On Friday, 06 December 2024, the Ateneo de Davao University, in collaboration with the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities in Asia Pacific (AJCU-AP) network, officially launched the Second Cycle of the Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) Program. The Orientation, with the theme: “Introducing the COIL Classroom: The Power of COIL in Education,” was held via Zoom and welcomed partner institutions from across the Asia-Pacific region.
The event brought together educators and administrators from diverse institutions, including Ateneo de Davao University, Sanata Dharma University, Widya Mandala Catholic University Surabaya, Universitas Muhammadiyah Makassar, and Fu Jen Catholic University, among others. Participants came from diverse academic fields, highlighting the interdisciplinary nature and broad appeal of the COIL program.
The orientation introduced professors and lecturers to the transformative potential of the COIL program, equipping them with insights to foster meaningful global collaborations within their classrooms. Two resource speakers, both seasoned COIL implementers with extensive expertise in education and international learning, enriched the event.
The first resource speaker, Ms. Karen Natera, Coordinator for Educational Technology and Innovation at the Ateneo Institute for the Science and Art of Learning and Teaching (SALT), and an instructor in the Department of Curriculum, Pedagogy, and Assessment from the Ateneo de Manila University, gave a lecture on “Innovative Teaching Through Virtual Collaboration.” In her presentation, Ms. Natera discussed how educators can integrate technology into teaching to enhance virtual collaboration, encourage cross-cultural exchanges, and foster international collaborations that engage students globally.
The second resource speaker, Dr. Renante D. Pilapil, Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences from the Ateneo de Davao University, shared his experiences as a pioneering COIL Champion during the pilot program implementation. Dr. Pilapil presented how COIL can empower educators to address critical social issues while fostering creativity and collaboration. He also shared valuable insights from students’ feedback and suggestions and emphasized the importance of student engagement in shaping effective and meaningful COIL collaborations.
The orientation also marked the launch of the sign-up for the COIL Champions, inviting faculty members to be part of this global engagement. As we move forward, the COIL initiative continues to pave the way for innovative, inclusive, and transformative educational experiences, setting a benchmark for accessible international learning for all.
Call for COIL Champions (Second Cycle)
What is COIL?
COIL, or Collaborative Online International Learning, is an approach to virtual exchange that interculturally and internationally links two classes from different institutions, usually in higher education.
It is a learning modality that, in the short-term, commonly unfolds across a 5- or 8-week period, within which a joint syllabus is co-designed and co-taught by a pair of partnered professors. Classes can be fully online or can be conducted in blended formats wherein the individual classes have face-to-face sessions in their respective campuses while being linked for COIL through an online feed that is supported by blended learning technology.
COIL culminates into an output that is collaboratively developed by the students and is demonstrative of their acquired knowledge from the COIL learning experience. COIL also encourages asynchronous meetings among students to further collaborate on their output as well as extend the intercultural exchange beyond the COIL classroom.
COIL can merge two classes from different disciplines and academic fields, or remain single-disciplinary. Either way, the nature of the collaboration would depend on the shared goal of the paired COIL professors.
Only rarely are completely new courses created at either of the collaborating higher education institutions. This is because COIL virtual exchange generally banks on grassroots partnerships from international linkages generated directly by the faculty members. Hence, COIL is typically embedded as a teaching modality within existing courses and is curricular in nature. The virtual exchange model, therefore, is revenue-neutral in that participating students are enrolled, charged tuition, and awarded grades only at their home institution. The same principle applies to faculty remuneration, ensuring neutrality in compensation processes across participating institutions.
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