COIL and SUNY Oneonta

What is COIL?

COIL (Collaborative Online International Learning) connects two or more classes in different parts of the world for virtual exchange. Students and faculty involved in COIL engage with peers abroad without leaving their home campus. For each exchange, a faculty member at SUNY Oneonta collaborates with an instructor in another country or region, bringing students from different cultural perspectives together. COIL syllabi often ask students to solve a problem or invite them to work on a project as members of a global community. While some COIL collaborations are staged in real time, with students meeting over video, others take place asynchronously, via email or virtual discussion board. Some COIL courses are semester-long, but most are shorter telecollaborations. COIL is a pedagogy that is initiated by faculty, but shaped by students' experiences. By working with one another, course content is enriched, offering a unique and invaluable experience for students. No matter what the assignment, the outcome is meaningful virtual global engagement!

COIL at SUNY Oneonta

SUNY Oneonta has been a member of the SUNY COIL Center since 2014. Since then, we have engaged faculty in Collaborative Online International Learning through learning communities, local travel grants, support for external grants and regular trainings. Our COIL initiative aligns closely with our strategic priorities to extend experiential learning opportunities to all students, advancing diversity, equity, inclusion and social justice (DEISJ) principles, and to help students become global citizens and civic-minded professionals. We strive to incorporate the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations into COIL projects to further connect to global issues such as inclusive, accessible, quality education; health inequities; and economic development. In 2022 SUNY Oneonta became the host for the SUNY COIL Center, furthering our strong relationship with the Center and providing a collaborative space for furthering COIL innovations.

Benefits of COIL for Students

Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) makes the benefits of global exchange accessible to all students. By bringing together learners from a range of contexts, COIL promotes intercultural collaboration and supports diversity, equity, and inclusion in the classroom. Meaningful negotiations during COIL interactions can guide students through three developmental stages: first, to recognize diverse perspectives in a safe monitored academic environment; second, to generate conscientious awareness by accepting diverse perspectives and experiences while not feeling threatened by difference; and finally, to reach the stage where respect, acceptance, and understanding are achieved with the goal that students eventually become advocates for multiple perspectives, lifestyles, conditions, beliefs, and issues experienced by others. Through this work, students also develop transferable skills—communication, adaptability, and more—that prepare them for the diverse futures they’ll go on to pursue after graduation. At SUNY Oneonta, COIL courses pair with our emphasis on experiential learning for all students.

  • Anu Shastri, Full Professor of Educational Psychology Counseling and Special Education
  • Maria Cristian Montoya, Associate Professor of Foreign Languages and Literatures
  • Michelle Lopez, Director, Office of Global Education
  • Racheal Fest, Pedagogy Specialist, Faculty Center
  • Hope Windle, Director, SUNY COIL Center
  • Chilton Reynolds, Director, Faculty Center
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