I want to learn, if Germans can dance! COIL X - An Digital International Learning Experience

In order to enable more students to gain international experience, we have implemented an experimental COIL project with participants from Germany and South Africa. The COIL X (Collaborative Online International Learning Experience) builds on the experiences of digital semesters to enable students from far away countries to immerse themselves in the other world through virtual teamwork.

Over the course of around 10 weeks we developed learning formats such as "1-Day-In-Your-Life" videos and so-called "Mirror Spaces" that created close bonds and a profound cultural understanding. By working together, students from South Africa and Germany were able to get to know each other's differences and similarities and grow in the face of unexpected challenges - such as power cuts with candle lights during online lectures.

The COIL X project underlines how digital education formats can not only impart knowledge, but also promote understanding and empathy across continents. Our contribution will provide (multimedia) insights into the project and the results achieved. We will then discuss how such formats can be further developed and scaled in order to achieve a broad impact and enable more young people to participate in international education.