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ABSTRACT
Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) has gained popularity due to its effectiveness in bringing cross-cultural awareness to the learning environment and providing college students a rich international experience while at their home university. This new educational approach uses digital technology to link university courses together from around the world to build students’ cross-cultural competence. Forty-four students enrolled in a Global Nutrition Class at a university in California, and 14 students in a Culinary Innovation course at a university in Ecuador, participated in a 15-week COIL project. Over the course of the semester, students worked in groups to complete a food product analysis project. After the course, students completed a questionnaire that assessed their cultural competence, collaborative learning outcomes, outcomes related to nutrition or culinary innovation, and overall course satisfaction. Results revealed that there were significant pre to post changes in cultural competency among study participants. Additionally, 91% of study participants reported that they were highly satisfied with the COIL project. Eighty percent of students said that collaborative learning through COIL helped them achieve good academic performance. Gender, ethnicity, and university location were not significant factors associated with learning outcomes. In conclusion, the COIL project positively contributed to student learning outcomes.
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No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
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Notes on contributors
Hailey West
Hailey West holds a Master’s of Science degree in Nutrition Science from California State University, Chico. Hailey is a Dietetic Intern at California State University at Sacramento.
Keiko Goto
Keiko Goto is a professor and graduate coordinator in the Department of Nutrition and Food Science at California State University, Chico. Keiko holds a B.S. in food science and technology from Kyoto University and a Ph.D. in nutritional sciences from Cornell University. As a nutritionist, Keiko has worked in various countries such as Guatemala, Indonesia, Jamaica, the Philippines, and Tanzania, and has developed a deep appreciation of diversity in people and food. Keiko’s current research interests include effects of food culture on food behavior and nutritional status across the globe, mindful eating and food behavior, cultural competency for nutrition professionals, and the application of community-based participatory research in food and nutrition.
Sebastian Alonso Navas Borja
Sebastian Navas is the Culinary Arts Program Coordinator at Universidad San Francisco de Quito (USFQ). He completed his M.Sc. in Culinary Management and Innovation at Institut Paul Bocuse, France. His research interests include cacao, chocolate, food and culture, product development.
Sara Trechter
Sara Trechter is a professor of linguistics in the English Department of California State University Chico, co-coordinator of the Collaborative Online International Education (COIL) program, and former Associate Vice President of International Education and Global Engagement. Her research interests include COIL as a means to build global competence for both students and faculty, indigenous languages, maintenance and revitalization in the Americas.
Seth Klobodu
Seth Selorm Klobodu is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Nutrition and Food Science at the California State University, Chico. His research interests are broad and cover barriers to nutrition and dietetics education, weight bias, food insecurity among minority students, native and indigenous food cultures, and community needs assessments. Other areas of interest include food hubs, farmers’ market, food sustainability, and food waste.