The Japan-Multilateral COIL/VE Project Main Facilitator (MF) training continued over the weekend of November 26-28, 2021 with three live check-in sessions, in which IIGE Vice Director, Prof. Keiko Ikeda and Assistant Prof. Sajjad Pouromid, joined by IIGE Associate Prof. Don Bysouth and Class2Class's Suzanne Orzech on day 3, led the trainees in a series of exercises aimed at facilitating a dialogue on COIL/VE best practices for leading engaging student exchanges on J-MCP topics (21st Century Skills, SDGs in Business, and Diversity and Inclusion). 

 

DAY 1
On November 26th, the MF training focused on three topics of discussion inviting participants to share their experiences and challenges teaching in the virtual space. Trainees first shared their insights into ways to activate, sustain, and enhance group communication in their VE/COIL courses. Ideas included student reflections, asynchronous learning activities, peer-to-peer feedback and modeling for students. The group also discussed the “communication glitches” that are often encountered in remote learning settings and potential solutions. The final topic of discussion was student participation and performance online. MFs noticed an increase in participation among students who preferred the online method of communication instead of in-person activities. 

 

DAY 2
On November 27th. Assistant Prof. Sajjad Pouromid led a session on developing intercultural learning, in which MFs discussed the stages of intercultural awareness and how to recognize them. 
As the J-MCP modules will serve a multinational student body, trainees exchanged methods for encouraging intercultural communication, creating safe spaces for student-led discussions and building meaningful relationships across cultures taking into consideration the challenges of linguistic and cultural barriers.
 
DAY 3
On November 28th, MF training concluded with instructor-led discussions. IIGE Associate Prof. Don Bysouth and Prof. Keiko Ikeda provided an overview of VE objectives, including rubric models and student transformative growth assessment tools. Suzanne Orzech spoke to the MF trainees on bridging the digital divide and digital literacy, and MFs discussed methods of assessment for digital literacy levels prior to starting COIL/VE, and ways to provide opportunities for students of varying levels of digital competency to participate in discussion. The session concluded with a call to action to “make learning real, relevant, and relatable for our students.”

 

Over the course of the next few months, MFs will begin designing lesson plans using the knowledge gained in this training series to prepare for the upcoming academic semester. 

 

To learn more about this MF training series, see: 
https://www.kansai-u.ac.jp/Kokusai/IIGE/news/detail.php?seq=241
 
For more information about J-MCP, visit
https://kuiige.wixsite.com/j-mcp