SUNY COIL Conference 2018

Interest in methods for embedding internationalization within the curriculum is growing. Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) is an approach to fostering cross-cultural student competence through development of multicultural learning environments that link credit-bearing university or college classes in different countries. Utilizing the COIL method in conjunction with short-term study abroad, which has already been shown to have positive impacts on development of intercultural competence in students (Czerwionka, L., et al, 2014), increases student-to-student interaction. Allowing students to work together virtually in a project-based learning environment grounds intercultural exchange within the context of disciplinary or interdisciplinary problem solving, increases the trust and comfort levels between students, and leads to richer interaction during the mobility phase of a short-term study abroad course. Through a Capacity Building Undergraduate Study Abroad grant in 2016, SUNY Cobleskill developed an interdisciplinary hybrid graphic design and agricultural business course with a COIL component. International partner La Salle University (Mexico City, Mexico) provided the graphic design students and faculty to engage in a cross-cultural branding and marketing project with SUNY Cobleskill students and faculty. The success of the course and project have led to a short-term study abroad program in Mexico, focusing on culture and the Mexican consumer. This innovative pedagogical approach has not only strengthened interdisciplinary collaborations with embedded cross-cultural perspectives; it has also encouraged student mobility. Furthermore, such connected internationalization strategies can be replicated in other academic disciplines.