Try COIL with an international faculty partner and have your students work on a project with students from another country.
COIL is an approach that brings students and professors together across cultures to learn, discuss, and collaborate as part of their class. Professors partner to design the experience and students partner to complete the activities designed. COIL becomes part of the curriculum, enabling all students to foster their global competencies through an intercultural learning environment that links classes in different countries. Using various communication technologies, students from different countries complete shared assignments and projects, with faculty members from each country co-teaching.
Professors Work Together to
- Define student learning goals
- Determine the length of the interaction
- Design comparative and collaborative activities
- Select methodology and technology tools for collaboration
- Monitor student work and learning
Students Work Together to
- Develop effective international/intercultural teams
- Discuss course assignments and content
- Complete a project-based activity as part of their coursework
- Reflect on both the academic content of the course and the intercultural exchange that takes place
Progression of a COIL Module
Previous KPU COIL Classes (For Internal Users only)
Application/Expressions of Interest Deadline
| Teaching COIL in... | Deadline |
|---|---|
| Summer 2025 | January 31, 2025 |
| Fall 2025 | April 15, 2025 |
| Spring 2026 | August 15, 2025 |
| Summer 2026 | January 31, 2026 |
Faculty will need nearly a full term of preparation time before beginning to co-teach with their global partner. This time is used to participate in COIL training and prepare the activities and technology that will be used.
Get Started
To gain more information, and assistance with international partner search, please contact global.partnerships@kpu.ca in the Office of Global Engagement or check out the page below.
Events
Previous Info Session
COIL Info Session Webinar Recording (May 2024) -- Internal Access Only
On May 27st, 2021 @10:00-11:00am PDT - Office of Global Engagement hosted a COIL Information Session on how COIL can support students in building global competencies through an intercultural learning environment that links classes in different countries. Topics including what is it, how does it work, and how to make it happen were covered in the session. Check the video below for more information.
Sponsored Training
Faculty interested in participating in the KPU COIL Program will be invited to join a series of workshops led by an experienced Virtual Exchange Consultant, this training is offered by SUNY COIL center. It has been working to promote and professionalize the practice of Collaborative Online International Learning and Virtual Exchange for more than 15 years. Through these workshops, faculty will have the opportunity to learn and share ideas, resources, and strategies with their international partner.
More information on sponsored training and the COIL Initiative Fund can be found here.
Workshop dates for 2023-2024 could be found here.
Eligible or Suitable Courses
COIL courses are not limited to courses containing internationally-focused or intercultural content. COIL courses can and have been implemented in Science, Design, Technology, and other disciplinary contexts as well. To develop a COIL course, the key thing for you to consider is whether your course has content that lends itself well to students working collaboratively in international groups. If so, the intercultural experiences can thus become an overlay to the existing course syllabus.
In addition to the curriculum, some important considerations that need to be taken into account when planning a COIL course include time zones, academic terms, the language of instruction, academic level, access to information, technology, etc.