COIL Cohort Program

Collaborative Online International Learning is an innovative way for your students to engage in dialogue with their peers around the world. In these trainings, faculty work together with an international partner to co-create a learning module, in which their students then collaborate with their partner's students to pursue a common learning goal.

Cohort Outcomes

  • Articulation of course goals that will help efficiently target benefits of COIL work, if possible co-developed with an international partner
  • Integration of opportunities for successful intercultural online interaction to achieve those course goals
  • An articulated plan that will prepare students for those interactions
  • Identification of skills necessary for successful project co-development
  • Identification of strategies for developing awareness of partner institution, academic context, societal context, and expectations of students at partner institution
  • Example activities that enhance opportunities for cross-cultural learning

Cohort Program Details

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Working with International Partners

COIL Cohorts are designed to accommodate both faculty who are looking for a partner and faculty who already have a collaborator.  During each cohort we’ll work with cohort members to establish and/or strengthen an international partnership to support a COIL project. Interested faculty will have opportunities to explore partnerships with members joining the cohort from the Aurora Alliance and other groups and networks such as the Climate Smart Municipalities exchange as well as established partner institutions from the COIL Connect network. If you are interested in getting started with the partnership development process, please consider emailing Dan Nolan at dnolan@umn.edu to set up a meeting.

Want to begin looking for an international partner now? Consider visiting the COIL Connect website for a list of active faculty and universities pursuing COIL development:

COIL Connect

Requirements and Expectations

  • Three synchronous meeting, with parallel self-paced modules on Canvas
  • Dates Dates for Summer Cohort 2024: October 28, November 6, November 12, November 18, and December 2, times TBD, based on cohort participant availability, participation of 20 hours total
  • Regular feedback
  • Elective sessions on COIL topics and Internationalizing the Curriculum and Campus
  • And optional training sessions on focus areas, such as sustainability education in an international context

Materials

The Canvas course that accompanies this cohort follows the structure of the COIL Workbook, which was developed by the College of Education and Human Development. During the cohort, faculty compile their notes and work with collaborators using a separate version of this workbook, which is distributed during the cohort.

Application

To apply for the next cohort, complete the COIL Cohort Application Form. The deadline for applications for the UMN Fall COIL Cohort 2024 is September 15. This cohort is available to both UMN and international faculty. International participants should inquire with Dan Nolan at dnolan@umn.edu before applying.

If unable to participate this summer, but still interested in upcoming programming, please fill out this form.

Funding

Systemwide UMN faculty participants are eligible to receive $500 per faculty (PD funds) upon successful completion of a COIL Cohort.

For Questions

Contact COIL Coordinator Dan Nolan at dnolan@umn.edu.