AI-supported Collaborative Online International Learning: Enhancing Intercultural Competence in Healthcare Education

This article reports on a research-led teaching innovation that integrates generative artificial intelligence (AI) into a Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) project jointly delivered between pharmacy undergraduates at Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University (XJTLU) in China and radiography students at Durban University of Technology (DUT) in South Africa. The project aims to enhance students’ intercultural communicative competence (ICC), disciplinary English proficiency, and global citizenship within a transnational education (TNE) framework. By embedding an AI chatbot as a cultural co-facilitator in intercultural learning, students engage in project-based healthcare scenarios that promote reflection, dialogue, and collaborative problem-solving. The initiative demonstrates how AI can support inclusive, authentic, and globally connected learning environments, enabling students to develop higher-order communication and cultural awareness skills essential for professional healthcare practice in international contexts.