GLOBAL HUB: IKK: AUFBAU PROJECT VIRTUAL EXCHANGE/COIL (S)

In this course, we will put intercultural theory into practice: students from Germany and Ukraine will explore and compare their respective educational systems. We will take a closer look at how educational systems are shaped by cultural values and take current events in Italy, the United States, Germany and Ukraine as examples.
A central component of the course is a joint COIL (collaborative online international learning) project with Zhytomyr Ivan Franko State University, Ukraine. Students will have the opportunity to interview each other to develop a deeper understanding of each other's cultures and individual experiences of the educational systems. Our last session will be an online gallery walk where we showcase what we’ve learned of each other. German students are also required to do a portfolio throughout the class to reflect on working in international teams.

Course content: 

• Analyze how cultural values influence educational systems
• Cross-cultural comparison between the educational system of Ukraine and Germany
• COIL project: engage in an interview project with students from Ukraine
• Practice and reflect interultural online communication and collaboration 

On completion of the project, students will be able to….

• plan and organize communication online and with different time zones
• apply knowledge of intercultural models to ensure successful communication
• have reflected on how cultural values influence the educational system in different countries
• know the basics of how to plan and conduct an interview
• develop strategies for dealing with ambiguity

What I need to know in advance:

• Active participation in all online phases (students may be excluded from the course if they participate passively) mandatory 
• Creation of a reflective portfolio during the course: active participation and reflection needed
• Ideally, completio of the intercultural foundation course or at least started it