Preparing and Guiding Your Students
While engaging in the co-development of a COIL project with a faculty partner, it is a good idea to take a moment to think about how you can prepare all participating students to be successful collaborators and learners –before, during, and after the project!
Module Overview and Sections
In this module, you will…
- Explore key areas of student preparation, along with resources you can adapt for each key area
- Think about how to be proactive in communicating with your students about tasks, expectations, and troubleshooting
- Review ideas and tools for articulating COIL experiences in resumes, cover letters, job interviews, and other professional communications
Before COIL
During COIL
After COIL
Before COIL
Successful COIL project collaboration relies on skills, competencies, and attitudes that often require explicit and targeted development, practice, and reflection. We cannot assume that students will be intuitively capable COIL partners. Here are some key areas to consider when preparing students:
Time Zones: Two tools that may be helpful for negotiating and communicating dates and times for meetings and deadlines across time zones are World Time Buddy and Time Zone Converter.
Online Teamwork Skill Development: Working across space, culture, language, and time is not easy. The Student Academic Success: Effective Online Teamwork site provides tips and tools for how you can equip students to work together collaboratively and productively.
Netiquette: A Guide to Netiquette or a similar tool could help participants to communicate about their expectations for collaboration.
Non-Verbal Communication: Types of Non-Verbal Communication is an open education resource (OER) that can provide participants with information about non-verbal components of intercultural communication.
Reflection: Navigating Time Zones
Navigating time zones can be challenging – not only will you need to do a bit of math or conversion, but you will also want to think about how to communicate time (12 or 24 hour system) and the potential effects of daylight savings time (DST)!
Consider always using the exact day of a meeting when using a time zone converter tool. The default page tends to open to the date you are opening the tool; however, if you are planning for a future meeting date, you may need to contend with daylight savings time in one or both countries!
Preparing Students for Their Cross-Cultural Experience
Faculty are encouraged to view the Cross-cultural Learning Resources assembled by Mark Mattson, Librarian in Support of COIL. This resource guide has materials to help students learn about different countries’ cultures, languages, demographics, history, religions, and communication norms in preparation for intercultural learning experiences. The list of resources includes current data sources, media, and intercultural learning tools from around the world.
By leveraging these resources, students can approach their COIL project with a well-rounded perspective, ensuring that their work is culturally sensitive, informed, and effective.
Cultivating Curiosity and Cultural Humility
Our attitudes and dispositions can have a significant impact on our interactions with cultural “others.” “Bowing down and standing up: Towards a pedagogy of cultural humility“, an article written by PSU Faculty Noel Habashy and Laura Cruz, encourages students to learn from intercultural interactions on a person-to-person level and to avoid essentializing in an effort to demonstrate cross-cultural knowledge or expertise.
Communication and Clarification Strategies
A great starting point for preparing students (and faculty!) to communicate with COIL partners is a series of 5 short videos created to equip students with essential communication skills for multilingual communication:
- Be Aware
- Focus
- Accommodate
- Check
- Repair
These videos were designed to enhance understanding of accents and diverse non-dominant English varieties and dispel myths and misconceptions related to these topics. They also highlight that communication challenges are normal and emphasize the need for collaborative effort from all participants involved in a conversation.
1. WATCH: Be Aware
Questions for reflection
Perceptions of Correct English in Virtual Exchanges
The video challenges the idea of a “correct” or “superior” way of speaking English, highlighting the diversity of English varieties. In the context of virtual exchanges, where participants often come from various linguistic backgrounds, how can this understanding of language diversity enhance communication? Have you ever encountered someone in a virtual exchange whose way of speaking English was unfamiliar to you, and how did that influence your interaction?
Developing Communication Skills in Virtual Exchanges
The video emphasizes the need for both native and non-native speakers to develop skills to interact across linguistic differences. In a virtual exchange, what specific communication strategies can help ensure smooth conversations between participants from diverse backgrounds? How might using these strategies improve collaboration and mutual understanding in your own virtual exchange experiences?
Equity in Virtual Communication
The video suggests that native English speakers often lack the communication skills that non-native speakers have developed out of necessity. In virtual exchanges, where participants may rely on English as a common language, what actions can native speakers take to ensure that communication is more equitable? How might better communication practices in virtual exchanges help foster more inclusive and effective partnerships?
2. WATCH: Focus
Questions for reflection
Overcoming Accent and Communication Challenges in Virtual Exchanges
In virtual exchanges, participants often encounter a variety of English accents. Reflecting on the video, what strategies can be used to improve understanding when a participant has difficulty with someone’s accent? How can applying these strategies help foster more inclusive and productive conversations in virtual exchange settings?
The Role of Attitude in Virtual Exchange Communication
The video emphasizes how attitude and effort play key roles in understanding others, even beyond linguistic differences. In the context of virtual exchanges, how can participants adjust their attitudes to improve communication with people from different linguistic backgrounds? Can you think of a time in a virtual exchange when your attitude helped or hindered your ability to communicate effectively?
Addressing Bias and Stereotypes in Virtual Exchanges
The video presents a study where students perceived communication difficulties based on the race of the lecturer, highlighting the impact of bias on understanding. How might biases and stereotypes affect virtual exchange participants’ willingness or ability to engage with people from different cultural backgrounds? What steps can be taken to minimize the impact of these biases in virtual communication?
3. WATCH: Accommodate
Questions for reflection
Adapting Communication in Virtual Exchanges
The video discusses the process of accommodation, where speakers adjust their language to improve understanding. In a virtual exchange, how might participants need to modify their speech when interacting with peers from different linguistic and cultural backgrounds? Can you think of any specific adjustments you’ve made or could make during a virtual exchange to help facilitate better communication?
Navigating Cultural References in Virtual Exchanges
The video highlights how culturally specific language, such as idioms or metaphors, can create barriers to understanding. In virtual exchanges, where participants often come from diverse cultures, how can being mindful of cultural references improve communication? Have you encountered any situations in a virtual exchange where certain expressions or references led to confusion, and how did you resolve it?
Clarifying Intentions in Virtual Exchanges
The video shows how indirect requests or statements can sometimes lead to misunderstandings, especially in intercultural communication. In virtual exchanges, how can being more direct and clear with your intentions help avoid miscommunication? What strategies can participants use to ensure their message is understood in a virtual setting where cultural norms about directness might vary?
4. WATCH: Check
Questions for Reflection
Effective Comprehension Checks in Virtual Exchanges
The video discusses how asking, “Do you understand?” places the burden of communication solely on the listener. In a virtual exchange, where linguistic and cultural differences can complicate communication, what are more effective ways to check comprehension that promote mutual understanding? How might you apply these strategies in your own virtual exchange experiences?
Mutual Responsibility in Communication
In virtual exchanges, both speakers and listeners share the responsibility for clear communication. Reflecting on the video, how can participants ensure that they are contributing to mutual understanding without making the other person feel solely responsible for any misunderstandings? Can you think of a time in a virtual exchange when this balance was successfully achieved or could have been improved?
Paraphrasing for Clarity in Virtual Exchanges
The video emphasizes the value of paraphrasing as a strategy to ensure mutual comprehension. In a virtual exchange context, how can paraphrasing help clarify ideas when discussing complex or culturally unfamiliar topics? Have you used paraphrasing in a virtual exchange to confirm your understanding, and if so, how did it affect the conversation?
5. WATCH: Repair
Questions for Reflection
Identifying and Addressing Communication Breakdowns in Virtual Exchanges
The video highlights the importance of pinpointing the exact source of communication breakdowns. In a virtual exchange, where participants may have different accents, linguistic backgrounds, or communication styles, how can being specific about the issue help resolve misunderstandings more efficiently? Can you share an example from a virtual exchange where identifying the specific problem helped you or your group overcome a communication challenge?
Cultural and Linguistic Flexibility in Virtual Exchanges
In the video, the word “prepone” serves as an example of a term from a specific variety of English that may cause confusion. In a virtual exchange, how can participants show openness to different varieties of English and linguistic diversity? How can recognizing and adapting to unfamiliar words or phrases help build rapport and mutual respect in a virtual exchange setting?
Collaboration and Problem-Solving in Virtual Communication
The video emphasizes that communication problems are common, but addressing them collaboratively can lead to stronger understanding. In virtual exchanges, where communication is sometimes more challenging due to distance and technology, how can participants work together to solve misunderstandings? What specific strategies could you use to ensure that communication problems don’t disrupt the flow of virtual collaboration?
During COIL
When COIL projects are launched and projects and relationships begin to develop, the instructor’s role in providing pedagogical mentoring becomes even more important as students may benefit from modeling, support, and prompting.
Instructors should ensure that all students are accountable for meeting project deadlines and engaging in scaffolded and target reflection about their engagement and learning. It is highly recommended that instructors create regular checkpoints for students to engage in guided reflection about their challenges AND successes related to:
- group communication, dynamics, and engagement
- task completion progress and setbacks
- technology use and troubleshooting
- netiquette and non-verbal language use for establishing positive rapport
- use of accommodation and clarification strategies
- personal and professional goals and growth through project engagement
- what each student perceives they have contributed to their their group’s efforts – including cultural,
- linguistic, social, technical, and knowledge capital
After COIL
As your COIL collaborative project is coming to its conclusion, or very soon after that, it is important to guide students through reflection about their COIL project engagement in order to consolidate, codify, and showcase their learning as well as the challenges they faced, and the skills they developed. Florida International University has put together a list of reflection activities to get you started!
You may also wish to guide your students in activities to prepare them for how to connect their COIL experience to future employment opportunities (e.g. inclusion in resume and/or practice job interviews) as illustrated in the SUNY COIL Student Guide.