Glocal and COIL (Collaborative Online International Learning)

Developing a new COIL module requires a significant time commitment. International Affairs is exploring ways to compensate faculty members for COIL development with course release time or a stipend.

This will be determined by their college. Please consult with your college International Affairs Liaison and encourage them to contact International Affairs with questions.

Students do not pay an extra fee for a COIL course compared to a non-COIL course.

Overcoming the challenges presented by language differences is key to ensuring student success on both sides of the COIL module. You may choose to integrate a language component so students receive introductory language training then use apps such as Google Translate to help bridge the gap. Depending on the time and resources available, it may be possible to have lectures subtitled.

COIL modules have been successfully combined with a travel component. For example, you may decide to virtually connect with a partner institution prior to an in-country element. This could involve you taking your students to the partner institution and/or the partner institution students and faculty member coming to San Diego.

COIL has been successful across all disciplines and often connects courses in different disciplines. It is an effective way to engage students in an intercultural context while delving deep into their major area of study or exploring its intersections with other disciplines. For example, an HTM class could be paired with a Hospitality course in Japan to facilitate the exploration the differences and similarities of the U.S. American and Asian perspectives on hospitality and service. Conversely, a public health course at SDSU could be paired with an architecture course at a university abroad. Projects for this group could include students co-designing various buildings (e.g. offices, hospitals, DMVs, etc.) that promote wellbeing.

COIL facilitates project-based learning across cultures and could certainly be offered with organizations other than colleges or universities. However, it is important that students work with peers from different cultures. Recruiting students in the target culture may be arranged by your industry colleagues abroad but would likely add a layer of coordination on their part.

We are exploring ways to connect SDSU faculty members with faculty members at our existing partner institutions. Please contact us to indicate your interest in future efforts. However, if you have existing relationships with colleagues abroad, you certainly may develop a COIL module together.

There is not one specific platform that we recommend. Instead, you will work with your co-instructor abroad to determine the best technologies to meet your needs. We highly recommend testing each platform prior to starting your course.

It is important that you and your co-instructor reach agreement on your shared expectations regarding COIL participation and student accountability. To the degree possible, students at both institutions should be held to the same standards. Maintaining consistency across institutions regarding participation expectations and grading helps ensure a positive student experience. Grading for your COIL module will be integrated into the overall course grade.

No, SDSU students enroll in the SDSU course and the students at the partner institution enroll in the course at their institution.

The goals of COIL are to engage students in an intercultural experience that challenges them to:

1. Critically reflect on their own identity in relation to their peers abroad
2. Assess ways in which their personal choices and actions may affect those in other parts of the world
3. Integrate diverse perspectives on global issues through engagement with and learning from their peers abroad
4. Develop tools to stay informed and engaged with global challenges through ongoing learning
5. To achieve these goals, we recommend integrating assignments that require students to research the target culture, discuss expected challenges to working together, critically self-reflect on what made them uncomfortable about the experience and why, consider the role culture plays in their own and their peers’ behavior, explicitly ask them to identify the tools they will use to stay informed of global issues. Of course, your specific requirements and assessments will be unique to your course.

Please note these outcomes may evolve as we engage more faculty feedback. Updated Global Learning Outcomes will be provided on the International Affairs website.

SDSU’s Instructional Technology Services (ITS) is available to support you in the effective uses of academic technologies for your COIL module. The best way for faculty to access ITS's support is via its.sdsu.edu/support. When considering appropriate technologies for your course goals, it is critical that your co-instructor and students at the partner institution have access to the same technology.

Absolutely! While it may be more challenging to work with co-instructors in different countries across different time zones, it certainly is possible.

Although peer-reviewed articles on the COIL pedagogical approach are still limited, many institutions around the world are successfully using COIL and a good deal of information is available online. The SUNY COIL Center is the most comprehensive resource for COIL in the U.S. You may visit them at http://coil.suny.edu/

Because COIL courses are bi-lateral and require the active participation of at least two instructors based at different institutions, the complete process of engagement and course development usually takes at least three months and more often six months. If you already have a commitment from a partner institution and have identified interested and motivated instructors at both institutions, you could certainly develop COIL for this upcoming spring semester (Canadian Bureau for International Education, 2020).

There is a spectrum of possible course formats that determines the answer to that question, so it is hard to generalize. This decision is also shaped by the time difference between the partners, the level of common language fluency and the network bandwidth available to students, especially if they do not have access to university technology during the pandemic. We suggest 75% asynchronous and 25% synchronous might be typical, but there are certainly cases where these percentages would be reversed or where a course might be either 100% synchronous or asynchronous (Canadian Bureau for International Education, 2020).

In most cases, students enroll in courses that have a COIL component without knowing they will have this experience. That is, COIL is usually added to pre-existing courses as an overlay or as a new unit, possibly replacing part of the course content. Students may only find out they will work with international students when they attend their first class. The advantage of this model is that the students least likely to select an international experience will be brought into one, possibly having a transformative experience. However, it is also possible to promote the international COIL module prior to registration. In most cases this attracts students, who usually do not require much persuasion and are often curious and enthusiastic (Canadian Bureau for International Education, 2020).

It varies but we recommend that students work in small, intercultural teams so there are ways to manage large groups and to balance unequal class sizes. Small groups are usually 4-6 students per team (with at least 2 on each side of the partnership) (100,000K Strong in the Americas, 2020).

COIL modules do not have to be synchronous, in fact, it can be difficult to create synchronous opportunities even if the time zones are similar because the classes for both professors and their students are usually at different times. But you can create opportunities for students to have synchronous meetings with a small group of students they are partnering with outside of class if that is appropriate for your goals, and students could record their interactions for you (Zoom or similar) (100,000K Strong in the Americas, 2020).

It is very rewarding, but is time consuming. Certainly, well worth the effort! (100,000K Strong in the Americas, 2020).