Sharing Session: Virtual Exchange (COIL) - Opportunities and Implementation

14 February 2025 – The School of Educational Studies, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), recently hosted a sharing session featuring Dr. Andrew Nolan from Kwansei Gakuin University, Japan. The session explored the concept of Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) and its potential for fostering global engagement among students. Participating lecturers from various programs expressed keen interest to partner with SES USM in implementing COIL initiatives.

COIL is an innovative approach that integrates virtual exchange into higher education, enabling students to interact and collaborate with international peers. The session introduced two main models:

• Mini-COIL: Short-term online interaction and collaboration with students from abroad.
• COIL: A more extensive model where over 30% of course content involves online interaction and collaboration with students from different countries.

Dr. Nolan also shared examples of COIL activities that have been successfully implemented. Asynchronous activities via Padlet include self-introduction videos, introduction to hometown or campus videos, "A day in the life" videos, and commenting on videos from partner universities. Synchronous activities via Zoom involve live self-introductions followed by Q&A sessions, the "Wheel of Cultural Differences" activity, and collaborative presentations on cultural themes such as relationships, food, and festivals.

The sharing session provided valuable insights into how COIL can enhance intercultural communication, collaborative learning, and global awareness among students. Participants expressed keen interest in exploring COIL as a means to enrich their educational experiences and broaden their perspectives through meaningful international exchanges.