COIL Course Orientation

Identifying and developing effective partnerships within institutional teams (faculty and staff) and between international teams is key to building sustainable and scalable curricular internationalization initiatives. This 5-week online course is open to all faculty from any Nodal Network of Global Partner Network campus and provides a foundation for seeking and engaging potential partners and is organized around 3 stages of partner development. Participants are expected to invest 2+ hours a week in the course.

The CCO uses a ‘learning-by-doing’ approach whereby through the very process of completing tasks, participants will be engaging in the sorts of activities that students in COIL courses undertake. As such, participants will communicate with one another and the facilitators using both asynchronous and synchronous tools, and they will be asked to actively take part in group discussions. By the end of the CCO, participants will have the knowledge and confidence to find and develop a fruitful partnership, as well as a personal profile with embedded video to help them in this process.

Participants will learn how to present themselves, their research interests and discipline, and approach to teaching in such a way as to attract interest from suitable partners. Activities will include completing a profile, participating in online discussion and a synchronous video conference session.

Participants will consider how a potential partner’s discipline (be it similar or different), geographic location and institution type may impact a project’s effectiveness or lack thereof. The first step in any similar intercultural activity is focusing on one’s own context. Activities will involve asynchronous task completion and discussion.

Participants will examine various critical issues including intercultural sensitivity, flexibility, and the development of consistent communication protocols. Participants will engage in a role play activity and make an introduction video of themselves. The module ends with a synchronous video conference session. By the end of the CCO, participants will have the knowledge and confidence to find and develop a fruitful partnership, as well as a personal profile to help them in this process.

Note: The COIL Course Orientation is a prerequisite for any person (SUNY faculty/staff, U.S. or Global partner) who wants to take part in the COIL Academy. Exceptions may be made on an individual basis depending on the participant's experience and current partnering status.