For Faculty

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COIL: Why Get Involved?

Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) offers a practical and impactful way to internationalize your teaching – without the need for physical mobility. By embedding a short, structured international collaboration into your course, you can create meaningful global learning experiences for your students while also opening up opportunities for joint research, comparative studies, and scholarly collaboration with international partners.

Benefits for Faculty:

  • Internationalize your course without travel or mobility schemes
  • Enhance student engagement through authentic, intercultural teamwork
  • Develop students’ global competence and digital collaboration skills
  • Build sustainable academic partnerships
  • Explore opportunities for co-teaching, joint research, and future grants
  • Innovate your assessment and course design practices

How to Get Started

Launching a COIL project is a structured and supported process:

1. Learn – Join an introductory workshop or information session to explore the COIL model and examples of good practice.

2. Identify – Connect with a counterpart at a partner institution or within your academic networks. We can help you find a match.

3. Design – Co-create a mini-syllabus: define learning outcomes, collaborative tasks, digital tools, and assessment criteria.

4. Integrate – Embed a 4–8-week COIL module into your existing course structure.

5. Reflect & Share – Evaluate outcomes, gather student feedback, and disseminate your experience through presentations or publications.

Academic Recognition

COIL engagement contributes to your professional development, research profile, and teaching portfolio:

  • Course-embedded assessment (recommended for sustainability)
  • Official letters confirming COIL teaching
  • Contribution to teaching innovation and internationalization dossiers
  • Potential basis for conference presentations and publications
  • Potential basis for conference presentations and joint publications

Key Principles & Best Practices

Successful COIL projects are built on the following principles:

  • Reciprocity – Balanced roles, equitable workloads, and shared outputs
  • Flexibility – Accommodation of time zones and differing academic calendars
  • Scaffolding – Preparing students for intercultural collaboration (orientation, icebreakers, clear task guidance)
  • Clear Communication – Combining synchronous and asynchronous tools effectively
  • Reflective Practice – Regular check-ins and structured debriefing sessions

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