In December of 2021, we - Muborak Kattaboyeva from Termez State University, Uzbekistan and Gerald Maki from Ivy Tech Community College, US - were selected to participate in a UniCEN international virtual exchange development program, an effort established in partnership with the American Councils on International Education. As part of the award, we participated in a Collaborative Online International Learning development course, also known as COIL, led by Dr. Andrea Thomas. Muborak and Gerald’s classes immediately began working on their first joint research project as their students researched the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 7: Clean and Affordable Energy Access for All. Student responses were strong, and we immediately recognized how our students were receiving a unique and meaningful global learning opportunity.
Our collaboration has continued across several semesters, and in 2023 we presented about our work at the NAFSA: Association of International Educators Conference, the largest conference in the field. Although Muborak was only able to attend the conference via video recording, the feedback on our presentation was strong and several in attendance recommended we submit a proposal for the EURIE: Eurasian Higher Education Summit in Istanbul, Turkey, which we did. On February 27th, 2024, after two years of collaboration and countless hours on Zoom, we were able to meet in person at EURIE. The title of our talk was “From Uzbekistan to the United States: International Virtual Exchanges and Critical Peace Education.”
EURIE bills itself as the third largest annual gathering of international educators in the world, and its vast array of presentations and panels captured the spirit of the urgent need for increased educational collaboration across borders. During our talk we covered a wide range of topics – from curriculum design to COIL specific teaching strategies to student experiences to philosophy to expanded opportunities for cross-institutional learning. Our own training has led us to focus on the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals as a basis for our curriculum design. The use of the SDGs has have been staple for COILs across the globe in recent years, and we embraced the opportunity to frame our efforts through such a lens of direct problem solving and agency.
In our first collaboration, students were placed into groups and given an assigned country – Brazil, India, China, Nigeria, United States, and Uzbekistan. They were asked to research their given country’s individual progress toward SDG 7: Clean and Affordable Energy Access for All. Students overcame logistical challenges of time zone differences and communication apps in order to deliver multi-media presentations to an international audience via Zoom. Students not only identified the unique challenges for their specific countries, but they were asked to propose solutions – for example, what specific actions can Brazil take to increase it progress towards its 2030 bench mark? Our hopes were not only to raise awareness of shared, transnational challenges such as energy conservation and climate change, but to view themselves as leaders and problem solvers in addressing these issues.
Student responses to the COIL were exceptional. In a survey after the semester, all (100%) reported having learning more about another culture, all felt the COIL enriched their learning, and over 90% wished for similar opportunities. What surprised us the most was the high percentage of students (over 85%) who said they planned to keep in touch with their partners after the exchange. In written reflections, students often described their experiences in personally transformative ways. For example, Evan G. wrote:
"10 weeks ago, I would not be able to point to Uzbekistan on a map if my life depended on it. Looking back on it that feels like a selfish and American-centric view on the world and our international community, but it is the truth. Now I can not only point to Uzbekistan but I can tell you the names of ten people I know from there, their favorite cuisine, and their difficulties providing clean and affordable energy."
In subsequent semesters we expanded our focus to encompass other global challenges such as SDG 5: Gender Equality for All Women and Children and SDG 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions. Throughout those collaborations, the relationship building piece was one of the strongest features that students commented on. After one break out session via Zoom, one of Gerald’s students exclaimed “I have just been invited to a wedding in Uzbekistan!”
In thinking through global learning opportunities, we realized that Zoom could provide a platform for additional unique experiences – such as a shared virtual tour of the United Nations and the ability to mutually interact with guest speakers. In recent years the United Nations has offered virtual tours for those who are unable to visit the NYC in person. During those talks, students hear an overview of the UN, its history, current missions and challenges directly from tour guides. The UN Virtual Tours also offer an opportunity for students to hear directly from an expert in a field, such as SDG 5, which aided students in their on-going research projects.
Our home institutions have been interested in expanding discussions of global education, often by bringing in guest speakers. For our class, we were joined by Cemre Ulker for a talk on Gender, Press Freedoms, and the SDGs. Students were able to collaborate and hear firsthand from a current leader looking to make a difference in the world today. Student collaborations were highlighted in campus events during a Student Showcase at Ivy Tech Community College in Indianapolis. The international virtual exchanges have proven enriching not just for students, but for us as educators and for our home institutions. Given the success of this collaboration, Ivy Tech Community College is currently in the process of expanding its virtual exchanges including support for seven faculty across the state to participate in a COIL Development Faculty Award Program for 2024-2025.
A special thank you to Kasia Rydel-Johnston and IU’s Inner Asian and Uralic National Resource Center for your support in various ways over the past two years! We are hopeful that these experiences serve as just the beginning for a larger-scale set of educational collaborations between Central Asian and Indiana.