This talk reports on an OIL (Online International Learning) project which raised intercultural awareness and developed the business communication skills of undergraduate international students. Involving collaboration between Coventry University, VIVES university college, Belgium, and University of Vaasa, Finland, small groups of students established links with their peers online, then delivered product pitch presentations.

1. Taking EAP students to another dimension....pay close attention:
A collaborative online international
learning project
Andrew Preshous, Coventry University, England
An Ostyn, VIVES University College, Belgium
Nicole Keng University of Vaasa, Finland

2. 2

3. Outline
The Global Product Pitch
OIL (Online International Learning) Project
• Rationale, aims and benefits
• Samples of collaborative exchanges
• Feedback and evaluation
• Future directions
3

4. Internationalising the Curriculum
To “prepare graduates to live in and contribute
responsibly to a globally interconnected society”
4
HEA (2016)
‘Our mission is ………….. based on the preparation of
students for global careers and the generation of
knowledge relevant to global issues’
Coventry University Group International Strategy (2016)

5. Intercultural Competence
‘The ability to communicate effectively and appropriately in
intercultural situations based on one’s intercultural
knowledge, skills, and attitudes’.
5
Deardoff (2006:247-48)
Rajpal and Villar-Onrubia (2015)
‘Virtual mobility initiatives such as OIL are one of the most
flexible, versatile and inclusive approaches in the provision
of experiential learning opportunities aimed at facilitating
students’ intercultural competence development.’

6. The participants
Team China
Team FinlandTeam Malaysia
Team Belgium

7. Explore how online international exchanges can
raise intercultural awareness
Develop the communication skills of
EAP students when planning, delivering and
responding to product pitch presentations.
Foster critical thinking
and reflective skills
Increase
employability
Aims
Benefits

8. Open Moodle Interface

9. The Project
• Stage 1:
- Students introduce themselves online
- Questions and responses
• Stage 2:
- Launch the task - Pitch a product/service
from your country to a new global market
- Groups prepare presentation inc. short
marketing video
- Record Global Product Pitch group
presentation & upload
18.4.2017 9
Open Moodle

10. The Project
• Stage 3:
- Groups respond to other presentations
online
- Comments and feedback provided by
subject experts
• Stage 4:
- Reflect on feedback and experience
10
Open Moodle

11. Global product pitch sample 1
• Drawing on your own culture

12. Global product pitch sample 2

13. Global product pitch sample 3
Team Belgium versus team China
2 Belgian students had just been on a study
trip to China
(Hanghzou Normal University)

17. Findings China vs Belgium
• Promotion in China via social media
• ‘I assume you are aware of the fact that
Facebook and Twitter are not available in
Chinese mainland without VPN. Will this
situation be a problem for your promotion?’
• ‘Will the noise from the washing machine be
annoying when people are trying to chill?’
17

18. Findings Belgium vs China
• The treatment is already present on the Belgian market,
but only as a service, so your product would be unique.
here.
• As you mentioned you would give advice and you would
provide tutorial videos, which by the way seems like a
great idea. Still it might scare people off, only because
they are not familiar with your product. Would you
consider selling these products at events where people can
first get to know the product better?
18

19. Findings Belgium vs China
• Perhaps there is an extra product you could sell
(like an additional oil treatment) to rehydrate
the skin? This solution could end up increasing
profits.
19

20. Reaction team China
• We found your advice very thoughtful. We think
it would be great to cooperate with a skin care
brand to promote new product bundles.
20

21. Findings Belgium vs China
Differences in presentation techniques
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22. Teacher’s Feedback to team Belgium
Business/Marketing content
“Interesting concept”
“Clear explanation of the benefits offered by the
service”
“Be aware that you cannot easily change people’s
habits related to doing their laundry”
“How much money do young university students
have in China? Is there a profit margin that could
find the right price to persuade them to stop doing
their own laundry?”

23. Presentation and language
“I was particularly impressed with the way you used
graphics, images and your videos to present your
material.”
“The delivery of the presentation is clear and well-paced
with an excellent range of language and good
pronunciation demonstrated.”
“On occasions, pronunciation of certain words (‘occur’)
could be improved”
23
Teacher’s Feedback to team Belgium

24. Teacher’s Feedback to team Belgium
Intercultural content

25. Teacher’s Feedback to team Belgium
Intercultural content
“There is global appeal to this idea and I think you are
right to consider the Chinese market, particularly
because there are many young people at university who
want to connect with their peers and this idea could
really catch on. “

26. Teacher’s Feedback to team China
Business/Marketing content
“I particularly appreciated your thorough
explanation of the product mix and its
functionalities.”
“The target market that you suggested is
rather broad and only defined in terms of
demographic characteristics….”

27. Teacher’s Feedback to team China
Presentation and language
“The Firecupping pitch by Team China is delivered
fluently and enthusiasm for the product is clearly
demonstrated.”
“Aim to avoid reading too much from cue cards”
“Consider other ways to engage the audience in a
product pitch e.g. product 'demo', alternatives to the
PPT presentation etc.”
27

28. Global product pitch sample 4
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29. Teacher’s Feedback to team China
Intercultural content
“You considered the target audience and how
they might receive your pitch and you ensured
you covered aspects for your intercultural
audience appropriately and with respect.”

30. Samples of Interaction – Malaysia v.s. Finland
What languages do you speak?
I speak English, Malay, Mandarin and Cantonese but English would
be my preferred language for communication.
Can you tell something about student free time activities in
Malaysia?
In my city Kuala Lumpur, the majority of local student's free time
are usually spent hanging out in mamak stalls (a common 24 hours
restaurant in Malaysia) where the foods are cheap, and has an
amazing atmosphere to conversate and watch football. Other
common trends include visiting hipster coffee shops, shisha joints,
night clubs, karaoke and cinemas.
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Before the pitch

31. Samples of Interaction – Malaysia v.s. Finland
I've never been to Finland but Vaasa looks absolutely beautiful from the
pictures attached. Do you like it there? if so, why?
Vaasa is great because the people are so nice. There are so many
students, there is always something fun going on somewhere! Plus it is
a beautiful city on seaside and not too big.
What local Finnish dishes would you recommend to foreigners?
My favourite Finnish food is "rye bread" or a candy called "salmiakki“.
How's school like if Finnish and Swedish are commonly spoken? Does
this mean everyone understands both languages in Finland?
Yes, we should be able to understand, write and speak both languages!
31
Before the pitch

32. Samples of Interaction – Malaysia v.s. Finland
How would this business earn revenue?
The revenue is based on commission from sold dishes. Also
different kind of sponsor contracts are possible. We are also
going to sell adds to our application. We offer platform that
makes possible to distribute the dishes and restaurants pays for
using it.
What are the threats and risks?
Like in every new business also sours contains some threats and
risks. Our investment in the beginning is moderate, and by that
way the financial risk is not that high. The biggest challenge is to
collect enough big crowd of users in the beginning. By that way
we can receive the attention by restaurants and the growth is
possible. 32
After the pitch

33. Teacher’s Feedback
Business / Marketing
Well-structured and convincing pitch; starting a
presentation with the identification of a problem is a
splendid idea.
Areas to work on
Discussing about the distribution, positioning,
segmentation should be included in a discussion about
the marketing strategy of a product.

34. Teacher’s Feedback
Intercultural
This was an excellent presentation which showed
diligence and care in the marking of the pitch. Particularly
impressive was the research you did on tea products in
Finland which shows a higher understanding of why
intercultural awareness is a key quality in business
pitching.
Areas to work on
It was great to use the map to give the Finnish audience a
sense of Malaysia geography (and identity).

35. Teacher’s Feedback
Delivery and language skills
It would be nice to see a little more
enthusiasm for the service conveyed,
perhaps by emphasising its unique features
(and adding a few more smiles!)

36. Student Feedback
36
'…..provided an exclusive opportunity for us to interact with students from
another country and cultural background.…………..It definitely raised my
cultural awareness on our own culture and the differences between others.’
(Student from Team China)
‘It is interesting to see that they have sometimes different perspectives on
particular subjects. Through this contact with students from other countries
I also improved my English.’ (Student from Team China)
Language Skills
Cultural Awareness

37. Student Feedback
37
‘The most useful part which I taking in this project is presentation…..
because it helps me to improve myself confidence in a professional context
which I will face in my further career.’ (Student from Team Malaysia)
‘The skill I developed… group working skills with other students and also
innovating the new product and preparing the business pitch was really
fascinating, and in fact I believe that experience could really help me in the
business life.’ (Student from Team Finland)
Employability Skills

38. Opportunities for students to:
• interact with students from other countries
• integrate business/marketing knowledge and English
language skills
• develop communication skills and teamwork
• engage in digitalised learning: video recording; online
discussion
• enhance employability profile
Development of an innovative internationalised curriculum
38
Conclusion: Pedagogical Impact

39. Future developments
• Use an Intercultural Sensitivity Scale (pre/post-project)
• Enlarge the scale of the project
• Develop a clearer, more structured timescale
• Consider alternative platforms i.e. Dropbox, OneDrive
• Embed synchronous elements
• Award digital badges
‘The OIL project is an excellent way to communicate…but
I think it would be great if people who take part in this
project also meet each other in real life.’
(Comment from a Belgian student)

40. Thank you and terima kasih

41. Any comments and/or questions?
Andrew Preshous
andrew.preshous@coventry.ac.uk
An Ostyn
An.Ostyn@vives.be
Nicole Keng
Nicole.Keng@uva.fi
Thank you!
Dank je!
Kiitos!

42. References
Coventry University Group International Strategy (2016) Available at:
https://share.coventry.ac.uk/staff/internationalisation/Pages/default.aspx
Deardorff, D.K. (2006) Identification and assessment of intercultural
competence as a student outcome of internationalization. Journal of studies in
international education, 10(3), pp.241–266.
Higher Education Academy (2006). Framework for internationalising higher
education. Available at:
https://www.heacademy.ac.uk/enhancement/frameworks/framework-
internationalising-higher-education
Rajpal, B. and Villar-Onrubia, D. (2015) Internationalising the Curriculum
through Online International Learning. OIL: GETTING STARTED WORKSHOP
delivered at Coventry University 02/15.