Using the COIL pedagogy as a strategy for improving the virtual international educational experiences of students: North-South hemisphere case study

International Collaborative Online Learning (COIL) is a term that describes virtual mobility experiences that are integrated into the formal curriculum to give students the chance to interact with peers at international universities in specific learning activities, while also developing intercultural, professional, and digital skills. The objective of the research is to explore the influence of this pedagogical practice on the students’ learning, as well as to identify the associated challenges, the lived experiences of the students in Clinical Technology of the Technological University of Durban (DUT) in South Africa and the Administration students of the Universidad Veracruzana (UV) in Mexico were explored, during the application of the COIL pedagogy. Through a thematic analysis methodology, three themes emerged, namely: Experiences, Challenges, and Learning. This study confirms the usefulness of COIL as a pedagogy for internationalization in higher education and the development of professional skills, by incorporating the intercultural dimension in the curriculum within the virtual space. It is recommended that an appropriate instructional design, as well as an analysis before implementation to determine language proficiency and time zones of participating countries.