Learning & Teaching

COIL, as a mean of Internationalisation at Home experience, when embedded in HE programmes, could have positive impact on students’ employability by providing them with opportunities to further develop soft skills such as effective communicator, reflective learners as well as competencies specified  in the  University of Glasgow graduate attributes. This can ultimately provide students with confidence to enter the global, multicultural, digitally competent workforce.

Intercultural learning through COIL also allows students to learn about, from, and with another culture that they may have never previously been exposed to. COIL can build common understanding across diverse communities and groups, and also provides a space for experiential learning. Additionally, Under the wider umbrella of comprehensive internationalisation, COIL can contribute to foster international orientation, cross-cultural sensitivity, open-mindedness, second language competence, flexibility of thinking, as well as respect for others. Another benefit is the sharing of resources and expertise in academic research, potentially leading to more standardised research methods and cultivate an ethical commitment, which can support and/or challenge students' implicit and explicit beliefs and develop a sense of responsibility and civic engagement (Akinbode, et al., 2017; Kreber, 2009).

COIL activities enable more students to take advantage of international collaborative learning opportunities, while balancing wider academic, professional, and personal commitments that may make physical mobility difficult or unrealistic.

One of the key points in international experiences is the consideration of language, communication and cultural barriers and the applications of creative ways to overcome them. In case study 2 (available on the website), for example, Italian students had three main concerns about language barriers: to speak English, to be understood in English and to understand English. In response to those concerns UoG, SoE students expressed admiration for Italian students’ confidence in trying to explain complex ideas in a foreign language, and they took the proactive step to “try different communication strategies” feeling empowerment by the successful attempts to facilitate communication. They reflected on their “resilience “and felt “encouraged” to explore this aspect “wishing for further international experiences” (⁽¹⁾ Rodolico et al., 2022a) .

Tutors on the case study observed that during the COIL experience “ Students gained a strong self-awareness of their own barriers and for some it was a wakeup call to reflect on the studies completed so far on English language proficiency” and  “this opportunity made students aware of their ability to work collaboratively and effectively with international colleagues offering an ‘I can do it’ type of mindset and creating the wish to start networking with international colleagues in their work sector” (⁽¹⁾Rodolico et al., 2022a, pp 37)

Students also felt the energy and effort that tutors put into the planning stage and stated that “tutors promoted multilanguage and, multicultural teaching which has supported active participation and is Inestimable fortune”⁽¹⁾

Mutual enrichment and knowledge exchange were considered essential elements of the COIL experiences by students and educators alike.

^{(1)Rodolico, G., Breslin, M., & Mariani, A. M. (2022). A reflection on the impact of an internationalisation experience via digital platform, based on views, opinions and experiences of students and lecturers. Journal of Perspectives in Applied Academic Practice, 10(1)}

COIL can be considered a pedagogical approach which has the potential to develop intercultural competencies in students across classrooms located in various parts of the world (Appiah-Kubi & Annan, 2020). However, COIL is also an opportunity for staff to form partnerships and collaboration across the world, and to gain insight into how different institutions engage with their students.

Developing and running a COIL project is a great opportunity for staff to enhance their experience and expand and deepen their professional networks, opening up potential for future collaborations in teaching and research. This can be achieved not only through co-development and co-teaching of curriculum content but also through the co-mentoring process of the diverse cohort of students, taking part in the COIL activities.

As described in both case studies the engagement in the COIL activities led to the realisation that what participants had taken for granted as a universal or common educational approach was in fact deeply cultural and contextual.  From case study 2 ‘Collaborative meetings within the partnership served as a platform for tutors to augment their professional development. Discourses encompassed challenges encountered in the educational landscapes of both Scotland and Italy, plausible solutions, examination of education policies, and adherence to guidelines. This collective engagement has yielded a more profound comprehension of the global educational landscape.’^[1]

^{[1] G. Rodolico, M. Bresline, A. Mariani, (2023), ‘A reflection on the impact of an internationalisation experience via a digital platform on studnets and lecturers. A Collaborative Online Innternational Learning (COIL) Case Study. A partnership with University of Glasgow and University Niccolo’ Cusano, Italy.’ interviewed by L. Maclocco and A. Premanand}