I grade the other students?

slide of range of collaborations that you can do

slide of timeline of a course and the COIL collaboration alongside

Here is a logistics chart for you and your partner to make a copy and share together your information for when you want to COIL. We discuss in our COIL Design workshop.
Collaboration Logistics Plan
docs.google.com
Review this template of prompts to create your collaboration
COIL Templates - Mastery Level
COIL Templates Mastery Level Includes assessment metrics
docs.google.com
Review this example of the progression of partners working together that you can review and emulate
Virtual Exchange Planning COPY to USE
Virtual Exchange planning
docs.google.com
Collect and consider the icebreakers that align with what you and your partner are thinking to do for your project
Consider how best to introduce the concepts of the collaboration and the benefits to your students with your school's COIL Coordinator, Career Counselor, Alumni COIL students, Language professors.. people to bring in to prepare your students to participate with others from another part of the world.

ACTIVITY

Brainstorm what course you might COIL.. consider what course that your students need more hands on experiences to better understand a concept

ZOOM ACTIVITY

In a breakout room, consider your course and your partner's course, what could be the UN SDG that connects the two content areas?

Here are some examples...

Trying out tools

sunycoil — 2024-08-09 21:23:53 UTC

Think of an activity that you might want your students to do during their COIL collaboration. If you don’t have an activity in mind, pick one of the activities you suggested for the sample pairings in the Exercise your Creative Muscle column.

List the types of interactions you want the students to have. Consider the relative importance of student interactions (communications tools), a collaborative space, and other aspects.
What are the desired outcomes and outputs (product, portfolio, presentation, etc.) for this activity?
What technology tool characteristics would facilitate these outcomes and outputs?

Here is the link to a google spread sheet that lists many online tools that are available - this list is certainly not comprehensive and you can feel free to use a tool that does not appear on the list.
Select a tool that you think could be effective and take a deeper look.
Do a bit of research into the particulars of your tool. By reading through the website of your tool and doing a quick Google search you should be able to find information and user feedback that will help you understand how well this tool aligns with your needs.
Click the + sign to start a new post.
Tell us which tool you selected, why you picked it, and how well you think it would work for your purposes.
Please give enough context from the questions above to help others understand your needs.
Read through what your colleagues have learned about their tools.
Comment, share your experience if you’ve used the same or similar tech tool, make suggestions about how they could resolve any concerns they have.

Here is the link again

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/u/1/d/e/2PACX-1vRy4LnkS9Sr0LSCyrD6tp2DY65wLauEHzchBi3sZg1NwAvFvhhTCX9It2ZsBbZcz7SDrbA4qkxMHY6U/pubhtml?gid=506430650&single=true

sunycoil — 2024-08-09 21:23:53 UTC

Communication Platforms:

Text-based chat: We'll primarily use text-based communication through popular platforms like WhatsApp, Viber, or Facebook Messenger, depending on regional preferences. This allows for asynchronous communication and easy access on mobile devices.
Video conferencing: For real-time discussions and collaboration, especially during the class launch, we'll leverage video conferencing tools like FaceTime or Zoom.

Collaboration Tools:

Google Workspace: We'll utilize Google Docs and Slides for collaborative document creation and presentations. This offers real-time editing, cloud storage, and accessibility from any device.
Canva (Optional): For presentations with a more visual focus, Canva can be an alternative for creating engaging presentations.
Video creation: For textile projects, we might explore creating short videos to showcase their work. We can discuss specific video editing tools as needed.

Intersectionality..

sunycoil — 2024-08-09 21:23:53 UTC

This short clip helps to better understand this concept that can be apart of our COIL conversation. Please share Videos and your comments here

Session 3

sunycoil — 2024-08-09 21:23:53 UTC

RECORDING

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1EjD2Gz3aEqxDeEAm8cJgUHR0rQbGFGvK/view?usp=sharing

SLIDE DECK

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/10J9oBGuZIcF6EfbQMFZ0kzz-EOLlYMQptf94X0aG168/edit#slide=id.g2521890b615_0_258

RESOURCES

Partnering Fair slides

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1CPpSbI_UiEgvt3jEjl5lStF-3N5Xwb25/edit#slide=id.g27df7fec938_0_2

Post your questions and comments here!

sunycoil — 2024-08-09 21:23:53 UTC

If you have not made an account with Padlet, please be sure to post your name!

Modeling your student teams

sunycoil — 2024-08-09 21:23:53 UTC

We want to model what your students need to do with their teams. Especially when electricity or connecting to the group is unstable, we want to have you be able to connect with a colleague from somewhere else in the world that might have a more stable infrastructure.

But we realize all of us are vulnerable. We suggest that you have at least 2 buddies.

We will use this Buddy System for our ZOOM sessions in case power goes out at one location or if someone wants to check in about class.

If you lose power or cannot be on our ZOOM call, tell your buddy, if you can, contact them through the agreed upon app so you can stay connected to class. Otherwise, there is a RECORDING to watch at a later date.

Note your name

Your prefered Chat tool - Slack, WhatsApp, Discord, Telegram, Signal

How to connect with you on that tool

Your time zone

Hope Windle, NY

sunycoil — 2024-08-09 21:23:53 UTC

My Name: Hope

My Chat tool: WhatsApp but happy to learn others

How to connect with me: +1845-658-3676

Where you are located: New York, USA

My Name:

sunycoil — 2024-08-09 21:23:53 UTC

My Chat tool:

How to connect with me:

Where you are located:

My Name:

sunycoil — 2024-08-09 21:23:53 UTC

My Chat tool:

How to connect with me:

Where you are located:

My Name:

sunycoil — 2024-08-09 21:23:53 UTC

My Chat tool:

How to connect with me:

Where you are located:

My Name:

sunycoil — 2024-08-09 21:23:53 UTC

My Chat tool:

How to connect with me:

Where you are located:

My Name:

sunycoil — 2024-08-09 21:23:53 UTC

My Chat tool:

How to connect with me:

Where you are located:

My Name:

sunycoil — 2024-08-09 21:23:53 UTC

My Chat tool:

How to connect with me:

Where you are located:

Review this COIL Collaboration Example

sunycoil — 2024-08-09 21:23:53 UTC

Here is a Example to visualize how to organize your COIL project. Think about this example as the structure to integrate the cultural connection of COIL: the essence of your COIL project.

https://padlet.com/jojimene2/clon-de-transmedia-derechos-humanos-s88lqkulogjmyez5

Here is another course in English.

https://padlet.com/sunycoil/4ya1s0oi0c9cx535

Take a look. Consider all the sections.

1. What section(s) is important?

2. Anything surprising you?

3. What do you think you won't need?

4. What do you think is missing?

John McDonough - Hello!

2024-08-13 19:03:31 UTC

Hi All!

My name is John McDonough, I am an Instructional Designer at Lehman College in The Bronx. I am excited to take part in this workshop and learn more about COIL and everyone involved.

Outside of work, I live with my boyfriend in Brooklyn where we care for our two cats. They are a handful but are always doing something that we find amusing. Additionally, I enjoy running but most recently hurt my heel which has pushed me to try new exercises at the local gym. I am currently reading Stephen King's, "The Shining" which I hope to finish over the next week. My favorite movie genre is horror and I have collected a few favorites over the years, most noticeably, the Scream franchise. Finally, I am most recently enrolled in a doctoral program and am eager to be a student once again.

I look forward to this workshop and connecting with everyone.

All the best,

John

Name: John

2024-08-13 19:07:34 UTC

My Chat Tool: Teams or Email

How to Connect with me: Teams - john.mcdonough28 or Email - john.mcdonough@lehman.cuny.edu

Where you are located: New York, NY

COIL Collaboration Example - JM Reflections

2024-08-13 19:19:30 UTC

What section(s) is important?

I think the important sections are the "Introductions" and "Learning Outcomes". These will help provide the frame work and set up some expectations for how the program will run.

Anything surprising you?

I'm surprised all of the interactions and materials are strictly in Padlet. Is this the preferred method of delivery and connection for the COIL program. Are there other examples, outside of Padlet that we could see?

What do you think you won't need?

From the examples I think everything is included. There seems to be a lot of context & introductions missing.

What do you think is missing?

What's missing in the examples is what this workshop has! I would include a "Start Here" section with support material, for those who are unfamiliar with Padlet. I would also include a Q&A section, as well as a "Supporting Materials" with links and resources to relevant material. Finally, there is no "Introductory" section inviting students to make those initial connections and start gathering shared experiences.

paulene1 — 2024-08-21 13:39:10 UTC

Consider your position and what that brings up for you... Consider 2 things you can do to support your partner and their students? Consider 2 things you can do to support your local students to think well about your partner and their students?

Paulene Naidoo

paulene1 — 2024-08-21 14:25:42 UTC

Loving Life through learning and engaging

Week 1 Visualizing your COIL Project

mdesroch — 2024-08-21 20:21:52 UTC

It looks like a great opportunity for students to connect on a relevant topic and learn from each other.

I will not repeat what others have said but totally agree with the points made so far.

I like how there were two opportunities - the interview and the infographic - that comprised the interactions and learning experiences. This multi-modal approach will allow students with strengths in one or the other area to shine and model to others.

I did not see any feedback given by the instructors in the padlet. I would imagine that the instructor provided that feedback to their own students in other forms (e.g., in email or through their LMS).

2024-08-28 19:26:54 UTC

What are your reactions to the ideas she brings in her talk?

Focusing on a single narrative can be harmful to those you project that narrative onto, as well as limiting your own growth and ability to connect and show compassion. I thought the use of multiple examples, throughout her life was helpful in understanding the various ways the single narrative can "show-up" throughout the years.

How will you convey the importance of intercultural skills to your students?

I don't teach but I will convey the importance of intercultural skills to faculty in the course design and development process. We use the OSCQR Rubric which recently added a set of standards connected to the COIL framework, which I will use during the course development process.

Week 2

mdesroch — 2024-09-02 20:15:16 UTC

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie shares numerous examples of how a single stereotypical presentation of a group does not represent the whole and can be quite damaging. As a teacher of psychology, cultural perspectives are seen as very important and must be included in an understanding of human behavior.

2024-09-03 13:30:46 UTC

1. Like we discussed during our last session, I think professionally I have had to adapt to a low-context environment which is in contrast to how I was raised and navigate most of my social life.

In my work, I often advise faculty to provide those short, frequent, and direct communications. Designing online courses can be challenging to ensure that students have as much information and context as they need to succeed. Unfortunately, this often means that faculty need to provide direct communication, which may appear disconnected in tone.

I would say that not every piece of communication needs to have high-context but conveying tone and aligning the way in which you speak with an individual in-person, in the online environment can be important. Otherwise, it can seem like the relationship that took time to build was just so the person doesn't have to convey intention moving forward.

2. It can seem challenging to create an effective communication strategy when everyone has different experiences and communication styles. However, I think finding a balance between high and low context forms of communication can help mitigate some of those frustrations between both parties.

3. What are some tips to help navigate miscommunications? Are there resources available I can review for future reference?

2024-09-03 14:54:44 UTC

1. I agree with everyone in that I would try to provide as much direct communication and context as possible. I would also provide options and/or strategies, for those moments where internet and/or technology might not be the most reliable. There are services at our campus that we could request help from to help create a positive learning environment.

2. I would apply these by having culturally responsive teaching strategies. I would also encourage faculty to provide resources to relevant material, as well as demonstrating how to use some of the tools built into the LMS. I would also set up various communication channels and strategies to help with potential communication issues.

2024-09-03 19:19:32 UTC

1. In role as an instructional designer, this activity provides some useful tools and resources that I can work with faculty to build into their curriculum. This way of approaching collaboration can help when working with faculty members to ensure that we are addressing concerns regarding equity in the classroom but also during our own collaborative efforts.

2. (a) Provide communication strategies and possible alternatives. I may even suggest working with the partnering instructor to provide some guidance for each group of students. (b) Providing clear instructions with multiple point of contact for completing the milestones. I may even suggest incorporating a strategy for the loss of communication on either end, along with possible solutions.

3. (a) Provide as many resources and as much context, that can be shared. (b) Provide some content on resolving conflict and strategies on working with team members. Additionally, I would provide information on what next steps should be, if conflict arises.

Kristin Van Gaasbeck, Sacramento, CA, USA

holidaybowl — 2024-09-04 18:19:24 UTC

My Name: Kristin

My Chat tool: What'sApp

How to connect with me: +19162125713

Where you are located: Sacramento, CA USA

Icebreaker

holidaybowl — 2024-09-04 18:23:06 UTC

Things I enjoy in my free time:

Travel (my last big trip was a Fulbright-Hays seminar in Colombia, see pic)
Swing dancing (Lindy Hop, East Coast Swing)
Learning a new language (learning French right now, fluent in Spanish and English)
Camping and hiking

Review of Example

holidaybowl — 2024-09-04 18:31:31 UTC

1. What section(s) is important?

All of the sections are important but the MOST important is the clear layout of learning outcomes and expectations. This way, the students know what is expected of them and how they will be assessed.

2. Anything surprising you?

I was surprised by how in-depth the Spanish one was. Formulating a survey properly and using it to develop a marketing/consulting plan is very involved and seems like it would be challenging in any context - but especially across universities and student groups who may have different levels of understanding and preparation. I'm not sure who the student groups were in this example, so perhaps it was very doable.

3. What do you think you won't need?

I think that two weeks on icebreakers is excessive. It seems like the second week, students could be given a reflective task that they share with their group and connect, instead of another icebreaker where they simply demonstrate that they met on Zoom.

4. What do you think is missing?

In the examples, it looks like groups of students are not giving feedback to one another. They are working within their groups, but I am surprised there are not more comments in the way of feedback from classmates outside of their groups (perhaps they did this elsewhere?)

Response to Ngozi Adiche's talk

holidaybowl — 2024-09-04 18:46:29 UTC

There are two important takeaways from her talk for me. First, who tells the story is incredibly important. The master/dominant narrative is often from the perspective of a Western, white, colonialist perspective. Second, that there isn't a single story - there are many stories and perspectives. Familiarizing ourselves with as many perspectives as possible is how we better understand others, and ourselves.

In Economics, I often introduce the idea of culture in specific topics, such as the labor market (and the disparities in earnings across various demographic groups), and international trade/policy. Showing the students data, I ask them why these things are the way that they are. This forces students to examine their preconceived notions about demographic groups. It also teaches them to think critically, and engage with the evidence in formulating an argument, or story for observed phenomena.

Collectivist vs. individualistic cultures

holidaybowl — 2024-09-04 18:52:06 UTC

This is a really interesting point about a key different between U.S. (individualistic) vs. Latin American (collectivist) cultures. I see this in classes pretty regularly. I actually attend classes in Spanish (with Spanish majors) to keep practicing my spoken Spanish skills. Even though most of these students are U.S.-born, the majority are heritage speakers with family from Latin American countries. They are far more willing to work and discuss in groups that students in my economics courses (which represents a broad range of cultures). It demonstrates how the majority/dominant culture affects the entire class. The Spanish majors are far more open and patient, versus a drive to "get the task done".

Response to High/Low Context Communication Styles

holidaybowl — 2024-09-04 19:01:04 UTC

Are your students/is your culture generally High Context or Low Context?
My Economics majors are generally High Context communicators.
Will your students expect short, frequent, direct questions and comments that clearly state their opinions? OR Would your students be annoyed or offended by short direct communication?
My students prefer short, frequent, and direct questions, to more open-ended, exploratory and less frequent assessments. Students generally perform better on assessments with more frequent "reminders", than they do with few high-stakes assessments.
Would they expect that type of messaging after they have developed a sense of team, or would that communication style help them develop a sense of team?
It's difficult to know. I think that alerting them to these differences in communication styles at the outset is critical to their success. Imparting the idea that there are differences in communication styles, and that one can learn to be more effective by being familiar with these styles, is one strategy to build awareness.

I am certainly a High Context communicator. In terms of engaging with my COIL partner (the faculty), I think that a great first step would be to develop the learning outcomes and course structure together. I expect this would take some time to draft something, leave time for reflection, then subsequent discussion and revision.

One strategy to alleviate concerns that my students might have about group work (which they generally dread), is to offer them some structure of communicating with one another. This could be as simple as assigning tasks to each individual to bring to the group and get feedback on. The challenging part is getting the students to critique and revise one another's work. They often lack the confidence to do this with their peers (versus the way faculty might interact with one another).

3. Please share any questions, concerns or tips you have.

Supporting Equity in my COIL collaboration

holidaybowl — 2024-09-04 19:13:33 UTC

1. What do you do to create equity on your campus can you request support of these campus approaches for your COIL program, your instructors and in your classrooms?

As a faculty member (through my campus and system senates), I have drawn attention to policies that have created inequities among students, harming underserved and first-generation college students. In my courses, I am deliberate in choosing examples from a wide variety of contexts, even if they aren't the ones that are "easiest" or "textbook" for me.

Also, during my long career (23 years now!), I have gotten a lot more relaxed about sharing personal details about myself as a way to connect with my students as a person. Everything from my husband being a naturalized citizen, to my brother being a U.S. veteran - these are things that students can connect to me as a person, and hopefully find me more accessible.

Using existing campus infrastructure, I have engaged with EOP (teaching sections for underserved students), the new Black Honors College on my campus, as well as leading initiatives to explore time to degree, major choice, and demographic characteristics to better understand how faculty and advisors might help guide students to success in their academics and professional lives.

2. How will you apply those ideas/activities to your instructors' COIL collaborations?

Starting with the campus resources, I think I would try to engage these groups in my COIL collaboration because these are the students who are seeking connections with campus support. Also, the Black Honors College and International Programs office has connections with various campuses and programs, and this would prove a useful resource in locating a partner and potentially building a longer-term relationship in COIL, and perhaps in study abroad.

Positionality

holidaybowl — 2024-09-04 19:43:42 UTC

Consider your position and what that brings up for you...
There are parts of my position and identity that are visible, and other parts that are not. The same is true for my students.
Consider 2 things you can do to support your partner and their students?
(i) Demonstrate an interest in their identity - their country, language, arts, methods of learning. Educating myself about these things through reading, and through interaction with the faculty collaborator will make me a better instructor, and a more effective COIL collaborator.
(ii) meet with the students myself, without my COIL faculty partner present. Since I am not evaluating them directly (in the sense of assigning a grade), it would be an opportunity for me to get to know them and demonstrate my interest in what they have to say and how I hope they will contribute - and what to expect from my students beforehand.
Consider 2 things you can do to support your local students to think well about your partner and their students?
(i) Creating a primer for my students to help them learn about the peers they will be interacting with. While most of the learning and cultural appreciation should come through direct collaboration, giving them a preview of their peers' identities might get them interested in a part of the world they know little about. Or, if they do, it will help them connect more deeply. This primer could seek to debunk stereotypes, and perhaps reflect how American culture shares commonalities with my partner country's culture.
(ii) I would encourage the students (and the faculty) to create a sort of professional and personal profile. This would help them moving forward in their own careers and highlight their accomplishments and experiences to my students. On the personal side, students could share their favorite classes and perhaps a place in the U.S. they would like to visit. I would ask my students to do the same - as a way to get them to explore the country of origin of the COIL partner.

Reflection Case Study

holidaybowl — 2024-09-04 21:49:14 UTC

DESCRIBE: What’s happening?

There are two group of students who are accustomed to communicating using different styles, which is causing them to misunderstand, or not communicate with one another. One group is accustomed to allocating time to getting to know one another, and expect collaboration will naturally follow from this sharing and reflection. The other group is task-based in their approach, and does not see a clear task to achieve, and therefore is not engaged in the group reflection, which in the minds of the other group, comes before the collaboration happens.

ANALYZE:
Why is this happening? What cultural differences are contributing to this? How do you think the students are feeling about their collaboration?

This is happening because the two groups are coming from different experiences in collaboration and communication. Based on the other COIL modules, this is coming from a lack of awareness about one another's approaches, methods, and customs.
The task-based group is likely U.S.-based (or North or Western hemisphere-based). The other group is more likely from Latin America, Asia, or Africa, based on the information we've reviewed here in the COIL workshop.
The students in both groups are frustrated because they are not communicating with one another - they are not able to read each others cues, causing them to be confused about how and why things are moving forward.

EVALUATE/APPLY:

What would you do if this situation was presented to you? Are there things you could do to prevent this from happening?

I would include reflective assessments that impress upon the task-based group that getting to know one another, and appreciating one another's communication styles is part of the learning process and will lead to a better "output" for assessment.
I could create time-certains with their time, for example. 30 minutes spent on reflection on oneself before the meeting, 30 minutes spent reflecting as a group, and then 30 minutes identifying the task that is to be completed during the meeting. Then perhaps a 30 minute meeting one week later to review, revise, and offer feedback based on the instructor and thinking about their jointly-produced work.
I would love to hear others' ideas about how to head this off. I know miscommunication is likely to be an issue, so I look forward to seeing some concrete strategies for how to alleviate this issue.

johnmcdonough28 — 2024-09-06 13:09:42 UTC

Describe: Both groups of students are not communicating with each other. Or, do not have enough direction from the project to help resolve some of this miscommunication.

Analyze: There seems to be miscommunication. One group was waiting to build relationships, while the other group seemed to be more task-based and started work on delivering their portion of the project. This scenario is highlighting the differences between High-Context and Low-Context communication and relationship styles. Currently, I think the students feel that there is miscommunication which resulted in one group feeling as though they are not contributing as much to the project.

Evaluate/Apply: If I were a student, I would address my concerns with the faculty to get advice. If I were one of the partnering faculty, I intervene (with the assumption that there are moments built into the project for faculty intervention) and provide additional context. I would also use this as a moment for everyone to reflect/discuss on the different approaches to completing projects, as well as working in and with groups. To prevent this from happening, I would suggest providing instructions for introducing the groups to each other, as well as clear expectations on when deliverables are due. I might also try to 'get ahead' of this issue by providing some context on the differences in working and communication styles.

johnmcdonough28 — 2024-09-06 14:02:56 UTC

1. I think when partnering with faculty, communication is probably one of the most important things to consider. I would also say having a variety of ways to communicate is equally as important. I'm not sure if I was surprised but I do think having multiple conversations with the partnering faculty is important to have a successful project. Additionally, this may open some discussions around pausing partnerships/projects for any reason.

2. Time, Including instructions on different time zones and an approximate amount of time a project should take. Communication, trying to be as detailed as possible, providing different solutions and strategies. Also, build in moments where if partnering groups run into an issue, what should be the steps to resolve it. Trust, takes time and commitment so unfortunately it will be hard to expedite this process, however, one faculty member mentioned meeting with the partnering faculty several times a week. Leadership, having an agreement on roles and responsibilities for each of the partnering faculty. This may involve some compromise but describing expectations and timelines (along with back-up plans) for tasks to be completed could help manage potential miscommunication.

johnmcdonough28 — 2024-09-06 14:47:35 UTC

Name: John

Email:

Institution: Lehman College

Country: United States

Language Preference for COIL Collaboration: [Dependent on faculty/course needs]

Academic Discipline: [Dependent on faculty/course needs]

Detail of Teaching/Research Interests: I am an Instructional Designer, collaborating with faculty to design and build meaningful and engaging learning opportunities for faculty and students. Depending on the faculty collaboration, as well as course needs, I am open to the possibility of interdisciplinary collaboration ideas.

COIL Course Idea: This would depend on the department/school I would collaborate with to determine COIL opportunities.

Additional Information: I am excited to work on COIL projects and support faculty in designing and implementing COIL projects/assignments.

johnmcdonough28 — 2024-09-06 15:03:13 UTC

1. I think have a description of the program would help put the project and details into context for the students.

2. The testimonials from other students is a great resource. If possible, as the project is about to begin, I would schedule a time for students to synchronously connect with a student who has participated in a COIL project. This would allow students to ask immediate questions and receive guidance from a peer.

3. Logistical information and options. How will students connect, when they should connect, and what is expected of them during that point of connection? I think providing this information to all of the students would be helpful.

4. Providing information on each of the partnering schools and classmates. Giving context to each of the partnering students' situations might help avoid miscommunication throughout the process.

paulene1 — 2024-09-10 07:24:51 UTC

Name: Paulene
Position: Senior Lecturer: Public Relations & Communication Email: paulene@dut.ac.za

Institution: Durban University of Technology
Country: South Africa

Language Preference for COIL Collaboration: English

Academic Discipline: Social Media, Intercultural Communication, Teaching & Learning

Detail of Teaching/Research Interests: I teach Research Methodology, Corporate Communication and a sub-section of intercultural communication. Many of my students research also focuses on the use of social media in various contexts, and its impact on society. Hence, I am interested in collaborating with other countries in these areas. I am also open to interdisciplinary collaborations initiatives.

COIL Course Idea:

· Intercultural Communication or social media in different cultural contexts among students.

· Comparative studies of social media usage across

different cultures.

· Collaborative digital storytelling and content creation.

· Cross-cultural analysis of online community

engagement.

Assessments: Intercultural exchange / the use of social media

Additional Information: I am open to interdisciplinary collaborations, and I hope to start the collaboration in February 2025 (semester 1). This will be my first COIL collaboration. My aim is to engage in an enriching, interdisciplinary learning experiences that prepare our students for the interconnected world of digital communication.

mdesroch — 2024-12-23 01:57:21 UTC

Describe: at the start of the interactions students reported feeling lost and continued to not know what to do.

Analyze: The instructions about what to do were lacking.

Evaluate: Clearer instructions and examples might help guide students through the ice breaker and then the assignment.

mdesroch — 2024-12-23 02:10:07 UTC

One important consideration is not to assume that your partner's students will have access to the technologies that your institution has.

It will be important to trust that your partner will apprise you of the situation that exists in their environment so that accommodations can be made.

mdesroch — 2024-12-23 02:11:52 UTC

Topic: Psychology of Sustainability

NAME: Marcie Desrochers

INSTITUTION: State University of New York - Brockport

EMAIL: mdesroch@brockport.edu

COIL COORDINATOR:

Country: United States of America

LANGUAGE PREFERENCE for COIL: English

ACADEMIC DISCIPLINE: Psychology

COURSE: Looking for partners for the Psychology of Sustainability through the lenses of the SDGs.

Semester/Month: Spring term

Anticipated # of students: Varies per course, usually between 20 and 30

mdesroch — 2024-12-23 20:17:56 UTC

The most important things to share with students in advance are;

course expectations
technology instructions and assistance
suggestions for how to communicate and other soft skills

mdesroch — 2024-12-23 20:18:22 UTC

mdesroch@brockport.edu

mdesroch — 2024-12-23 20:28:13 UTC

In my COIL module, we will use Padlet, google docs, and email.