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Collaborative Online International Learning

What is COIL Virtual Exchange?

Video credit: COIL at FIU Global

COIL is also a high-impact teaching and learning practice that combines collaborative assignments/projects with diversity/global learning and, depending on course design, can have elements of service or community-based learning or undergraduate research.

Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) is a type of virtual exchange. It is a cost-effective pedagogical approach to connecting students across cultures for learning and collaboration. It utilizes technology to enhance global learning and facilitate intercultural development as students complete activities and projects based on course learning objectives.

COIL emphasizes intercultural learning, provides students with opportunities for meaningful engagement with differences, and plays a useful role in a comprehensive approach to internationalization.

COIL is an inclusive practice because it supports students who may not have access to traditional study abroad programs that are often associated with intercultural development. A wide-ranging list of benefits of COIL is below.


 

Benefits of COIL Virtual Exchange

Students

  • Intercultural development
  • Experiential learning
  • Digital Literacy
  • Experience in Virtual teamwork
  • Cost-effective
  • Interdisciplinary
  • Inclusive and accessible practices
  • Course-based career readiness

Faculty/Instructors

  • Intercultural development
  • Pedagogical/andragogical development
  • Digital Literacy
  • Interdisciplinary
  • Participating in a global community of practice
  • Experiences to put on CV for promotion, tenure
  • Promote international research opportunities
  • Possible grant/award funding


COIL initiative at the University of Tennessee contributes to the realization of UT’s strategic vision and supports the Center for Global Engagement’s goal of “developing and supporting a university culture in which global engagement is prioritized and encouraged”

Explore COIL-Ready Courses: Partner with Us Today!

Faculty: Dr. Phyllis Thompson, Clinical Associate Professor in the College of Social Work
Term: Fall 2024
The project, “Social Work Students Unite: Transcending Borders and Barriers to Improve Human Well-being through Assessment and Effective Interventions”, will bring together social work students from different continents to share knowledge and strategies for improving human well-being.
Faculty: Prof. Rossy Toledo, Distinguished Lecturer of World Languages and Cultures
Term: Fall 2024
Working with Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, Teziutlán, Mexico, the project, “Mi y mis tradiciones/Me and My Traditions, will have students utilize their language skills to increase their intercultural competencies by exploring discussion topics in order to dismantle stereotypes, reflect and explain the concept of Global Citizenship. 
Faculty: Dr. Phyllis Thompson, Clinical Associate Professor in the College of Social Work
Term: Spring 2025
Dr. Phyllis Thompson, Clinical Associate Professor in the College of Social Work, is developing a new project with Hope Africa University in Burundi. COIL title and description TBA soon!
Faculty: Dr. Mary Gitau, Associate Dean for Equity and Inclusion and Associate Professor of Practice in the College of Social Work
Term: Spring 2025
Partnering with Maasai Mara University in Kenya, this COIL project will explore critical issues in global health and promote well-being across diverse communities. 
Faculty: Dr. Renée D’Elia-Zunino, Distinguished Lecturer of Italian in the Department of World Languages and Cultures
Term: Spring 2025
Collaborating with the University of Palermo in Italy, the project, Vita Quotidianabenessere e felicità/Everyday Life – Well-being and Happiness”, will delve into the cultural nuances of well-being and happiness, enriching students’ understanding of Italian culture and language. 

Human-Robot Interaction
Faculty: Xiaopeng Zhao
Term: AUG 2023 − DEC 2023
This course explores the intricate relationship between humans and robots, focusing on advanced topics in human-robot interaction (HRI). Students will delve into cutting-edge research and practical applications, critically examining the challenges and opportunities presented by the integration of robots into human environments. Each student will choose a specific topic within the field of HRI to conduct a comprehensive literature survey, deliver a lecture, and produce a research article.

English 295
Faculty: Laurie Knox
Term: JAN 2024 − AUG 2024
Engish 295 is a writing-intensive class that centers on workplace writing. The English Department offers many sections of the class because it meets a second-year writing requirement for students in many professional majors, including business, forestry, and kinesiology. My sections of the class center on writing as a way to build relationship. I emphasize audience/situation analysis, cultural intelligence, and research into discourse communities as essential steps in the writing process.

ITAL 123 – Intensive Elementary Italian
Faculty: Renée D’Elia-Zunino
Term: JAN 2024 − MAY 2024
This is a beginner’s Italian language course that focuses on spoken language and culture. Students use the language actively every day. They are assigned show and tell, culinary showcases, discovery activities, and lots of hands-on material to use the language with their peers. They visit museums on campus to discover and write. The do scavenger hunts to practice grammar, vocabulary, idiomatic uses of the language etc.

Negotiation, Bargaining, and Diplomacy
Faculty: Gary Uzonyi
Term: JAN 2024 − MAY 2024
The course is offered to junior and senior college students. While negotiation, bargaining, and diplomacy occur throughout international relations, this course focuses on cutting-edge political science research regarding bargaining and diplomacy in civil war. It explores how bargaining influences the onset of conflict, the strategies employed by both the government and rebels, and how third-parties, especially the United Nations and regional organizations, can help shape the bargaining process.


COIL Virtual Exchange Stories

Samara Akpovo, Associate Professor, Director of the Intercultural and Classroom Culture Research Lab
Course: Collaborative Online Learning Across Borders
Partner: University of Auckland in New Zealand, University of Melbourne in Australia

Moonhee Cho, Associate Professor, Tombras School of Advertising and Public Relations
Course: Spring 2022 PRBL 370 – Public Relations Cases
Partner: Nukus State Pedagogical Institute in Uzbekistan

Christina Najera, Assistant Professor, Tombras School of Advertising & Public Relations
Course: Spring 2023 ADPR 375 – Integrating Communication Channels
Partner: Panamerican University in Mexico

Hojung Kim, Assistant Professor, School of Interior Architecture
Course: Fall 2022 Advanced Interior Architecture Studio
Partner: Pusan National University in South Korea

 

Contact Us

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Email:ut_coil@utk.edu