Methodological Training for Global Competence: Blending Global Learning and EFL Within COIL

Collaborative Online International Learning (Coil)

In the present international context, universities are increasingly recognizing the importance of global and intercultural competence in their graduates, given the need for a higher level of flexibility and the ability to adapt to diverse cultural contexts and address global issues. In this regard, International Online Collaborative Learning (COIL) has proven to be beneficial for the development of the mentioned skills, as well as digital, linguistic, and intercultural competence.

COIL is defined as a curriculum internationalization model proposed as a pedagogical approach under a virtual format. It aims to transform educational practices by incorporating an international dimension into study programs through the connection between students and professors in different parts of the world. In these virtual scenarios, students collaboratively discuss and learn, mobilizing higher-order cognitive skills such as problem-solving, critical thinking, reasoning, and reflection, along with intercultural relationships (Avello & Duart, 2016). Professors design activities together, and students execute them, integrating COIL into the classroom in such a way that everyone has a meaningful intercultural learning experience (Vahed & Rodríguez, 2020).

COIL is a relatively recent methodology that originated at the State University of New York in 2004. However, it is increasingly expanding its network among universities in different countries worldwide to establish collaborative online learning experiences. It is seen as a strategic action that contributes to fostering sustainable internationalization, shaping global citizens, promoting adaptability to various environments, and developing skills in establishing intercultural interactions, enabling an international experience for all students without the need for travel.

As described in the internationalization webpage of the University of Castilla-La Mancha (UCLM) “Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) is a learning methodology based on the interaction and collaboration between two classes from two countries that develop an activity in unison. It is an approach that, as part of a classroom, connects students and teachers from different cultures to learn, discuss and collaborate with each other. COIL becomes part of the classroom, allowing all students to have a meaningful intercultural experience within their course of study… The overall objective of COIL is to generate an experience similar to that of international interpersonal learning but based on online interaction. Likewise, the COIL methodology aims to: 1) promote internationalization in a sustainable way, 2) empower global citizens, 3) Increase collaborative links and flexibility, 4) use web-based tools.” (https://www.uclm.es/en/Misiones/Internacional/Oferta-internacional/Iencasa/COIL). In addition, it builds bridges between distant locations and cultures by means of engaging teamwork to perform tasks that develop digital, intercultural, and global skills. One of the distinctive characteristics of this courses is that they are designed for the specific curriculum of each subject, in this sense it is differentiated from other online proposals such as webinars, MOOCs, and online courses.