Challenges in International, Digital Teaching Contexts

- and how to overcome them

Obstacle 1 - Lingua Franca

When we communicate, we use not only verbal but also non-verbal and para-verbal signals. Therefore, hearing and speaking a foreign language entails more than just linguistic difficulties, which can be challenging enough in themselves. For a successful international communication act, a sensitivity to connotations, reading between the lines, humor, customs, and cultural standards must develop over a period of intense contact—something akin to a social grammar, which is even more difficult to depict in textbooks than vocabulary.

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.

Obstacle 2 - Diverse Learning Cultures

While it is now customary in Germany to address one's doctoral parents with the familiar 'Du', doing so in Italy would be an unthinkable disrespect. While students in German seminars are almost obliged to participate actively and challenge what is said, in China much more emphasis is placed on applicability rather than participation. "Different countries, different customs," as the saying goes. Educators cannot assume that the same (role) expectations prevail among international learning groups.

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.

Obstacle 3 - (Maximally-) Heterogeneous Learning Group

Adult education in general, and higher education in particular, always deals with heterogeneous groups due to different backgrounds. In an international context, this situation is maximized: varying academic knowledge levels, structural constraints, curricula, time zones, spaces, competencies in academic work, use of and access to digital resources, etc.

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.

Obstacle 4 - Accreditation

The usefulness of an event is measured not only by the gain of relevant and transferable soft and hard skills but especially by the accreditation of the learning achievement at the students' home universities. Here, not only the credit system in use plays a role but also the measurability of knowledge/skills in international seminars themselves, where the focus is less on the goal than on the journey.

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.

Obstacle 5 - Encounter Gap

The basis for open, cultural exchange is social inclusion. Integrating into a group of strangers and building a productive relationship with them is difficult in real life, even more so online and without speaking the same mother tongue. This is mainly because events that take place online lack so-called third places, i.e., spaces where informal encounters are possible, such as ten minutes before and after each event in the lecture hall, in the corridor, in the cafeteria, or in the library.

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]. 

Stein 6 - Lurking

Online events often feature low participation and a large number of black tiles. The problem is not only that educators do not know if anyone is actually on the other side, but also that they do not know if it is the person who is listed on the seminar roster and subsequently evaluated. The effect of so-called lurking is devastating for a learning group. Visible participants are thereby forced to carry the entire session and sooner or later, out of discomfort, also turn off their cameras and disengage.

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.

Obstacle 7 -  Accessibility Imperative

Digital communication, when asynchronous, allows inquiries that do not come in during office hours, on weekends, or during vacations. International digital communication intensifies this effect because matching work hours due to time differences do not play a role. If a coordination is to take place synchronously within a meeting and you are working with a colleague in California, one of you will inevitably have to work a night shift. This quickly blurs the boundaries between work and private life.

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.

Obstacle 8 - High Supervision Effort

The aforementioned obstacles show that the pivot points to be negotiated in any teaching/learning context (communication, participation, diversity, encounter, recognition, activation, transparency, etc.) are exacerbated in international (digital) teaching formats. This significantly increases the supervision effort for educators and may lead to them preferring not to offer such a course.

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.

To responsibly manage this, discussions with the teaching coordination/supervisors should be held in advance, making the increased effort transparent. It is also advantageous to have a colleague, local or international, at your side who can help with the organization and execution. Also try to save time by placing great value on clear communication, from submission deadlines to citation style, and providing clear, tailored material to promote independence and minimize repeated inquiries and misunderstandings. Support peer support to the utmost and do not forget that there is no "perfect" teaching event.