Multimedia and Multisensory International Learning: Making a Case for Going Beyond the Screen During Creative Virtual Exchanges

Abstract

Accelerated by the effects of a global pandemic, higher education has rapidly integrated technology-facilitated learning and hybrid models of instruction—or blended learning—that mix face-to-face and online experiences in pre-K through university-level classrooms [1]. Project-based virtual exchanges between students and faculty in different countries spanning multiple time zones have also become more frequent in creative and educational spaces. This type of learning is called Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) [2]. Typical media utilized in COIL exchanges range from real-time or synchronous forms imbued with high social presence (e.g., videoconferencing) to asynchronous media imbued with low social presence (email) [3]. Because people learn, respond, and take in information differently [4], media with high and low “social presence” are essential to the effective implementation and sustenance of COIL. The inherent reliance of COIL on remote communication and collaboration tools, therefore, creates a need to interrogate the different effects and outcomes of multimedia and multisensory learning in these collaborations. This paper examines how different media interactions may affect individual or shared experiences in COIL. In addition to relevant literature, the authors draw from more than 12 years of their ongoing research in developing, testing, and operating visual thinking methods that support remote Intercultural Design Collaborations (IDC). The authors argue that a successful COIL exchange relies on technology that supports rich communication [5], meaningful collaboration [6], and co-creation [7] while also allowing time and affording opportunities for individual reflection and growth.