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Empowering female voices in collaborative online international learning

29 April 2024 | Story Marina Orsini-Jones and Thembani Nosipho Hoho | Photo Supplied

COIL 2024 — The Female Voices in the Third Space project team alongside attendees from various institutions.

On 18 March 2024, the inaugural international conference for the British Academy/Leverhulme-funded project, Female Voices in the Third Space: Researching Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion in South-North Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL), convened at the Coventry Conference Centre, held in hybrid mode. This gathering drew 70 participants worldwide, representing diverse regions including Brazil, South Africa, China, Vietnam, and several European countries. Experts spanning various disciplines, including students, academics, COIL consultants, and educational developers, converged in person and online. Additionally, many delegates congregated in Coventry to engage in workshops held from 19 to 20 March for the successful Erasmus+ funded COIL project, iKUDU.

The conference commenced with a warm welcome to Coventry and Coventry University by organiser, Prof Marina Orsini-Jones of the Research Centre for Global Learning (GLEA). Subsequently, the project team – comprising Prof Finardi from the Federal University of Espiríto Santo in Brazil, Prof Lynette Jacobs from the University of the Free State in South Africa, and Profs Wimpenny and Orsini-Jones from Coventry University – provided an update on the progress of the Female Voices in the Third Space project. This initiative explores the evolving landscape of Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) in higher education (HE), focusing on female perspectives. COIL, defined as a collaborative online teaching and learning approach fostering intercultural dialogue with international partners, was discussed in light of a model previously co-designed by the applicants (Wimpenny, Finardi, Orsini-Jones and Jacobs, 2022), juxtaposed with insights garnered from interviews with female stakeholders across four continents. The research seeks to deepen understanding regarding digital inclusion and equality in HE, portraying COIL as a third space facilitating substantive equality and embedding global citizenship attributes within HE curricula. Emphasising a decolonial lens, the study aims to decentre the conceptualisation of ‘Internationalisation of the Curriculum (IoC)’, thus promoting alternative epistemologies rooted in knowledge generated by women.

Following the project team's presentation, former Coventry University students reflected on their COIL experiences, particularly highlighting the platform's role in fostering an equitable, diverse, and inclusive learning environment for women. Preeti Suri, Patience Mkpayah, Sofia di Sarno García, and Guray Koseaglu – all hailing from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds – provided poignant insights into the transformative impact of COIL on their academic and professional trajectories. Preeti Suri, for instance, underscored how COIL empowered her by amplifying her voice across geographical and cultural divides, enriching her academic journey, and nurturing digital literacy, communication skills, and teamwork. Meanwhile, Patience Mkpayah shared her journey of reclaiming linguistic diversity within English language teaching, advocating for a decolonised perspective. These narratives collectively validated COIL's potential as an inclusive and empowering educational platform for female students and staff in HE.

After lunch, female academics shared their experiences of integrating COIL into their pedagogical practice. Dr Valeria Baloyi highlighted the interdisciplinary potential of COIL projects, advocating for their alignment with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and emphasising the significance of staff training and institutional support. Nomfundo Khoza echoed these sentiments, affirming the enriching educational experiences afforded by COIL-VE collaborations. Ané Church showcased the integration of gamification into COIL projects, demonstrating its efficacy in fostering active learning and knowledge co-construction. Dr Asuman Aşık and Prof Andrea Wehrli further elucidated the benefits of COIL in enhancing intercultural sensitivity and professional development among female participants.

Subsequently, an interactive knowledge-sharing workshop facilitated by COIL experts Eva Haug and Prof Ntsoaki Malebo, encouraged participants to reflect on their COIL experiences, discuss best practices, and explore recommendations for South-North COIL-VE collaborations. This session sparked a spirited debate, underscoring COIL's potential to develop transversal skills while identifying challenges such as technological constraints and workload issues. Recommendations for effective COIL implementation included extensive planning, institutional recognition, and robust technical infrastructure.

The conference concluded with remarks from Dr Andrew Turner, Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Curriculum, who expressed his support for COIL integration into the curriculum, citing its role in fostering intercultural competence and community building among students. The event received overwhelmingly positive feedback, with attendees lauding the informative sessions, inclusive atmosphere, and engaging discussions. Moving forward, insights gleaned from the conference are expected to contribute to the continuing research on the Female Voices in the Third Space project, as well as to facilitate further collaboration and knowledge exchange within the COIL community.

News Archive

UFS extends footprint abroad

2015-12-14

In its constant pursuit of research excellence, the UFS has this year performed well in mainly two areas.

Apart from the research done by the UFS on national level, e.g. the involvement of its researchers with the SKA telescope, the pioneering work they do with the satellite tracking of giraffes, as well as research on trauma, forgiveness and reconciliation – to name but a few of the research areas, the university also has a research focus abroad.

Japan, Europe, America and Botswana. These are just some of the places where academics from the university are involved in research abroad.

Japan

Dr Dirk Opperman, Senior Lecturer at the Department of Microbial, Biochemical and Food Biotechnology, and Carmien Tolmie, a PhD student in the same department, visited the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology in Onna, Japan, during November and December 2014. During the visit, experiments were performed in the Microbiology and Biochemistry of Secondary Metabolite Unit of Dr Holger Jenke-Kodama.

This formed part of a larger NRF-funded project on carcinogenic toxins produced in certain Aspergillus fungi. These fungi infect food and feedstuff and are a big concern in developing countries because it may lead to severe economic losses. The research ultimately aims to find inhibitors to block the production of these fungal toxins.

Europe and America

In 2012, an international network was established in the frame of the FP7-PEOPLE-2011-IRSES programme, called hERG-related risk assessment of botanicals (hERGscreen). The South African group included Dr Susan Bonnet and Dr Anke Wilhelm, both from the UFS Department of Chemistry.

Extracts from more than 450 South African plant species have been investigated systematically to assess the potential cardiotoxic risk of commonly consumed botanicals and supplements. The idea of the project, funded by the European Commission, is to identify safety liabilities of botanicals.

Other international partners included the University of Innsbruck, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Biomedical Research Foundation of the Academy of Athens, University of Basel, University of Vienna, University of Florida, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina.

Botswana

A memorandum of understanding was signed between the UFS and Botho University in Botswana in September 2015, which will be valid for three years.

The agreement, includes student and staff exchange programmes, collaborative research, teaching and learning and community engagement activities, sharing of results, and PhD/ MPhil guidance.

Young researchers

Another research focus of the UFS is the development of its young researchers. In 2015, the UFS has delivered 13 Y-rated researchers. Ten of the researchers are from the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences and three from the Faculty of the Humanities. Three of them received an Y1 rating from the NRF.

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