What is it?
COIL stands for Collaborative Online International Learning, which refers to “online learning in an international setting, with interactive involvement of students and faculty from different international and intercultural backgrounds in and outside the classroom” (Leask , 2020:188).
COIL projects are based on the involvement of teachers and students, with different geographical origins, language and culture, for the development of collaborative teaching and learning processes using online communication tools. These projects are an accessible alternative to democratise the experiences of internationalisation (at home) of students and teachers, as well as an opportunity to enrich the process of building individual and collective knowledge, offering challenging dynamics of working in heterogeneous teams.
International studies show that COIL has a relevant impact on the personal and academic development of participants and that it is valued by various stakeholders, including teachers, students and employers. In addition, the involvement in COIL projects enables teachers to: establish or strengthen international partnerships, integrate innovative and challenging practices into their courses, convey an international dimension to learning, collaborate with peers, increase class dynamism, and improve student interest and satisfaction rates.
How does it work?
Phase 1 – Finding a COIL partner
- The process starts with the definition, by the teacher(s) involved, of the theme and objectives of the project, which will ground the design of the learning strategy.
- The second step is to interact with potential partners in order to identify one (or more) for the project. It will always be advantageous for teachers to explore possibilities with personal international contacts or others they may find interesting. Partners from different areas can also be considered; consequently, mono- and cross-disciplinary COIL projects can be created.
Phase 2 – Designing the COIL project
After identifying the partner, the project should be defined in detail, i.e.:
- the duration of the project, the number of international teams and elements per team (per partner);
- the activities and tasksthat students should carry out (presentation, regularity of (as)synchronous contacts, learning outcomes, deadlines, among others);
- the dates of the periodic meetings for monitoring and evaluating the project;
- the communication tools that will be used.
Phase 3 – Developing the COIL project
- The success of a COIL project depends on a good communication and interaction between the partners (teachers and students). It will be up to each teacher to identify needs and ensure theactive participation of students in the project.
- The development of the COIL project should be based on common guidelines for the courses involved and it should end with the evaluation (weaknesses & strengths) of the work developed by teachers and students.
