Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL)

On this page:

What is COIL?

Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) is a term for the many ways faculty can engage with international partners to globalize their curriculum.

COIL connects accredited courses, linking the classrooms of two or more higher education institutions, each located in a different country or cultural setting. The COIL model creates equitable team-taught learning environments where faculty from two cultures work together to develop a shared project or syllabus emphasizing experiential and collaborative student learning. The courses give new contextual meaning to the ideas and texts they explore, while providing students new venues in which to develop their cross-cultural awareness.

COIL projects can range from a single collaborative event with two classes engaging in a shared experience, to asynchronous project-based collaboration, to an entire semester with a blended curriculum. By using widely available online tools, COIL projects can be employed to enhance curriculum in ways that meet the unique parameters of any course.

Why COIL?

Training for using COIL in the classroom

Florida International University (FIU)

COIL Virtual Exchange Leadership Institute to assist U.S. and international higher education institutions to integrate COIL and VE into their curricula and internationalization plans.

American Association of Colleges and University (AAC&U)

VE/COIL Institute is for institutions and faculty members seeking guidance on how to start or expand COIL activities on their campuses. This workshop is for faculty using COIL in their classroom, upper-level international education administrators, and campus COIL coordinators.

State University of New York (SUNY) COIL Workshops

SUNY Professional COIL Workshops offer introduction to COIL, workshops on course design, elements of collaboration, COIL administration, and COIL coordination.

More information and links to COIL support

Kansai University

Institute for Innovative Global Education (IIGE) is a unit at Kansai University in Osaka, Japan that aims to build new ties and strengthen those existing between Japanese and higher education institutions all over the world. Using widely-available technology, students and faculty will work together across borders by applying the Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) method. IIGE generates new partnerships by introducing this mode of virtual collaboration, in particular with higher education institutions in the United States through the U.S- Japan COIL Initiative.

Japan hub for Innovative Global Education (JIGE) is an educational and workforce development initiative promoted by Kansai University, Chiba University, and Tohoku University. Aimed at a diverse audience from high school students to professionals, the project offers specialized virtual learning spaces containing interactive COIL/Virtual Exchange modules. These modules grant stackable micro-credentials, providing a pathway to higher education and career development.

State University of New York (SUNY) COIL Center

• COIL Center provides guidance on COIL methodology and resources for developing COIL projects.
• Faculty Guide for COIL ( PDF) is a comprehensive guide for faculty who are developing COIL courses.

COIL Connect

COIL Connect is an online resource for universities who are active in COIL or for universities who are new to COIL and looking for ideas on how to integrate COIL into curriculum and locate partners for COIL initiatives. COIL Connect provides sample structures for COIL courses, information on global academic calendars, and guides both teachers and administrators in development of COIL programming.

Stevens Initiative: Aspen Institute

The Steven Initiative is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting virtual exchange between students in different countries. Their website also contains a variety of resources including reports on virtual exchange efforts, webinars and recordings by COIL practitioners, and resources for evaluation tools which can be used in classes or short-term programs.

Beliefs, Events, and Values Inventory (BEVI)

The BEVI is a tool to measure the impact of collaborative international learning on students who have participated in study abroad or COIL classes and activities. Since quantifying the impact of cross-cultural activities can be challenging, BEVI offers an analytical measure that can be used by faculty or a university to evaluate the impact of the collaboration on participating students.

Technology Used in VE and COIL

An attractive element of COIL is the ability to use free and widely available technology to collaborate with partner schools. Here are platforms which can be used to facilitate online communication between classes and students.

Contact

Please contact Todd Shumway for more information.