The main goal of a collaborative course is for sure the capacity building within a special field of knowledge by the students. We can call this the professional skills that get learned in a course. But there is always another factor in every course: the interaction and collaboration between students and between students and lecture(s). We can call this the social skills or global competence of a course. These second kind of skills or competences are even more important in an international learning environment.
As a EU funded project one big part of Unite! is also the interaction and collaboration between people with different backgrounds of culture, language, believes and so on. In this sense the professional skills of collaborative courses within the Unite! project can be described as an exchange of knowledge from university to university within Europe. Today knowledge changes rapidly and so the collaborative courses can be seen as a chance to stay up to date with the newest developments.
Launch Interaction and Collaboration
How can we launch the interaction and collaboration between students from different universities and with different cultural backgrounds right from the beginning of a course? To activate and to strengthen the interaction between the students during the course and to foster perhaps a lifelong collaboration between the participants start the course with a virtual kick-off event or if possible organize a kick-off event in real.
If the kick-off event is held in a virtual format start the course with some interaction and collaboration games. Instead of learning and working together right away the students should get to know each other better. Don´t start with the learning matter right from the beginning.
Ideas for icebreaker activities in Collaborative Courses
For a description of the activities above and more examples, visit:
Also an open discussion about the learning goals and the preferred future communication channels could be a great help in a virtual learning setting.
If the kick-off event is held in real it should take 3 to 5 days and should happen at a partner university within the Unity! network or a place near to all the universities that are participating in the collaborative course. The main goal of a kick-off event is to get to know each other better – students and lecture(s). This will be reached by spending time together. This time together should be a mixture of information about the course, little workshops, sightseeing, having lunch and dinner together and going out as a group.
Strengthen Interaction and Collaboration
A question that arises from the beginning of an international collaborative course and every now and then during the course is how to strengthen the interaction and collaboration between students and how to avoid free-riding of some students and encourage the equal participation in the course. To promote the interaction and collaboration between the international students that bring different backgrounds of culture, language, previous knowledge and so on it is recommended to establish vibrant learning settings.
Vibrant learning settings like for example regularly meetings, group works, presentations, discussions and other teaching methods that support interaction and collaboration. Interaction and collaboration avoids free-riding of some students and guarantees equal participation of all students in the course. Here are some examples for teaching and learning methods that support interaction and collaboration:
- Flipped Classroom
- Problem Based Learning
- Project Based Learning
- Virtual Labs
- Challenge Based Learning
For a description of the methods above and more ideas on how to teach online in international initiatives, visit:
To encourage the interaction and collaboration the students should work in the case of group work in mixed groups. The diversity in these groups should be as high as possible. With the term diversity are meant the students background of the university, the culture, the language, the gender, the level of knowledge and so on. Situations for example like university against university or teams consisting only of male or female students should be avoided. To develop a lively setting for interaction and collaboration between the students change the composition of the groups every now and then. That way it is also guaranteed that all the students of a course get to know each other.
Support Interaction and Collaboration
The role of the lecture(s) in the support for the students in interaction and collaboration gets often underrated. We have to start to see lectures not only as broadcasters of knowledge. In international collaborative courses the role of the lecture(s) include also the supervision of the interaction, collaboration and well-being of the students.
The lecture(s) determine the learning matter, the time-limits, the teaching methods, the study time and by this means also indirect the time for recreation and well-being. With all these components the lecture(s) have to coach the students through the course and support the students in collaborating with each other. Interaction and collaboration not only happens in the teaching and working time of the collaborative course. Interaction and collaboration happens also outside of the teaching class in study groups and side events like having lunch together or going out together. In the role of a coach lecture(s) have to promote the social engagement of the students not only in the course but also outside of the course for example by leaving time for side events. Lectures have also the responsibility to care for a productive learning environment in terms of language barriers and trouble-shooting that originate from cultural differences ( for more information visit EDI, Multiculturalism & Multilingualism ). In an international collaborative course Lecture(s) must balance the differences of a heterogeneous group of students.
See also the Teaching Methods section along with the Catalogue of Course Delivery Tecniques and Tools
Aalto University has also put together a collection of resources to support cooperation in diverse groups on the Teamwork First-Aid Kit
Foster (maybe a lifelong) Collaboration
One main goal of the Unite! program is to establish interaction and collaboration between students over a long term – maybe a lifelong collaboration after the students are finished with their studies and work as researchers.
To take care that there is a chance of a long or even a lifelong interaction and collaboration between students the collaborative course should not end with an exam. The end of a collaborative course should be marked by a final event, a final gathering with presentations or discussions perhaps about the learning matter of the course and how the interaction and collaboration between the students could be intensified in prospective courses.
In
collaborative courses with project works as final outcome the collection
of the work and experiences of the students in a virtual exhibition
and/or a publication could be another possibility to foster the
collaboration between the students.
For staying in
contact the students of a collaborative course could also think about a
Follow-Up-Meet and Greet and determine a date for the next meeting at
the end of the course.
A side effect of a lively interaction and collaboration between former students of a collaborative course is that the idea of the Unite! program gets passed on to future students.
Recap list
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Think not only about the professional skills of a course. Imagine also the social skills or global competences that students can learn within a collaborative university course setting!
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Hold a Kick-off Event to launch interaction and collaboration
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Prepare vibrant learning settings to strengthen and keep interaction and collaboration alive
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If possible organize gatherings in person at a participating university during the course
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Care about mixed groups to strengthen interaction and collaboration
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Care about the role of the lecturer to support interaction and collaboration
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Hold a Final Event to foster perhaps a lifelong collaboration