Collaborative online international learning: a way to develop students’ engineering capabilities and awareness to become global citizens

In the 21st century, academics must recognise the value of incorporating e-learning activities in teaching in order to provide students the opportunity to interact and engage with peers in collaborative learning. To achieve this, a Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) activity was introduced to 2nd and 3rd year students in Mechanical and Industrial Design Engineering degrees, with the aim of enhancing aspects such as global manufacturing and reverse engineering. This activity was also used as an approach to internationalise the curriculum which is an important mechanism to promote intercultural competencies, international perspectives and ethical sensitivities, whilst also contributing to the enhancement of students’ abilities to develop as responsible global citizens. Three institutions were involved in this project, with results indicating that 93% of students felt they had a better understanding of the topic under study, 93% were satisfied with the learning experience and 90% enjoyed interacting with international peers.