Revista Iberoamericana de

Economía Solidaria e

Innovación Socioecológica

RIESISE

Vol. 4 (2021), pp. 87-107 • ISSN: 2659-5311

http://dx.doi.org/10.33776/riesise.v4i1.5245

A

In midst the ongoing COVID19 pande-

mic, there is an inherent need to consider the

effects on education in poorer regions of the

globe. Students from Western countries and

more privileged backgrounds have managed

to continue learning albeit Universities having

closed in the most difﬁcult moments of the

Pandemic. Students from disadvantaged re-

gions and poorer backgrounds however, very

often remained isolated when their institution

shut down during the pandemic.

In this paper the authors discuss a socially

innovative initiative that enables building a com-

munity of international learning based on a po-

pular methodology named COIL (Collaborative

Online International Learning). The methodolo-

gy relies on the use of openly available online

platforms that allow students and lecturers to be

connected digitally, thus making learning resour-

ces available to students no matter their location.

It allows for an intense peer-to-peer learning en-

vironment and promotes the virtual teamwork

on real cases and assignments.

R

En medio de la actual pandemia de CO-

VID19, hay una necesidad inherente de con-

siderar los efectos en la educación en las re-

giones más pobres del mundo. Los estudian-

tes de los países occidentales y de entornos

más privilegiados han conseguido seguir

aprendiendo, aunque las Universidades hayan

cerrado debido a la pandemia. Sin embargo,

los estudiantes de regiones desfavorecidas se

quedaron, a menudo, aislados cuando su insti-

tución cerró durante la pandemia.

En este artículo, las autoras discuten una ini-

ciativa socialmente innovadora que permite cons-

truir una comunidad de aprendizaje internacional

basada en una metodología popular llamada

COIL (Collaborative Online International Lear-

ning). Basada en el uso de plataformas online de

libre acceso que permiten conectar digitalmente

a estudiantes y profesores, poniendo así los recur-

sos de aprendizaje a disposición de los estudian-

tes sin importar su ubicación. Permite un entorno

de aprendizaje entre pares y promueve el trabajo

en equipo virtual sobre casos y tareas reales.

NO PASSPORT REQUIRED: SOCIAL LEARNING INNOVATION

THROUGH COLLABORATIVE ONLINE EDUCATION

NO SE NECESITA PASAPORTE: APRENDER CON INNOVACIÓN

SOCIAL POR MEDIO DE LA COLABORACIÓN ONLINE

Gloria Aznar

CEU San Pablo University

mariagloria.aznarfernandezmonte@ceu.es

Elizabeth Frank

CEU San Pablo University

elizabeth.frank@ceu.es

K

COIL (Collaborative Online International

Learning); E-learning; International Coopera-

tion for Development Education; SDG.

P 

COIL (Collaborative Online International

Learning); E-learning; Cooperación Internacio-

nal para el Desarrollo de la Educación; ODS.

códigos jeL

: I29.

Fecha de recepción: 29/03/2021 Fecha de aceptación: 10/07/2021

89RIESISE, 4 (2021) pp. 87-107

http://dx.doi.org/10.33776/riesise.v4i1.5245

1. INTRODUCTION

The global range of the COVID-19 pandemic has led to unparalleled

interruptions in education around the globe. Many professors, researchers,

policymakers and other stakeholders such as the general public have

expressed an increasing interest in determining how education systems

in general respond to these new challenges and how as a result, students’

educational experiences are changing worldwide.

In this article, the authors would like to shed more light on the educational

challenges, ramiﬁcations and repercussions of the pandemic for students,

lecturers and Higher Education Institutions. We will be taking a closer look at

the education scenario of poorer regions of the globe, taking into account

objective four from the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 4) that aims

to “ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong

learning opportunitiesfor all”. This goal aims to provide equal access to

affordable vocational education, eliminating gender inequalities and wealth

disparities. The objective being to achieve widespread access to quality

higher education.

In this situation, the University plays a key role in the implementation of

the Agenda, not only as a key institution working towards the achievement

of SDG 4, but also as an instrument in the formation of responsible and

committed citizens. Through learning and teaching, students get equipped

with the knowledge, skills and motivation to understand challenges and

implement solutions. Fostering the capacity development of students

and professionals in all countries and endowing and mobilizing youth

also leads to social leadership. Overall, a reinforcement of the university’s

public engagement and involvement can be observed. Thus enhancing

cooperation and cohesion for providing quality education involving cross

country collaboration (SDG 4 and SDG 17). This will help form future socially

responsible leaders that will be involved in the social challenges of society.

Companies of the 21st century need business leaders that are more aware of

their responsibility towards society, more knowledgeable about the impact

of their companies. Leaders who join forces to face the global challenges of

the ﬁght against poverty (SDG 1).

In this article, the authors would like to present some speciﬁc projects and

methodologies that have the capacity to empower students and lecturers

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90RIESISE, 4 (2021) pp. 87-107 ISSN: 2659-5311

no matter where they are located. These presented tools are replicable and

scalable and can also cater for the needs of internationalization of the Higher

Education Eco-system. Since there are still many aspects that need to be

faced, there will be a formal discussion about some of the main challenges

that may be encountered along this journey.

The paper is structured in seven sections. Starting with an outline

describing the current situation of the educational sector after the COVID

19 pandemic, the authors continue by presenting the methodology of

COIL projects (Collaborative Online International Learning) and explain in

depth how the COIL activity at the heart of this article was conceived. The

theoretical background is provided whilst the objectives are described,

before continuing to explain in detail how the implementation of this

particular COIL project took place. The authors then take a critical look at

the results before raising some interesting questions for further discussion.

2. CURRENT SITUATION

As times change, the necessity of adjusting learning styles and teaching

methods increases. As Burner (2018) points out, there are several reasons

why we need to conduct a change in education. He mentions, amongst other

aspects, the increasing level of globalisation and technological innovations.

In a globalized world, we are more and more connected and interdependent

from each other. There is also a proliferation in society of combining two

elements, the new and the social, as Herrero de Egaña (Herrero de Egaña,

2018) describes with the deﬁnition of social innovation as “new or novel

ways for society to address relevant social challenges (RSRs) that are more

effective, efﬁcient and sustainable”. Herrero de Egaña describes the social

innovation not as a sum of innovation and social innovation, but rather

merging both concepts operating as one.

In recent months, the COVID 19 pandemic has aggravated the overall

educational situation and the need for change. It has exposed emerging

weaknesses in the traditional education systems around the globe. It has

become more and more evident that the world needs to rely on a more

adaptable, ﬂexible and more robust education system, especially as we are

facing an increasingly unpredictable future (Wahab, 2020).

A growing number of universities have been obliged to ﬁnd alternatives

to traditional teaching, many turning towards online or digital learning,

especially during lockdown scenarios that left University campuses closed

for weeks and months. By March 2020, schools in more than 180 countries

worldwide had to close which affected a humbling 87.4% of students

worldwide, overall more than 1.5 billion, see Figure.1 (Raluca et al., 2020).

The pandemic and lockdowns have affected many regions in the world.

One of the main challenges has subsequently been, to provide students access

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to education that permits a seamless continuation of their higher education.

In many regions, efforts were made to support students to continue their

education, by use of technology switching to online learning where possible.

In some areas of the globe, especially poorer regions, educational television

and the use of radio broadcasts and SMS were introduced to effectively

communicate with the vast student population. This was and still is especially

relevant in areas where internet is not available, connectivity not reliable

or were the student community lacks devices to connect online. Providing

accessibility to students is key to providing quality education.

On a positive note, Willms & Corbett (2003) discuss the high level of

technology acceptance of students also when technology is integrated into

the education system. They furthermore state that a majority of students

have mobile phones as they use them for texting, using social media or

applications, which leads to the assumption that students are receptive to

using technology also in a learning environment.

We have not yet returned to normality with many Universities continuing

to provide classes online only, others adopting a hybrid teaching model,

Figure 1. Percentage of Students affected by COVID-19 school closures,

global

Source: Policy Brief - Education during the COVID-19 crisis (April 2020)

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based on a student rotation system that allows for a reduced number

of students being present in the physical classroom. It is unclear when

Universities will return to pre-Covid like class settings, if at all. It may well be

that the changes that we have been experiencing are here to stay.

Yet, there are more challenges ahead. Whilst policymakers are taking

action to support students in their efforts to continue their education

remotely and online, other challenges are just around the corner, such as a

global pandemic-induced economic recession, political instabilities, further

healthcare emergencies and overall educational challenges.

For the past years, the authors have been following the business proposal

of UNIMAK University in Sierra Leone and have observed the inclination

towards entrepreneurship. They agree with Lakovleka that individuals

with entrepreneurial ambitions within developing countries show a higher

engagement compared to individuals in developed countries (Lakovleka,

2011). They manage to seize opportunities by planning their own business

and showing entrepreneurial spirit.

3. METHODOLOGY AND THE CONCEPTION OF THE COIL ACTIVITY

For the past twelve years, motivated students, lecturers and employees of

the University CEU San Pablo alongside inspiring and inspired professionals

from different private sector companies have been working alongside

each other in various projects in the West-African country Sierra Leone.

These projects are aimed at combatting poverty and empowering Sierra

Leoneans from diverse backgrounds through educational programs and

civic engagement. Social innovation projects address many challenges, the

economic discipline being one of them (Pol, 2009).

Currently, the University CEU San Pablo team is formed by representatives

of different disciplines, such as the Faculty of Medicine, the Pharmaceutical

Faculty, Physiotherapy, the School of Media and Communication, the

School of Business and Economics as well as the Faculty of Architecture.

The Faculty of Architecture was the pioneering Faculty that initiated the

Cooperation between Spain and Sierra Leone, in particular with UNIMAK

University in Makeni. The School of Business and Economics joined the

cooperation project in 2016 ensuring that the project was truly aimed at

continuous international development cooperation not merely as one-off

volunteering work.

Traditionally the University CEU San Pablo would organize two trips to

Sierra Leone each year, to ensure continuity of the different projects in the

diverse areas. Due to the severe situation caused by the COVID 19 pandemic,

a physical trip was out of the question in 2020, and the idea evolved to

substitute the yearly journey by a digital journey, thus connecting students,

lecturers and professionals from the different countries and locations. The

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option of introducing a set of online workshops to mitigate the dramatic

situation was supported by both Institutions. This would guarantee the

continuous relationship between both Universities, UNIMAK and University

CEU San Pablo, establishing a solid cooperation and collaboration. This is

to institutionalize and integrate stakeholders (students, professors, business

individuals, and other personnel) and community members. The focus is

not only on education, creating and transferring knowledge but also on

integrating the development of the country and the society. Hence, it is a

win win situation.

The organization of an online collaboration and knowledge exchange

was endorsed, giving participants the opportunity to develop a series of

competences, skills and academic knowledge through a COIL (Collaborative

Online International Learning) project, which will be ongoing in time. An

interdisciplinary and intercultural week course was designed allowing for

an exchange of knowledge and experience. The audience being students,

professionals and professors who collaborate on solutions to speciﬁc

challenges that are posed.

University CEU San Pablo students that are currently studying a Bachelor’s

degree in Business Administration and Management, a Bachelor in

Marketing or a Bachelor in Economics together with students from UNIMAK

University from different disciplines such as the Master of Finance, Business

and Administration, Economics bachelor, and students from the Agricultural

Faculty, were invited to take part in an intensive online event between both

institutions.

The organizers of the joint event decided to implement the methodology

of COIL, Collaborative Online International Learning. The COIL Handbook

as published by the University of Minnesota (2016) deﬁnes this approach

as “…a model for teaching and learning that promotes the development

of intercultural competence (the ability to communicate effectively and

appropriately with people from other cultures) through a shared online

multicultural learning environment.”.

In the Faculty Guide for Collaborative Online International Learning as

published by the leading SUNY COIL Centre in New York, a similar deﬁnition

can be found: “COIL, also referred to as globally networked learning and

virtual exchange, is a new teaching and learning paradigm that promotes

the development of intercultural competence across shared multicultural

learning environments. Through the use of internet-based tools and

innovative online pedagogies, COIL fosters meaningful exchanges between

university-level teachers and students with peers in geographically distant

locations and from different linguacultural backgrounds.”

As both deﬁnitions indicate, a COIL activity focusses on the intercultural

aspect of participating students, by providing activities and assignments

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that are developed in cooperation with students at different locations and

varying backgrounds, relying on technology and digital classroom settings.

As Hans de Wit describes it in his article COIL – Virtual mobility without

commercialisation (2013): “The term ‘collaborative online international

learning’ combines the four essential dimensions of real virtual mobility:

1) It is a collaborative exercise of teachers and students;

2)It makes use of online technology and interaction;

3) It has potential international dimensions; and

4) It is integrated into the learning process.”

COIL allows collaboration between students and teachers from different

universities without the need to travel abroad. In times of a global pandemic,

this is the beauty of COIL. It can easily be implemented since it guarantees

social distancing and sanitary safety, and yet it provides students the

pleasure of working with peers in different countries around the globe.

The collaboration takes place in an online environment and it is carried out

through planned activities usually integrated into the program of a speciﬁc

subject. It merely requires the collaboration of lecturers of both institutions,

whose task it is to deﬁne the activities to be developed by the participants in

mixed international groups during the actual COIL module. Lecturers then

ensure the correct implementation and evaluation of the activity.

In the following diagram (Figure 2) you can see in more detail what a

COIL consists of and the competences that students and also involved

lecturers can develop.

Figure 2. COILs What, Why and What For

Source: CEU ViceChancellor International Reations CEU,2020

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The beneﬁts of COIL are derived from the direct interaction between

participating students that have different perspectives. In many instances

these differences are culturally motivated. It is therefore a good idea to

focus on team projects and active learning, providing students a discussion

platform where they can exchange their views, ideas and where they can

work jointly on an assignment.

The design of COIL projects works best when lecturers share the

responsibility for the developed activities and content. Co-developing

courses and modules however is not always possible. The design of the

CEU-UNIMAK COIL was based on the speciﬁc methodology used for the

development of an online course. It was built upon the following six stages

(Marciniak, 2017):

1- Analysis of the educational problem, which was the inability to travel

to Sierra Leone amidst an ongoing pandemic while intending to

ensure continuity in the international development cooperation

and providing the students with the opportunity of an international

experience.

2- Justiﬁcation and objectives of the project, which clearly involved the

idea of providing students with the possibility of gaining international

experiences, touch-basing with peers from abroad, but from home.

In addition, the aim was to improve students’ competences, such

as remote teamwork, improved communication, planning and

organization skills in an international and online environment as well

as intercultural competences.

3- Proposed project perspectives, with the ideal scenario being a

successful implementation of this COIL activity, effectively achieving

objectives as outlined above and further below. The alternative being

the non-implementation of the project, thus depriving students of the

possibility of acquiring the knowledge, competences and contacts

provided by the project, and off course the international experience.

4- Pedagogical planning that allows introducing an activity, independent

of the curriculum and related to international development

cooperation, which is so cutting-edge and relevant that it has not yet

been integrated into any formal syllabi at either Institutions involved

in the project.

The COIL activity was designed by University CEU San Pablo and shared

with UNIMAK´s Dean and professors to assure the alignment. The time horizon

of each task was deﬁned, the mode of collaboration between international,

mixed teams and the required learning outcomes and deliverables were

agreed upon as will be discussed in more detail furtheron.

5- Design of the pedagogical proposal which is based on a twofold

approach. On the one hand, there are master classes which are

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96RIESISE, 4 (2021) pp. 87-107 ISSN: 2659-5311

designed in a way that students obtain the theoretical knowledge

needed to perform a given assignment or challenge. On the other

hand, students work in international, mixed groups that allow for

a more engaged and applied learning experience. According to

research carried out by Hoag and Swan (2000) amongst others,

collaborative learning is most successful when projects are executed

by small groups. Following this insight, the creation of groups was set

at a maximum of ﬁve people per group.

6- Planning of operational aspects, which resulted in the use of the

platform MS TEAMS, which was hosted and organized by the

University CEU San Pablo. Technology, in this case, becomes an ally

(Martinez, 2014) allowing contact and participation using also social

platforms as WhatsApp, Skype.

The material that was used in Master classes was furthermore made

available by email to the participants, mainly due to the technical limitations

on the side of UNIMAK, which will be explained in more detail further down.

7- Evaluation system including the academic grading of the activity

and how students evaluated the project. Bringing the students from

different continents and different backgrounds together. Although

the project was not graded, students were still enthusiastic about the

possibility of working together as can be reviewed in the RESULTS

section of this paper. Students were eager and motivation was high.

The goal was to stimulate social innovation (Herrero de Egaña). This

is the new paradigm, not only focusing on technology and industrial

society and avoiding any social hype but creating cohesion that

brings changes to the development of Sierra Leone. A youth willing to

take ownership in development projects and inspiring other students

from both cultures (Spanish and Sierra Leone´s) to initiate changes,

enhances cooperation and cohesion for gaining quality education

(SDG 4 and SDG 17). The company of the 21st century needs different

business leaders, more aware of their responsibility to society, more

knowledgeable about the impact of their companies. Leaders who

join forces to face the global challenges of the ﬁght against poverty

(SDG 1)

After several months of planning, following the onset of the Covid19

pandemic, both Universities implemented the project together and the pilot

was successfully launched on July 21st, 2020, at the end of the academic

year 2019-2020 (See appendix for details of the program).

4. THEORETICAL BACKGROUND

Cooperation for development and international experience are

gaining more and more importance for students. Building intercultural

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competencies are important components in the internationalization strategy

of Higher Education Institutions. Interculturality is summarized by Deardorff

as the ability to communicate effectively and appropriately in intercultural

situations on the basis of one’s intercultural knowledge, skills and attitudes

(Deardorff, 2006). According to Bennet, 1998, intercultural sensitivity is not

something static, but can be progressively developed through training and

education.

Inspired by the Theory of the psychology of Use and Gratiﬁcation, it is

assumed that people actively use those means that they ﬁnd satisfactory.

In order to achieve good learning results, we want to offer an activity that

learners ﬁnd attractive and engage in, in order to ﬁnd rewarding elements.

Katz, Blumler and Gurevitch emphasize an essential point: if the assignment

is optional and not evaluated, then the mere fact of competing to offer the

best work is a motivation in itself for participants. Even if it is not taken into

account for a grade, the members themselves will qualitatively evaluate the

work of their peers and their own (Sluijsmans, 2003).

The authors have chosen the COIL (Collaborative Online International

Learning) project based on the learning needs of students and also to

be able to create satisfaction for the students, besides being able to

achieve gratiﬁcation in the process, which refers to the satisfaction that

the participants experience when joining in the process itself (Cutler and

Danowski, 1980).

To complete the above, it is imperative that the professional possesses

a deep understanding of diverse cultural contexts. Successful work in an

increasingly globalized and virtual world requires speciﬁc skills to navigate

cultural differences. This terrain can be treacherous, especially when people

come from very different cultures and backgrounds and are expected to

work together in harmony. Even with English as a common language, it is

easy to fall into cultural traps that can jeopardize careers and risk business.

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) recognizes the upsurge

of globalization and in its program of Digital Transformation includes a

complete course on Cultural Awareness when doing Business in Global

Contexts. The program recognizes the importance to understand the

culture’s diversity (MIT,2020)

5. OBJECTIVES

One of the main objectives of this COIL-project is to promote the

cooperation between University CEU San Pablo and UNIMAK University,

helping the well-being of Sierra Leoneans and to make a positive social

impact by designing solutions and providing recommendations to

economic challenges. Recognizing the social challenges and applying social

innovation. We refer to social innovation not only looking for brand new

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ideas but also old ideas applied differently (Philis, 2018). Social innovation

provides novel and original ways of tackling ‘problems’.

From an academic point of view, the overall objective of creating a

global experience is at the center of this project. The goals can furthermore

be classiﬁed into general objectives and speciﬁc objectives.

The general objective is to carry out an innovative project at international

level in collaboration with an international partner to ensure global, relevant

and multicultural training for students and teachers and continuing our

relationship and development cooperation.

The speciﬁc objectives fall into several categories. First, there is the

international experience for students, professors and professionals, without

the need for geographical displacement. The COIL module as a teaching

method facilitates interaction with students from other disciplines and

nationalities, in mixed working groups, using English as a language and

without the need to travel abroad, but taking advantage of the beneﬁts of

collaborating in a virtual, intercultural and stimulating environment.

Second, a number of professional competences are developed.

This project enables students to improve a series of transversal skills

and competences that are valuable for their subsequent professional

development. It enriches the Curriculum Vitae and fosters knowledge of the

business and cultural environment and the challenges that may arise in the

future. Students work on a wide range of skills and competences such as the

ability to organize and plan work, self-management, responsibility at work,

the ability to work in a team, both nationally and internationally, autonomy

and proactivity, the ability to solve problems and adapt to unforeseen

changes and challenges, initiative and the management of interpersonal

relationships, besides improving oral and written communication skills.

Third, COIL enables the personal development of learners. Involved

students achieve meaningful and relevant social learning and social

innovation with the aim of scaling impact. It aims to develop learners of

integrity, with the capacity for understanding and critical analysis. The aim

is to develop relevant solutions to challenges that simulate business reality.

This type of activity encourages perseverance, decision making, negotiation

skills and conﬂict resolution skills, cooperation in a virtual environment,

inspiration of critical thinking and judgment, improvement of intercultural

skills and knowledge of the other country as well as improving language

skills. The continuous use of different communication channels allows the

learner to better understand and use digital tools. All of these improve the

graduate’s proﬁle and increase employment opportunities.

Fourth, a COIL can be introduced and consolidated as a learning strategy

that favors the motivation and interest of learners to learn. It allows intrinsic

and extrinsic motivation to be fostered through various factors that are

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included in the collaborative activity. Through challenges that need to be

overcome, students’ curiosity and creativity are awakened. This also allows

for greater involvement, participation, motivation and commitment on the

part of the students.

Fifth, the strength of the project lies in the diversity of the participants

who are part of this initiative. The aim is to pool the knowledge and best

practices of all participants and jointly explore the application of digital

technology to enhance collaborative learning internationally. The full

potential of innovative technologies to solve today’s education challenges

can be harnessed.

Sixth, by diversifying the modalities of cooperation, this allows an

Institution to increase the degree of internationalization. It is no longer

sufﬁcient to exchange students at ERASMUS or bilateral level. Universities

have to play a greater role, which translates into a diversiﬁcation of

international activities, intensiﬁcation of inter-university collaboration

that can lead to the joint development and design of activities, modules,

subjects, courses and degrees, in order to meet today’s demands and to

be more competitive. Not only does it strengthen the cooperation between

universities at an international level, for a Faculty this can provide a strategic

advantage compared to other Higher Education Institutions.

Finally, a COIL awakens the desire for internationalization in students who

have not shown interest in international mobility. And going further, it can

positively stimulate the interest in international development activities and

support for underprivileged regions, communities and individuals. It allows

students to develop social and emotional competence, allowing them to

become aware and understand the differences in education opportunities

around the world. Building a community of committed individuals should

also be part of the overall objective.

6. IMPLEMENTATION

The COIL activity in format of a digital journey to UNIMAK which was

jointly organized and launched between CEU San Pablo and UNIMAK

University, was a means to tackle the impossibility of organizing the yearly

trip to the African country of Sierra Leone due to the ongoing COVID-19

pandemic. It is foreseeable that the project will continue to be proposed in

the online version even after the end of the pandemic situation, regardless

of the trip taking place or not, as more individuals can join.

A number of professors at each Institution was involved in the preparation

of this online event, to ensure that the proposed activities were indeed

aligned with the learning objectives at each Institution. Faculty of both

institutions exchanged feedback and agreed on the concepts to be applied

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as well as the timelines, dates, participants, logistics and expected learning

outcomes.

It was decided that the technology to be used was to be MS Teams,

hosted and organized by University CEU San Pablo.

A document (“First Steps Guideline”) was prepared with a general timeline

including milestones of the different preparation activities, assigning tasks

to each member of the organizing committee. Thus ensuring that no aspect

of the COIL was overseen or forgotten. A general checklist was formulated

including aspects such as:

• Commitment of the teachers involved

• Ensuring institutional support from both sides

• Contact of external professionals (who will be invited and who is in

charge)

• Exchange of list of ﬁnal participants from each country

• Create teams and exchange student contact details, including explicit

permission to share contact details, such as emails and telephone

numbers (in order to comply with privacy laws in both countries)

• Determine the agenda and make sure we reach agreement on the

dates and timelines

• Deﬁne dates of presentations of the previously realized successful

projects from previous years, including updates

• Fluid communication between Universities

• Discuss progress in class to optimize the experience

• Invite other professors to join the project.

Both institutions agreed on the date of July 21st, 2020 for the Kickoff of

the Virtual Journey - COIL. The Agenda items for the following days included

an Institutional Welcome from the highest University Authorities of both

Institutions, followed by a general presentation of each of the Universities

to all connected participants. In the second part of the program, the COIL

project was presented, including the beneﬁts for students and Institutions.

Following, the objectives of the Digital Journey were outlined and

students had the opportunity to do an intercultural icebreaker activity. This

intercultural icebreaker is a key component of every COIL. This activity

enables participants to get to know each other and to comfortably interact

with each other. There were three steps within the intercultural activity that

was designed for this COIL. In step one, virtual Teams that had previously

been created by the organizers were communicated to students via a

presentation slide shared with all participants in the MS Teams Session.

In Step two, the challenge that students would have to work on in their

respective international teams was launched to the students. The task was

for each group to develop a logo and/or asloganfor the UNIMAK - CEU

cooperation, allowing students to contemplate together on how they view

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the ongoing cooperation. Students were then sent off into their respective

breakout groups in the MS Teams environment where they engaged in

creative discussions. In step 3, each team was to present its developed

solution. This was the ﬁrst interaction between students from Sierra Leone

and Spain.

The following days’ program included several interactive presentations

that could be best described as Master classes, provided by some of the

Spanish participants involved. There were sessions about SWOT-analysis

(Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) and PESTEL-analysis

(Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Environmental and Legal

aspects), both of which are methodologies that help analyze and understand

a business’ environment and comprehend trends. Both frameworks serve to

develop business strategies.

A further session explained the CANVAS methodology (Osterwalder

and Pigneur, 2010), which allows to describe the business model in a

synthesized form by means of nine blocks on a single page, including

information about customer segments, the business value proposition, the

distribution channels, customer relations, the revenue source, key resources,

key activities, key partnerships and the cost structure.

Another technique that was presented was the Elevator Pitch, this

being a technique that describes a business idea, product, or company

in such a way that any listener can understand it in a short period of

time. The name is derived from the time it typically takes to ride in an

elevator, which usually is just a 2-3 minutes time window. The delivered

description would typically explain who the product is for and its features

and beneﬁts. It brieﬂy explains the skills and objectives of the business.

It works to attract attention and convey it in an understandable, exciting

and passionate way.

Another stimulating presentation was about Design Thinking (Brown,

2008). This is a methodology that focuses on providing solutions to complex

issues or potential problems.

Finally, a creative and entertaining session on Neuromarketing took

place. The science of Neuromarketing studies the brain to gain insight

and predict consumer behavior and consumer decision making. The COIL

Session on this topic was designed in such a way that students had to

proactively associate colors with brands and market segments.

After ﬁnalizing the Master-class presentations, students with

entrepreneurial drive became the protagonists. Several students from

UNIMAK presented their respective products or services that they had

previously developed and in some cases they had already launched them to

market. Also students that had no previous experience could present their

ideas and concepts and request feedback.

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Students were supported along the way, but were encouraged to take

initiative, following up with questions and sharing ideas. There was student-

driven competitiveness that motivated students to improve their results.

As supporting element, in each country, Spain and Sierra Leone, one

student acted as a leader/coordinator to assure the continuity of the

program. Delays occurred often as the culture in Sierra Leone´s timing

is different from Spain. In addition, connectivity issues played a big role,

adding to frequent delays.

7. RESULTS

A survey was carried out using Microsoft Forms to measure the success of

this activity. Some aspects on which information was requested included the

topics of the Master Sessions, the overall program, the Icebreaker activity, the

degree of usefulness, the level of engagement, the collaborative elements,

the competencies acquired during the COIL and overall satisfaction.

Students were asked to include reﬂections on the contributions of the COIL

in order to measure and improve the event for future editions.

Interest in international mobility with a development country was

generated among the students, although a few showed resistances to

travel to Sierra Leone. The purpose of this collaboration is not necessarily

travelling but working together throughout the year. Sadly, Sierra Leonean

students have many difﬁculties travelling, as VISAs are difﬁcult to obtain and

a trip is very costly.

After venturing on this Virtual Journey, a large majority of the involved

Spanish students showed interest in getting to know Sierra Leone better.

They have expressed interest in opportunities to be more directly and

actively involved in the development of the country.

8. CHALLENGES AND FURTHER DISCUSSION

There are technological requisites that have to be in place in order to

successfully conduct a COIL. Guaranteeing connectivity is key to a seamless

execution of the COIL. Therefore, it is important to assure a stable internet

connection and that each participant has the device to connect, which can

be a phone, tablet or computer.

In 2019 (ﬁgure 3) there were 6,73 million mobile phone subscribers (The

Global Economy, 2020) in Sierra Leone.

Worldbank data extracted from Sierra Leone’s country proﬁle indicate

that mobile cellular subscriptions (per 100 people) reached 88.5% in 2018

in the African country (Worldbank, 2018a). But only a 9% of individuals of

the total Sierra Leonean population use the Internet. A further important

ﬁgure is the amount of Internet Providers in Sierra Leone. There are only

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three Internet Providers and as a result the cost of Internet Service is high.

Nonetheless, Universities and some cafes provide Wiﬁ for free which would

support the data above (low internet penetration). Young people would

mostly use their mobile phones to access internet (Wittels, 2018).

When comparing with the Worldbank data extracted from Spain’s country

proﬁle, we can observe that in 2018 there were 115% of mobile cellular

subscriptions per 100 people in Spain, with 86.1% of individuals using the

Internet (Worldbank, 2018b). Overall, we can witness an important digital

divide between Spain and Sierra Leone.

In order to be able to execute the COIL activity, UNIMAK University

provided the internet connection. Though some students had connection

difﬁculties (internet downtimes), the resilience of students from both

countries converted the problem into an opportunity. Students turned to

social media to connect with each other, trying to overcome these difﬁculties

Since the timing of the Digital Journey coincided with the beginning of

holidays, which students started straight after the completion of the COIL,

the sample of responses is not representative. Next time the survey should

be launched during the sessions to ensure sufﬁcient quantitative and

qualitative feedback.

The common language used was English. A summary of the participants

can be viewed in table 1.

Figure 3. Sierra Leone: Mobile phone subscribers, in millions, 1960 -

2019

Source: The Global Economy (2020)

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The main motivations for Spanish students was to be the principal actors

in the ﬁrst presentations, for Sierra Leonean students it was the digital

presence of their own professors.

9. CONCLUSION

Taking into consideration the repercussions of the global COVID-19

pandemic on education worldwide, policymakers around the globe have

put in place sensible and effective actions to avoid its further spread.

In order to continue and intensify international development cooperation

between partner universities in the ﬁeld of education, the Virtual Journey

COIL was conceived with the idea of bringing students and continents

together. Promoting collaborative learning amongst culturally diverse peers,

strengthening civic engagement of the student population, practicing

social inclusion and deepening solidarity are at the heart of this educational

project. Furthermore, Higher Education Institutions are still adjusting to

changes in the educational environment by trying to incorporate IT skills

and online learning to the classrooms in order to reduce the skills gap of

students and graduates (Frank and Aznar, 2020).

The presented activity increases the degree of internationalization of

the Faculties involved. It is a tool for quality improvement and increases the

competitiveness of the university, both nationally and internationally. It favors

the professional career of students, professors and researchers, it increases

the quality of teaching and research, and at the same time increases the

possibility of attracting new students. It also increases the reputation and

international visibility of the Institutions.

And ﬁnally, the Virtual Journey-COIL presented in this article is clearly

aligned with two of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals

(SDGs):

This project has expanded and improved the traditional conﬁguration

of education, introducing a variety of international, intercultural and digital

elements. The authors believe that every small action like this adds up

Table 1. Summary of participants

PARTICIPANTS

Students 26

Professors 4

University Staff 6

Hours 12

Days 3

Source: Own elaboration

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towards achieving the overall objective of United Nations Sustainable

Development Goal 4 (Quality Education).

In addition, goal 17 of the SDGs which is called “Partnerships for the

Goals that recognizes, enables and encourages different stakeholders

to head out and actively engage in making the world a better place”

(United Nations, 2021). This goal aims to strengthen global partnerships

for sustainable development. Task 17.6 of SDG 17 indicates “Knowledge

Sharing and Cooperation for access to science, technology and innovation”.

It encourages international cooperation in different areas to share

knowledge through improved coordination among Institutions. The authors

ﬁrmly believe that the Virtual Journey-COIL as well as other similar initiatives

are a step in the right direction to contributing to both SDGs.

10. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The authors wish to thankUniversity of Makeni and CEU SAN PABLO

University for its crucial support.

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