So, what is COIL?

Watch this short 3-minute animation to get a quick introduction to what COIL is. Captions in English.

COIL stands for Collaborative Online International Learning. Collaboration is the key word in this methodology, both between teachers and between students. COIL is a pedagogical method for online exchange, with the primary focus on learning and teaching rather than technology. International and intercultural perspectives must be an integral learning objective. The collaboration can be within the same subject or interdisciplinary, and an activity within an already existing course.

Focus on Collaboration

Teachers collaborate on planning, designing, and implementing the COIL project. The tasks must be designed in such a way that students are mutually dependent on each other to solve them. A good COIL partnership requires careful planning and design, proper preparation of students, and a commitment from both parties to carry it out. A COIL collaboration can contribute to meaningful international and intercultural experiences as an integrated part of the curriculum and teaching and learning experience, making such experiences accessible to more students.

Digital platforms have opened up new opportunities to expand cultural and educational boundaries.

Benefits of COIL

Internationalization of the curriculum: COIL adds a valuable international dimension to your teaching without the need for physical exchange.
Promotion of intercultural understanding: Students have the opportunity to interact with peers from different cultures, broadening their horizons and enhancing their cultural competence.
Accessibility and flexibility: COIL projects can be adapted to a wide range of subjects and can easily be integrated into existing courses.

"Connecting the world, one classroom at a time"

Here, Eva Haug Panneman explains why and what COIL is. She is the Educational Advisor for Internationalization of the Curriculum and COIL Virtual Exchange at the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands. She is also a member of the expert group on internationalization at home in EAIE. The video is 20 minutes long, captions in English.

A visual layout of COIL

Model of COIL