Fostering Global Competence at Home

Critical digital literacy and virtual collaboration skills are more important than ever in tackling global challenges such as the pandemic, ideological divides and misinformation. Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) offers an opportunity to traverse boundaries and make the “classroom learning” experience globally connected.

COIL is a virtual exchange pedagogy that fosters global competence through development of a multicultural learning environment, linking university classes in different countries. Using both synchronous and asynchronous technologies, students from different countries complete shared assignments and projects, with instructors from each country co-teaching and managing coursework.

COIL Fellows participate in community of practice meetings to deepen learning and facilitate the sharing of ideas, resources and strategies, and submit written documentation of their partnership. Participants are awarded a stipend for course development and implementation. The program is facilitated by a team of global office staff, learning technologists, and previous COIL Fellows.