Initially, it makes sense to reduce the cognitive load on students/participants at the level of vocabulary. Thus, it is advisable to supplement spoken words with meaningful visual aids or infographics. You can also create a glossary where key terms are explained and provide a reader so that misunderstandings during sessions can be independently reviewed. On a social level, it helps to interpret students' insecurities and blunders—fears that teaching staff in this context normally share and understand—as an integral part of intercultural exchange ("We are all in the same boat"). Strengthen relationships among each other and between you and your learning group by creating a safe space where questions and mistakes are welcome, as they can only then be addressed or corrected.

Since international students will be surprised by unfamiliar teaching methods and there is a risk that they will not automatically integrate into the foreign context but may drop out due to overload, you need to accompany this process. Regular reflection in the group or one-on-one helps mediate between different pedagogical styles, understand them, and switch between them. Local rules need to be decoded by creating opportunities to comprehend and improve the different learning experiences.

Prepare your participants for your seminar by sending an onboarding package, whether digital or physical, in which you officially welcome them, introduce yourself, share essential information, provide precise instructions for technology and online tools to be used as learning aids, provide preparatory materials, and generally indicate what the participants can expect. This will give participants a positive impression from the start by conveying security, showing sensitivity to potential difficulties. Continue this approach by also soliciting anonymized live feedback during the course of your events to offer support where needed.

If you offer a COIL seminar, you have the opportunity to coordinate with the local colleague on how the event must be structured so that it can be credited towards the students' degrees (not every topic is equally suitable for an international seminar!). Moreover, use ePortfolios for both formative and summative assessment of learning progress in the context of internationalization, i.e., the ability for intercultural collaboration or reflexivity, etc.

Create this "third space" for your students by offering them a platform for it, like a chat room that you cannot read and whose content does not necessarily have to deal with the seminar content. Organize assignments so that participants must mix and collaborate to provoke synergies as well as educational conflicts, which they then solve together. Invest time in community-building measures, such as online escape rooms or scavenger hunts, ball of yarn questions, etc. Also, offer joint activities during breaks such as (themed) breakout rooms or games on platforms like gather.town or gartic.com, and if at all possible, organize at least one face-to-face meeting. In the e-learning guide you will find many more tips and ideas for [iln cat=“309597”]activating[/iln] students, for [iln lm=“291986”]promoting social proximity and active participation in virtual space[/iln] and on the topic of [iln cat=“381048”]“gamification”[/iln]. 

Accept "black tiles" only with good reason. This means that you should first seek conversation with the students involved and inquire. Often the reasons are as trivial as an unstable internet connection or the lack of a suitable camera. If it is a cultural reason, you can weigh how you would like to handle it. Always focus on the sensitivities of individuals as well as the group, fairness, and the opportunity to learn from each other.

Set your personal boundaries in advance. Absolutely respect and communicate them ("I will not respond to emails on weekends.") and encourage your students to do the same. Only give out your private number for emergencies, or forego it altogether. Just because you can theoretically be reached at any time does not mean you have to be practically.

Allowing diversity to be explored within a protected framework promotes tolerance and empathy. These are the basis for peaceful coexistence in a globalized world, which sounds lofty but is of immense importance: When students (and instructors) from different countries and with different cultural backgrounds come together and learn from each other, they will not only be able to polish their resumes but especially develop individually. They will learn to approach their fellow human beings openly and compassionately, regardless of background. The possibility of fostering collaborations, synergies, and friendships among academics also offers the huge potential to contribute to positive, global change. Educators must always understand themselves as multipliers of this goal.