ABSTRACT
To provide guidance to higher educational institutions (HEIs) involved in globally networked courses, this chapter inquires into some issues and looks to ways that universities can, mitigate the risks to their students and faculties involved in type of innovative course design. The inquiry within this chapter views collaborative online international learning (COIL)-type courses as an almost predictable result of the widely observed technological advances that have made way into academia. To understand fully the implications of viewing technology as neutral, this chapter draws on a case study of an Irish-U.S. Partnership where students used the learning management system (LMS), made available by the U.S. institution. In global spaces the technology includes a certain amount of personal data, and in humanities courses, opinions and political positions often emerge. The political nature of technology requires all stakeholders of globally networked learning environments (GNLEs) to consider adapting a critical approach and understanding of the implications in a digital online context.
