In autumn 2022, Queen Mary, University of London and the University of California Santa Cruz ran a Virtual Exchange/Collaborative Online International Learning (VE/COIL) project that brought together learners from both institutions to explore the topic of global pandemics. Funded and supported by the Fulbright Foundation and the American Council on Education, the development of this project enabled and empowered academics, learning developers and colleagues from global opportunities offices to collaborate to help learners tackle a global challenge while developing intercultural competencies through meaningful relationships with peers from other countries.
Jonathan Kennedy, Queen Mary, University of London, and Aaron Zachmeier, Associate Director for Online Teaching and Learning at the University of California, Santa Cruz will discuss the potential for COIL to create inclusive global learning opportunities to support students who face barriers to traditional learning exchanges.
The session will cover:
- How the project focused on creating a sense of belonging between groups of learners from different cultural and disciplinary contexts
- Why VE/COIL supports the needs of more diverse students to develop global cultural competencies
- The benefits of working in a collaborative, multidisciplinary team to develop student learning
