Session

Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) is an emergent methodology in global learning in which students and instructors participate in a virtual exchange, collaborating on meaningful tasks in cross-cultural groups. COIL provides students with a global learning experience, without leaving their country of study. Through COIL, students, and their instructors, develop the ability to communicate in multicultural environments, develop an appreciation for diversity, strengthen the understanding of their own discipline, and engage with new technology in innovative ways to meet the goals of their projects. Students come together from various backgrounds across time zones to work to create truly unique projects. In this panel session, three expert panellists from three institutions in British Columbia will share their experience in setting up and sustaining COIL projects. Sharing wins, woes, and everything in between, the audience will learn about how these global collaborations engage faculty in curricular innovation and international knowledge sharing, foster student engagement, drive innovation, and reduce barriers for students who may have never otherwise had these intercultural opportunities. The topics addressed will focus on getting started with COIL projects, original and current COIL projects underway at each institution, institutional supports for COIL – how to advocate for them, set them up, and ensure COIL sustainability, and lessons learned through the panellists’ COIL activities.