Try COIL with an international faculty partner and have your students work on a project with students from another country.
COIL is an approach that brings students and professors together across cultures to learn, discuss, and collaborate as part of their class. Professors partner to design the experience, and students partner to complete the activities designed.
COIL becomes part of the curriculum, enabling all students to foster their global competencies through an intercultural learning environment that links classes in different countries. Using various communication technologies, students from different countries complete shared assignments and projects, with faculty members from each country co-teaching.
Professors Work Together to
- Define student learning goals
- Determine the length of the interaction
- Design comparative and collaborative activities
- Select methodology and technology tools for collaboration
- Monitor student work and learning
Students Work Together to
- Develop effective international/intercultural teams
- Discuss course assignments and content
- Complete a project-based activity as part of their coursework
- Reflect on both the academic content of the course and the intercultural exchange that takes place
Conducting a COIL course at KPU
Previous KPU COIL Classes (For Internal Users only)
Expressions of Interest Deadline
| Teaching COIL in... | Deadline |
|---|---|
| Spring 2026 | August 15, 2025 |
| Summer 2026 | January 31, 2026 |
| Fall 2026 | April 15, 2026 |
| Spring 2027 | August 15, 2026 |
Faculty will need a full term of preparation time before beginning to co-teach with their global partner.
Get Started
Learn more about the COIL Program at KPU through our info session or express your interest to the Office of Global Engagement
Email Us COIL Initiative Fund COIL Partner List COIL at KPU
Events
Previous Info Session
What kind of training is provided?
- COIL training is where ideas become real. It prepares faculty to:
- Understand what COIL is and why it matters for student learning
- Learn best practices for working across time zones, languages, and cultures
- Explore tools and strategies to co-design lessons with an international partner
- Build confidence in integrating global perspectives into existing courses
- By the end of the training, you’ll have the foundation to run a COIL project that feels meaningful for you and your students and not just like “extra work.”
What kind of support will KPU provide?
Your support team at KPU
- KPU COIL Coordinator (Global Partnerships Team)
- Partner search and match
- External relations (MOU development, partnership development etc.)
- Data and privacy management (student consent and MOU compliance)
- COIL Initiative Fund
- Post-experience surveys for students and faculty
- Documentation of success stories
- Promotion of COIL outcomes and impact (e.g., newsletters, social media, reports)
- COIL Training - Teaching & Learning Commons
- COIL Training Workshop
- Pedagogical guidance
- Activity design for intercultural and collaborative learning
- Tips for effective virtual and asynchronous collaboration
- Guidance on inclusive and equitable teaching practices
- Pedagogical guidance
- Instructional design consultation
- Integration of COIL into course outcomes and assessments
- Technology support
- Recommendations for collaboration platforms (e.g., Teams, Padlet, Flip)
Troubleshooting and training for faculty on tech tools
- COIL Training Workshop
What kind of courses can be COIL’d?
COIL courses are not limited to courses containing internationally-focused or intercultural content. COIL courses can and have been implemented in Science, Design, Technology, and other disciplinary contexts as well. To develop a COIL course, the key thing for you to consider is whether your course has content that lends itself well to students working collaboratively in international groups. If so, the intercultural experiences can thus become an overlay to the existing course syllabus.
In addition to the curriculum, some important considerations that need to be taken into account when planning a COIL course include time zones, academic terms, the language of instruction, academic level, access to information, technology, etc.
Are there additional resources available?
COIL Success Stories
Learn more about COIL programs first hand from the people that have experienced it!
Lesley McCannell (Chair of the HRMT Program; Faculty, MSoB)
"We love the fact that coil is the great equalizer. It allows every one of our students to have an international experience"
Monica Affleck (HRMT, MSoB)
"I am very grateful for the professional connections I have made and the opportunity to exchange ideas and methodologies with talented colleagues from other parts of the world"