COIL: Internationalization through Technology | Academic Newsletter | Seneca Polytechnic

by Monica Kronfli, International Academic Programs & Mobility

in the June 2020 issue

It is too early to grasp the impact of COVID-19 on international education, but what is clear is that international mobility has been severely restricted. What is also clear is that we are at a transformative moment for online learning, with faculty and students grasping the use of online communication and collaborative tools at record rates. With an understanding that global learning experiences remain vital in preparing students to lead the world they will inherit, and to capitalize on the momentum of learning gained through transitions to remote learning, I’d like to introduce COIL: Collaborative Online International Learning.

COIL is an innovative teaching and learning model that provides students with the opportunity to discuss topics and issues with peers around the world. Coordinated by faculty-matches (a faculty at Seneca matched with a faculty at a partner school) and enabled by technology, a joint student project is designed and embedded into pre-existing courses. Students are grouped into international teams to virtually collaborate on projects, thus gaining a deeper understanding of their discipline through multiple perspectives.

Imagine connecting your cybersecurity course with a public policy course in China to compare government rules and regulations around data collection. Or connecting your course in entrepreneurship to an environmental science course in Ecuador; together students can develop a plan to tackle an environmental challenge. Or how about two journalism courses linking up to explore the differences in COVID-19 reporting? The options are endless and so are the benefits.

COIL is quickly becoming a global standard in international academic collaborations because of the large number of students that can be reached and because of the great depth of skills that can be learned – intercultural competence, digital literacy, and communication. Seneca is piloting the COIL model in fall 2020 with the hope of expanding in 2021. If you would like to learn more, please fill out this COIL form.

View the June 2020 issue of the Academic Newsletter.