The Experience of Mexican Female Students in the COIL Mexico-Colombia Project: Insights Into Intercultural Online Collaboration and Educational Exchange

Author Information

Juana Beatriz Ortiz-Cienega, University of Guanajuato, Mexico
Monica Mondelo-Villasenor, University of Guanajuato, Mexico
Bertha Mondelo-Villasenor, University of Guanajuato, Mexico

Abstract

The COIL Project between Guanajuato (Mexico) and Colombia originated as part of the institutional collaboration between the high schools of the University of Guanajuato and the Colegio Agustiniano Suba in Bogota, Colombia (UG, 2025). This study documents the experience of five female students from the city of Leon, Mexico, distinguished by their have outstanding academic performance and strong collaborative skills. Throughout the development of the Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) project, the students participated in a virtual master class and engaged in sustained interaction through social networks with peers and teachers from Bogota. These exchanges facilitated the sharing of practices related to environmental care applicable in both countries, as well as the dissemination of cultural traditions and regional celebrations. As a first approach Mexico contributed by presenting the Day of the Dead festivity, while Colombia enriched the collaboration by sharing diverse multicultural activities, including graphic arts, dance, visual arts, and other creative expressions. These exchanges enriched the experience of the Mexican students, who had never traveled abroad and now gained a broader perspective by interacting synchronously with young people of the same age in another country. This COIL project also underscored in the students the recognition that environmental, social, and cultural challenges often exhibit striking similarities across national boundaries. Furthermore, it demonstrated that meaningful international collaboration does not necessarily require substantial financial investment, but rather the commitment of both high schools to join efforts for mutual benefit.

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• Category: Teaching Experiences, Pedagogy, Practice & Praxis

Posted by James Alexander Gordon

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