This research paper is based on a collaborative teaching project COIL (Collaborative Online International Learning) course that Professors Michael and Knowlton conducted in Spring 2021 and 2022 (see link 1 in the reference list). The COIL course is a key part of ‘The Stevens Initiative’ (https://www.stevensinitiative.org/). COIL is a global virtual teaching exchange. It was introduced in 2015 as a tribute to late Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens which invests in virtual exchange programs between the U.S., Middle East and North Africa (MENA). Stevens Initiative awards up to $1.5 million in funding to schools, higher education institutions, and youth serving organizations to design and implement virtual exchange programs that connect young people, in this case United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the U.S. The virtual students exchange program in our case was between Ian’s 'Brand Management' students at Zayed University (ZU), and Julia’s 'Theory & Practice of Haute Couture' course students at Agnes Scott College (ASU). Both courses were COIL’ed for the two semesters and students from both institutions worked on two projects in mixed ZU & ASU groups.

For this research, the focus is on the cultural artifact assignment whereby individual students had to select a cultural artifact from their country/state. The main objective of the assignment was for each student to choose an object that holds an important personal and cultural meaning for her, be ready to show it on camera and say why it is important to them. The task outcome was that that each student engages in a fair amount of conversation, providing for reactions, and encouraging the group (especially the foreign members) to ask questions.

The cultural artifact assignment aligned with the pedagogical goal of cultural understanding perfectly. It was found that students at ASC had little to no understanding of the UAE and the lives of their counterparts. However, ZU students seemingly had more knowledge of the USA. This knowledge is often delivered via American films and television which may not represent the broader culture of the USA or the regional culture of the American South. ASU students shared personal “artifacts” such as cowboy boots from Texas or an heirloom necklace from a grandmother, while ZU students showed “artifacts” like a demonstration of ‘Talli’ which is a traditional textile handicraft, a not often showed jewellery worn by brides on the wedding day, and one showed an old dirham (currency) note. These artifact objects functioned as a vehicle of culture during their online interactions, and the level of engagement was evident. Both Ian and Julia assert that the emotional or personal component of the artifacts shown online allowed for a greater level of student interest, as compared to a traditional academic assignment. According to Hauf (2010), it is a challenge to teach students who live in a different part of the world and one way to overcome this is to use cultural artifacts. Further, Ferrer & Vivancos (2017) found that students who worked with artifacts that represented their personal stories expressed interest in learning which increased their awareness of global issues.

Keywords: COIL, Artifacts, Stevens Initiative, Zayed University, Agnes Scott College.