A successful COIL (Collaborative Online International Learning) session brought together around 40 students from the University of Santiago, Chile, and the State University of São Paulo, Brazil. This virtual collaboration methodology fosters shared learning between students and teachers across different countries.
Usach’s fourth- and fifth-year English-Portuguese translation students partnered with Unesp’s first-year tourism students for this module. Guided by Professors Jennifer Castro Marchant (Usach), Ivanir Azevedo Delvizio (Unesp), and Juliana Vaz Pimentel (Unesp), they connected to discuss and review their collaborative work.
“The experience was challenging, enriching, and innovative, uniting students from diverse majors, countries, and ages in activities involving reflection, conversation, translation, and audiovisual creation,” stated Jennifer Castro Marchant, a professor in the Department of Linguistics and Literature at Usach.
Students from both countries excelled in self-management, organization, and leadership during group work, effectively coordinating, delegating, reviewing, and making decisions across multiple synchronous meetings. Professor Castro specifically noted their “fluency in communication,” which boosted confidence and enabled a Chilean student to benefit from native Brazilian speaker insights on translation terminology.
When asked about student gains, the Usach academic stated, “They learned to manage time, work in teams, lead groups, and deal with stressful situations. Their work was excellent and of high standard. Personally, some groups formed friendships, met online, and made future plans.”
Jennifer Castro concluded by thanking the Department of International Relations (DRII), especially Fernando Olmos Galleguillos, whose trust and support, including providing participation certificates, greatly enhanced the experience. She also expressed gratitude to the students for their belief and effort, which led to excellent work. Finally, she thanked professors Ivanir and Juliana for their “support, willingness, and flexibility,” enabling the project to meet its objectives and effectively guide the students.
Fernando Olmos Galleguillos, DRII’s Curricular Internationalization Coordinator, stated that the department’s new coordination supports such initiatives and internationalization efforts. “We accompany and guide them to ensure a quality partner for module preparation and synchronous linking, among other elements, according to each academic group’s specific needs,” he explained, emphasizing that these opportunities directly benefit participating students’ professional profiles and graduation.