Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) with Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM)
On June 25, July 1, and July 8 of this year, joint sessions were held online with Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) as part of the Cooperative Faculty of Education’s course “Intercultural Communication?and Language Teaching.” This initiative, which began last academic year, brought together 20 Japanese students and 18 Malaysian students to give presentations on their respective cultures, followed by group discussions to exchange ideas.
This year, with the support of Associate Professor Konya from the Center for Educational Practice, we were able to create a more dynamic and engaging learning environment by utilizing multiple devices and tools.
Japanese students shared their reflections, such as:
- “I had never had the opportunity to interact with international students before, so this was my first experience. Preparing a presentation for Malaysian students encouraged me to research various aspects of Japan, which gave me a chance to reexamine Japanese culture and traditions.”
—?Kanai, 1st-year English major - “Although communicating in English was challenging, we all made a sincere effort to listen and respond to each other. It was a valuable experience that I hope to build on as I continue learning English.”
—?Fujiu, 1st-year English major
Associate Professor Najlaa’ from UiTM also conveyed that the participating Malaysian students gave very positive feedback and expressed a strong desire to continue and further develop this collaborative program in the future.
Coordinators Professor Watanabe, Associate Professor Konya, ?Associate Professor Yamauchi
