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  • 1.  IMPACT in Action - Combining Global Assignments and Building Partnerships with Global Organizations

    Posted 04-22-2022 19:20:00

    We've been discussing globalizing content, creating global assignments, and building partnerships with global organizations all month. We want to end this month by discussing Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL), a form of virtual exchange that allows a U.S.-based classroom to connect with a class at a college or university abroad and work together on one or various assignments. In other words, COIL combines the ideas of creating global assignments with building partnerships with global organizations. Whether this is your first time hearing about COIL or whether you're one of the pioneers of using COIL, we'd like to hear from you this week:

    • What do you see as benefits to using COIL for students? For faculty? e.g., increased opportunities to enhance global and cross-cultural knowledge with international peers.
    • What concerns do you have about using COIL in the classroom? e.g., how to facilitate the exchange between the two classrooms? Or how to find an international teaching partner?
    • How do you see technology playing a role in implementing COIL? e.g., are there any features of any technological platforms that you think might make teaching a COIL course easier?


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    Jon Oaks
    Instructor of Mathematics
    Macomb CC
    Warren MI
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  • 2.  RE: IMPACT in Action - Combining Global Assignments and Building Partnerships with Global Organizations

    Posted 04-26-2022 12:47:00
    There are enormous benefits for students and faculty engaging in a COIL experience including new international friendships. Picking a topic to study mathematically or statistically from two or more world points of view can be very enlightening. When doing a statistical COIL project with Russian and Chinese students, students in the United States realized that Russian and Chinese students had opinions and ideas about the American Dream and how that guides our actions but had not considered the Russian or Chinese Dream. 
    Creating a survey form between the three countries and having at least 40-50 people from each country take the survey was enlightening for everyone.  Synchronous or Asynchronous activities between undergraduate students can expand our horizons and understanding of the impact of media and the news.  Since the pandemic the resources available in cities throughout Russia, China, and the United States have made communication more visible and possible.  Social media deliberations are easy when students take the initiative. Think of a class project or a service learning project that you already have in your class as a starting point.  What would you need to change to open that activity up for students from 2 countries to participate and each learn more about the other and themselves? 
    Don't leave the next conference that you attend without connecting with a faculty member from another country and talking about possibilities.  It could be the most exciting move in your career.

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    Irene Duranczyk
    Associate Professor
    Univ of Minnesota
    St. Paul MN
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    Original Message


  • 3.  RE: IMPACT in Action - Combining Global Assignments and Building Partnerships with Global Organizations

    Posted 04-27-2022 21:46:00
    Hello Irene,
    COIL Projects are very enlightening for students. The experience definitely widens horizons of their curiosity and encourages them to learn about other countries and cultures. You have made great suggestions about what type of activities to use  and what type of resources are available. And I will definitely try to find someone at the next conference who is from another country and share some ideas with him/her.

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    Jignasa Rami
    Assistant Professor
    CC of Baltimore County
    Owings Mills MD
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    Original Message


  • 4.  RE: IMPACT in Action - Combining Global Assignments and Building Partnerships with Global Organizations

    Posted 05-01-2022 10:53:00
    COIL is tremendously beneficial to students. I am currently running a COIL program across our college, and whether it's in a math class or other course, students approach me all the time to tell me how much their perspectives have expanded and changed after being exposed to working with students from another cultural context or country. People often think of COIL entailing an exchange with a faculty and students from another country, but considering our polarized country here in the US, I'd say domestic exchanges can be just as impactful on students as well as the national level of building cultural bridges. 

    Irene already described the process better than I could have (I particularly agree on beginning with modifying an existing project you might already have in your course). In terms of finding a partner, it's best to begin with your existing social and professional networks, but I've also cold emailed people I've found online. COIL connect is also a great resource for finding partners (though it's intended for administrator access - not individual faculty access): https://coilconnect.org/

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    Grace Pai
    Assistant Professor
    Guttman CC - City University of New York
    New York NY
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    Original Message


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