This systematic review examines pedagogical barriers and facilitators for intercultural learning in Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL)/International Virtual Exchange (VE) projects, as well as their related outcomes. The review analyzed 56 studies published between 2010–2022 in the databases ERIC, PsychInfo, Scopus, and Web of Science. Following the TPACK model as an analytical framework, findings suggest that COILs can have a positive impact on intercultural learning when different barriers and facilitators related to pedagogical knowledge, pedagogical content knowledge, and technological pedagogical knowledge are effectively addressed throughout the preparation, execution, and evaluation stages of COILs. Overall, the majority of outcomes for intercultural learning were positive (61.8%), but also zero results (23.6%) and negative findings (14.5%) have been reported for the affective, behavioral, and cognitive domain. The review offers pedagogical recommendations for intercultural learning with COILs, along with a discussion of strengths and limitations of the current knowledge base.
Appiah-KubiP.AnnanE. (2020). A review of a collaborative online international learning. International Journal of Engineering Pedagogy, 10(1), 109. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijep.v10i1.11678
2.
BarbosaM. W.Ferreira-LopesL. (2021). Emerging trends in telecollaboration and virtual exchange: A bibliometric study. Educational Review, 75(3), 558–586. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131911.2021.1907314
3.
BaukS. (2019). Collaborative online international learning benefits Vis-À-Vis concerns: An empirical study. Montenegrin Journal of Economics, 14(2), 207–216. https://doi.org/10.14254/1800-5845/2019.15-2.16
4.
BedenlierS.MarínV. I. (2020). Engaging students through virtual mobility: A systematic review. In ChangS.GomesC. (Eds.), Digital experiences of international students: Challenging assumptions and rethinking engagement (pp. 85–105). Routledge.
5.
BennettM. J. (2017). Developmental model of intercultural sensitivity. In KimY. (Ed.), The international encyclopedia of intercultural communication (pp. 1–10). Wiley & Sons. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118783665.ieicc0182
6.
BhabhaH. K. (1994). The location of culture (2nd ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203820551
7.
CanalsL. (2021). Multimodality and translanguaging in negotiation of meaning. Foreign Language Annals. 54(3), 647–670.https://doi.org/10.1111/flan.12547
8.
ChaiC. S.KohJ. H. L.TsaiC. C. (2013). A review of technological pedagogical content knowledge. Educational Technology & Society, 16(2), 31–51. https://doi.org/10.1177/0735633117713114
9.
ChenG. M.StarostaW. J. (1997). A review of the concept of intercultural sensitivity. Human Communication, 1, 1–16. Available at https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED408634.pdf
10.
ÇiftçiE. Y. (2016). A review of research on intercultural learning through computer-based digital technologies. Journal of Educational Technology & Society, 19(2), 313–327. https://www.jstor.org/stable/jeductechsoci.19.2.313
11.
CocheR. (2021). Course internationalization through virtual exchange: Students’ reflections about “seeing the world through the lens that is soccer. Journalism & Mass Communication Educator, 76(4), 412–424. https://doi.org/10.1177/10776958211014074
12.
CotomanV.DaviesA. M.KawagoeN.NiihashiH.RahmanA.TomitaY.…RöschF. (2021). Un(COIL)ing the pandemic: Active and affective learning in times of COVID-19. PS: Political Science & Politics, 55(1), 188–192. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1049096521001050
13.
CrawfordI. C.SwartzS.BarbosaB.LuckS. (2020). Employability through experiential delivery of intercultural communication skills online. In 6th international conference on higher education advances (HEAd’20), Universitat Politècnica de València, València,2020. https://doi.org/0.4995/HEAd20.2020.11185
14.
CummingsL. (2021). Internationalizing professional writing programs through online study abroad and open networks. Computers And Composition, 60(3), 102640. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compcom.2021.102640
15.
de CastroA. B.DybaN.CortezE. D.Pe BenitoG. G. (2019). Collaborative online international learning to prepare students for multicultural work environments. Nurse Education, 44(4), E1–E5. https://doi.org/10.1097/NNE.0000000000000609
16.
DervinF.HärkönenA. (2017). “I want to be able to understand each and every person that I come into contact with”: Critical interculturality training, student mobility and perceptions of the ‘intercultural’. In JacksonJ.OguroS. (Eds.), Intercultural interventions in study abroad (Internationalization in Higher Education) (pp. 55–70). Routledge.
17.
De WitH. (2016). Internationalisation and the role of online intercultural exchange. In DowdR. O.LewisT. (Eds.), Online intercultural exchange: Policy, pedagogy, practice (pp. 69–82). Routledge.
18.
ElliottM. R.LuoX. (2020). Demonstrating the impact of international collaborative disciplinary experiences on student global, international, and intercultural competences. 2020 IEEE Frontiers In Education Conference (FIE). https://doi.org/10.1109/fie44824.2020.9274038
19.
FengR.PyunK.ZhangW.Márquez FloresR. (2021). When different language groups meet online: Covert and overt focus on form in text-based chats. Frontiers In Psychology, 12, https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.739543
20.
ForsP.LennerforsT. T. (2020). Virtual exchange in education for sustainable development. IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference (FIE), 1–5, https://doi.org/10.1109/FIE44824.2020.9273897
21.
GrayM. I.AsojoA.LindgrenJ.NolanD.NowakA. V. (2021). COIL: A global experience for everyone. Journal of Higher Education Theory and Practice, 21(4), 64–79. https://doi.org/10.33423/jhetp.v21i4.4209
22.
HauckM.Müller-HartmannA.RientiesB.RogatenJ. (2020). Approaches to researching digital-pedagogical competence development in VE-based teacher education. Journal of Virtual Exchange, 3(SI), 5–35. https://doi.org/10.21827/jve.3.36082
23.
HelmF. (2020). EMI, internationalization, and the digital. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 23(3), 314–325. https://doi.org/10.1080/13670050.2019.1643823
24.
JimenezJ. L.KressnerI. (2021). Building empathy through a comparative study of popular cultures in Caracas, Venezuela, and Albany, United States. In SatarM. (Ed.), Virtual exchange: Towards digital equity internationalisation (pp. 113–127). Research-publishing.net.
25.
JørgensenM.MasonA.PedersenR.HarrisonR. (2020). The transformative learning potential in the hybrid space between technology and intercultural encounters. Journal of Studies in International Education, 26(3), 318–333. https://doi.org/10.1177/1028315320976030
26.
KatreA. (2020). Creative economy teaching and learning – A collaborative online international learning case. International Education Studies, 13(7), 145–155. https://doi.org/10.5539/ies.v13n7p145
27.
King RamírezC. (2020). Influences of academic culture in Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL): Differences in Mexican and U.S. students' reported experiences. Foreign Language Annals, 53(3), 438–457. https://doi.org/10.1111/flan.12485
28.
King RamírezC. (2021). Global citizenship education through collaborative online international learning in the Borderlands: A case of the Arizona–Sonora megaregion. Journal of Studies in International Education, 25(1), 83–99. https://doi.org/10.1177/1028315319888886
29.
KlebanM. (2021). Academic English language teachers’ roles in a virtual and hybrid exchange project. Philological Class, 26(3), 178–187. https://doi.org/10.51762/1fk-2021-26-03-15.
30.
KurekM.Müller-HartmannA. (2019). The formative role of teaching presence in blended Virtual Exchange. Language Learning & Technology, 23(3), 52–73. https://doi.org/10125/44696
31.
LehotskaN.TomašZ.VojtkulakovaM. (2022). Addressing media literacy through an international virtual exchange: A report of one ESL-EFL collaboration. TESL-EJ, 25(4), n4. https://doi.org/10.55593/ej25100a9
32.
LenkaitisC. A.LorancB. (2021). Facilitating global citizenship development in lingua franca virtual exchanges. Language Teaching Research, 25(5), 711–728. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362168819877371
33.
LenkaitisC. A.LorancB. (2022). The role of intercultural virtual exchanges in global citizenship development. Journal of International and Intercultural Communication, 15(2), 222–234. https://doi.org/10.1080/17513.057.2021.1876241
34.
LiuY.ShirleyT. (2021). Without crossing a border: Exploring the impact of shifting study abroad online on students’ learning and intercultural competence development during the COVID-19 pandemic. Online Learning, 25(1), 182–194. https://doi.org/10.4067/S0718-27242016000100005
35.
LochnerJ.RieckmannM.RobischonM. (2021). (Un)expected learning outcomes of virtual school garden exchanges in the field of education for sustainable development. Sustainability, 13(10), 5758. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13105758
36.
Marcillo-GómzesM.DesilusB. (2016). Collaborative online international learning experience in practice opportunities and challenges. Journal of Technology Management & Innovation, 11(1), 30–35. https://doi.org/10.4067/S0718-27242016000100005
37.
MemarianB.DoleckT. (2024). Data science pedagogical tools and practices: A systematic literature review. Education and Information Technologies, 29, 8179–8201. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-023-12102-y
38.
MineiE. M.RazuvaevaT.DyshkoD. (2021). Modern day digital pen pals: A semester-long Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) project. Communication Teacher, 35(4), 336–344. https://doi.org/10.1080/17404622.2021.1887906
39.
MishraP.KoehlerM. J. (2006). Technological pedagogical content knowledge: A framework for teacher knowledge. Teachers College Record, 108(6), 1017–1054. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9620.2006.00684.x
40.
MundelJ. (2020). International virtual collaboration in advertising courses: Building international and intercultural skills from home. Journal of Advertising Education, 24(2), 112–132. https://doi.org/10.1177/1098048220948522
41.
Munoz-EscalonaP.Cassier de CrespoZ.Olivares MarinM.DunnM. (2022). Collaborative online international learning: A way to develop students’ engineering capabilities and awareness to become global citizens. International Journal of Mechanical Engineering Education, 50(1), 89–104. https://doi.org/10.1177/0306419020934100
42.
NaickerA.SinghE.van GenugtenT. (2021). Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL): Preparedness and experiences of South African students. Innovations in Education and Teaching International, 59(5), 499–510. https://doi.org/10.1080/14703297.2021.1895867
43.
O’DowdR. (2017). Virtual exchange and internationalizing the classroom. Training Language and Culture, 1(4), 8–24. https://doi.org/10.29366/2017tlc.1.4.1
44.
O’DowdR. (2018). From telecollaboration to virtual exchange: State-of-the-art and the role of UNICollaboration in moving forward. Journal of Virtual Exchange, 1, 1–23. https://doi.org/10.14705/rpnet.2018.jve.1
45.
O’DowdR. (2020). A transnational model of virtual exchange for global citizenship education. Language Teaching, 53(4), 477–490. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0261444819000077
Orsini-JonesM.Cervero CarrascosaA.ZouB. (2020). The trouble with telecollaboration in BMELTET. In FredriksenK.-M.LarsenS.BradleyL.ThouësnyS. (Eds.), CALL For widening participation: Short papers from EUROCALL 2020 (pp. 259–265). Research-publishing.net. https://doi.org/10.14705/rpnet.2020.48.1198.
48.
PisutovaK. (2016). Issues in collaborative online international learning. International Conference On Emerging Elearning Technologies And Applications, 263–268. https://doi.org/10.1109/ICETA.2016.7802058.
49.
PolyakovaO.Galstyan-SargsyanR. (2021). Sustainable higher education via telecollaboration: Improving plurilingual and pluricultural competence. Integration of Education, 25(4), 544–561. https://doi.org/10.15507/1991-9468.105.025.202104.544-561
50.
Porras-ChaverriM.PadillaL.AlvarezD.Rosado-MéndezI. (2021). International experiences on a budget: The role of online technologies in the training of young scientists in developing countries. AIP Conference Proceedings, 2348(1), 040013. https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0051229
51.
PouromidS. (2019). Towards multimodal interactions in the multilingual EFL classroom: Lessons from a COIL experience. Indonesian Journal of Applied Linguistics, 8(3), 627–637. https://doi.org/10.17509/ijal.v8i3.15262
52.
RubinJ.GuthS. (2022). The guide to COIL virtual exchange: Implementing, growing, and sustaining collaborative online international learning. Stylus Publishing.
53.
SabetP. S. G.ChapmanE. (2023). A window to the future of intercultural competence in tertiary education: A narrative literature review. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 96, 101868. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijintrel.2023.101868
54.
ShadievR.WangX.WuT.-T.HuangY.-M. (2021). Review of research on technology-supported cross-cultural learning. Sustainability, 13(3), 1402. https://doi.org/10.3390/su1303102
55.
ShadishW.CookT.CampbellD. (2001). Experimental and quasi-experimental designs for generalized causal inference.
56.
SillaI.TorderaN.Pérez-NebraA. (2021). Online intercultural exchange: A case study in work and organisational psychology. Innovations in Education and Teaching International, 60, 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1080/14703297.2021.2003219
57.
SwartzS.ShrivastavaA. (2022). Stepping up the game-meeting the needs of global business through virtual team projects. Higher Education, Skills and Work-Based Learning, 12, 346–368. https://doi.org/10.1108/HESWBL-02-2021-0037
58.
VahedA. (2022). Factors enabling and constraining students’ collaborative online international learning experiences. Learning Environments Research, 25, 895–915. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10984-021-09390-x
59.
VerzellaM. (2018). Virtual exchange between cross-cultural teams: A sustainable path to the internationalization of college courses. Transformative Dialogues: Teaching & Learning Journal, 11(3), 1–13.
60.
Villar-OnrubiaD.RajpalB. (2015). Online international learning: Internationalising the curriculum through virtual mobility at Coventry University. Perspectives: Policy and Practice in Higher Education, 20(2–3), 75–82. https://doi.org/10.1080/13603108.2015.1067652
61.
YiS.ShadievR.ZhangY. (2023). A systematic review on intercultural learning supported by technology: Identifying strength of evidence and relationship among research variables. Interactive Learning Environments, 1–27. https://doi.org/10.1080/10494820.2022.2164784
62.
ZakA. (2021). An integrative review of literature: Virtual exchange models, learning outcomes, and programmatic insights. Journal of Virtual Exchange, 4, 62–79. https://doi.org/10.21827/jve.4.37582
