HOW FAR CAN WE GO WITHOUT LEAVING THE CLASSROOM? RESULTS OF AN INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION EXPERIENCE WITH STUDENTS IN MEXICO AND PORTUGAL

Internationalization at home offers additional and more versatile opportunities for developing intercultural skills and competences, with the ability to include all students enrolled in a course. Despite its relevance among the most innovative teaching strategies, it is still disregarded by teachers and unknown by students. Thus, the debate and sharing of experiences is essential to both fostering its adoption and finding ways to more effectively design future initiatives. This paper describes and presents results of a 4-week initiative held through the Columbus Hub Academy platform, comprising 33 students from the University of Aveiro, Portugal, and the University of Colima, Mexico. The project was assessed with a combination of an online survey and focus groups, complemented by the views and evaluation of the two professors that implemented this initiative. The results include students' unanimous recognition of the relevance of the initiative, and its positive impact on the learning process. The aspects most valued by students include working in international teams and learning about other cultures. Among the developed competences students emphasized were integration, self-control, time management, team work, autonomy, and language skills. Students agreed that this collaboration made the class assignment more challenging and motivating. Overall, this project was marked by the enthusiasm of the participants, and by the fully achieved learning objectives.