Professor Tatiana Andrienko-Genin from FIU’s School of Communication teaches an Intercultural Communication course as a part of FIU’s COIL program. COIL essentially enables professors and their students to incorporate an international teaching and learning methodology that utilizes technology within their curriculum design. In collaboration with La Salle University in Mexico, her course, “Understanding Culture Through Technology,” focuses on how interconnected the United States and Mexico are through the powerful tool of technology. COIL is an “inspiring experience,” noted Professor Andrienko-Genin. “It helps bring out the students’ talents far beyond the classroom communications and builds emotional ties between all the participants.”
As the classes from both FIU and La Salle University shared welcome videos at the start of the semester, Professor Andrienko-Genin organized online interactions through a digital posting tool known as Padlet, making it easy for the students from both universities to get to know their peers within the COIL Project.
“It is a self-discovery and a life-changing moment for them,” said Professor Andrienko-Genin.
The students worked on analyzing the efficiency of social media, cultural identity, and cultural influences in the two societies. They then had the opportunity to show their presentations through a “COIL Festival” hosted by the professors and were awarded their COIL Certificates.
Professor Andrienko-Genin knew that she had to support and encourage the students to undertake a new experience that would truly put cultural awareness into practice since they were engaging with students from a different country, who mostly speak Spanish.
“Most importantly, the COIL participants have a shared creation that they proudly can demonstrate to their families, friends, and prospective employers,” explained Professor Andrienko-Genin. “Many of them later shared with me that they had never expected that the project would be so mind-opening.”
Once the class ended, Professor Andrienko-Genin had the honor of presenting her COIL Project between FIU and La Salle University, Mexico at the 88th Annual International Conference of the Association for Business Communication.
“It aroused immense interest of business communication professionals from the entire world,” described Professor Andrienko-Genin. “It represented FIU as a truly global center of learning.”
If interested in enrolling into a COIL course as a student or professor at FIU, visit global.fiu.edu/coil for more information on the program.
