COIL is a high-impact educational practice
High-Impact Educational Practices (HIPs) are teaching and learning methods that have been widely tested and are beneficial for college students from different backgrounds. Educational research on high-impact practices suggests they increase students' retention and engagement rates (AACU).
Collaborative Assignments and Projects and Diversity/Global Learning are two HIPs embedded in every COIL course.
Intercultural communication and language skills
COIL helps participants develop new ways of communicating with people who may not share all aspects of their personal or cultural perspectives. COIL also promotes language learning by engaging students in intentionally designed activities that foster communication skills in their home or new language.
- What Do Students Learn in Virtual Exchange? (International Journal of Educational Research)
- The Effectiveness of Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) on Intercultural Competence Development in Higher Education (International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education)
- Engagement in the Expression of Learners’ Identity Within Virtual Exchange Asynchronous Discussions
Global Citizenship
The United Nations advocates for higher education institutions to promote global citizenship by empowering students as members of their interconnected local and global communities. COIL develops students' knowledge that their own well-being is interrelated with that of others and that they bear responsibility toward those residing in different countries and continents.
- United Nations Global Citizenship: Academic Impact
- Global citizenship education (GCE) in internationalisation: COIL as alternative Thirdspace (Globalisation, Societies and Education)
- Advancing Global Learning Through a Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) Module on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs)
COIL faculty and students exchange and connect different ways of approaching common disciplinary and interdisciplinary objectives, developing a mindset of positive interdependence that contributes to advanced knowledge building across all fields of inquiry. COILs can also lead to real-world problem solving, creating value for society in addition to students' intercultural and disciplinary learning.
Research
Participating in COIL courses engages faculty and students in the exploration of compelling interdisciplinary and transnational issues. This inspires curiosity, prompts further questions, and stimulates research.
Read our COIL Stories on how COILing inspires research:
Mobility
COIL can motivate students to pursue study abroad and away, engage in international service, or internship programs. It can be partnered with short or long-term mobility to stimulate, extend, or enrich students' mobility-based global learning.
Read about COIL's influence on students' study abroad decisions and preparedness:
- Student Participation in COIL Programs and its Impact on Study Abroad Enrollment (SIT Graduate Institute)
- The Impact of International Virtual Exchange on Participation in Education Abroad (East Carolina University)
Internationalization at Home
COIL complements mobility-based internationalization by engaging students and faculty in low-cost, high-impact, project-based global learning at home.
Explore recent research and publications emphasizing COIL as a tool for inclusive Internationalization at Home:
- New Outlooks on Internationalization at Home: Collaborative Online International Learning (American Higher Education Alliance)
- Faculty Use of Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) for Internationalization at Home (Portland State University)
- Virtual Study Abroad (INSIGHT Into Diversity)
Digital Competence
COIL virtual exchange can advance students’ abilities to use technology to communicate, handle information, produce content, and problem solve with others. These skills are critical to social inclusion and mobility for all, especially underserved and minoritized students.
- Developing Digital Literacies Through Virtual Exchange (Helm, 2014)
- DigComp 2.0: The Digital Competence Framework for Citizens (European Commission)
- Bridging the Gap Between Digital Skills and Employability for Vulnerable Populations (G20 Insights)
Career Preparation
These days, fewer employers report screening applicants’ resumes based on GPA. According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), hiring managers are looking for evidence of applicants’ teamwork and problem solving skills, flexibility and adaptability, and technological competence. COIL experiences provide students with this evidence.
- Employer Perspectives on Virtual International Working: Essential Skills for the Globalised, Digital Workplace (Crawford, 2021)
- Boosting Student Employability Through Virtual Experience (Times Higher Education)