Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL)

Would your students benefit from learning about the perspectives of students abroad? If yes, then your course is eligible for COIL!

• COIL is a pedagogical strategy rather than a prescription, and can be adapted to most courses on campus.
• COIL can be adapted in many different forms. For example:
  • Fully integrated course with a course at another institution for an entire semester taught jointly with the overseas partner.  
  • One shared student class assignment.
  • Simple, one-time collaborations.
• COIL pairs well with online teaching to create enriched experiences. 

The only requirements for COIL are that you identify an international partner abroad with whom you will integrate at least one student collaboration assignment into your courses.

• Partner with an instructor who will be teaching a related course in the same semester that you will be teaching.
• For assignments that would include synchronous attendance or collaboration (i.e., a video chat between students), keep in mind the time difference between locations. With large time differences, asynchronous options are usually best.

If you are interested in incorporating COIL but do not have any connections abroad that will work for your courses, please contact us and we will do our best to help connect you.

Incorporating COIL entails planning and preparation; it's recommended that you get started at least one semester prior to implementation. You and your instructional partner will be planning your courses and assignments across time zones and possibly different languages.

• The nature, timing, and length of any given component or assignment will be up to you and your instructional partner.
• In general, we recommend that you plan on at least three components, each of which should include at least one assignment (normally, this means that you should plan for the equivalent of at least three class sessions to effectively implement COIL in your course):
  • Introductions and practice exchange
  • Collaborative assignment(s)
  • Reflection 

Find guides, a workbook, videos, and more in the Resources section below.  

Faculty Guides

• The COIL Center at SUNY has produced the most comprehensive faculty guide. The sixth addition of the SUNY Faculty Guide for COIL Course Development is available for request from the center.
• COIL Workbook developed by the College of Education and Human Development at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities campus
• Faculty Guide for Global Course Connections developed by the Global Liberal Arts Alliance
• Internationalization in Action – Connecting Classrooms: Using Online Technology to Deliver Global Learning – American Council on Education

COIL Course Examples

• The SUNY COIL Center has developed a useful summary of the basic types of COIL course models
• The SUNY COIL Center has also compiled a list of more than 50 examples of COIL courses, many of which include detailed case studies
• Coventry University in the United Kingdom has developed a database of nearly 150 COIL courses that is searchable by college and department

Video Summaries

• “An Introduction to the COIL Model as Pedagogy and Strategy” – American Councils for International Education and SUNY Center for COIL (~43 mins)
• “COIL – Collaborative Online International Learning” – Center for Educational Innovation, University of Minnesota (~3 mins)
• “What is COIL (Collaborative Online International Learning)?” – Florida International University (~3 mins)
• “10 Keys to Success for Collaborating Online With Global Partners” – Florida International University (~3 mins)

COIL Centers

COIL has been adopted and promoted by colleges and universities across the country and around the world. To develop a sense of how other institutions are approaching and supporting COIL endeavors, we recommend browsing these sites:

• SUNY COIL Center
• Online International Learning at Coventry University, United Kingdom
• COIL at University of Minnesota Duluth
• COIL Consulting