Internationalizing at Home: Examining US Students' Intercultural Effectiveness across a Collaborative Online International Learning Experience in Kinesiology Courses

The curriculum evaluation described in this paper documents the efforts of a group of university faculty to implement Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) in two kinesiology-related courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels. The engaged students (n = 34) completed pre-post questionnaires measuring changes in intercultural effectiveness and a series of self-reflective prompts regarding their experiences in the involved courses. The evaluation suggests intercultural effectiveness may be best supported when COIL course design: (a) nurtures students' interest in cultural exploration and learning; (b) engages students in peer-to-peer interaction and social connection across cultures at the beginning and throughout the experience; and (c) supports students' emotional growth and resilience by providing opportunities to be challenged and problem-solve. Directly informing the sustainability of COIL innovations are administrative supports and strategic prioritization of intercultural engagement amid a higher education climate shaped by supercomplexity factors.