Alla Krasulia
Sumy State University, Ukraine
Alla Krasulia is a PhD in Pedagogy, Associate Professor, and Head of the International Relations Office at Sumy State University, Ukraine. Her academic and professional interests focus on digital pedagogy, virtual internationalization, COIL, AI in education, and the internationalization of higher education in times of crisis. She began implementing COIL at SumDU in 2019, shortly before the COVID-19 pandemic transformed global education. As one of the first educators and researchers at the university to pioneer COIL practices, she combines academic research with hands-on international teaching experience. Alla is the author of several publications on virtual internationalization, digital pedagogy, and COIL implementation, and has actively contributed to institutionalizing COIL at SumDU by integrating virtual collaboration formats into curricula and supporting faculty development in this area. She has extensive experience coordinating Erasmus+, DAAD, and other international projects, as well as developing partnerships with universities and alliances across Europe and the United States. For two consecutive years, she served as a lecturer within the COIL Forum, organized by the Alliance of Ukrainian Universities. As a representative of a frontline Ukrainian university operating under wartime conditions, Alla advocates for flexible, human-centered, and inclusive approaches to global learning. Through her work, she seeks to strengthen meaningful international connections and create opportunities for students and educators to collaborate across borders despite physical and geopolitical limitations.
“For me, COIL is much more than a teaching methodology. It is a quiet act of connection in a world that often feels fragmented. At a frontline Ukrainian university, where air raid sirens interrupt lectures and physical mobility can disappear overnight, COIL reminds our students that they are still part of a living global academic community. It opens windows when borders close. It creates dialogue when fear tries to isolate people. Yes, there are challenges – unstable internet, exhaustion, different time zones, and the emotional weight of war. But maybe this is exactly why COIL matters so much. It teaches students not only to exchange knowledge but to listen, adapt, empathize, and create together despite uncertainty. Some of the strongest learning moments come when students from different parts of the world suddenly realize that, behind the screens, are real people carrying different realities but sharing the same hopes. And for me, this is where education becomes deeply human.”
Project Information
Project Name: Global Communication Strategies: Language, Culture, Interaction
Partner: Camarines Sur Polytechnic Colleges in Nabua (Philippines)
Project Length: 1 semester
Modality: Synchronous & Asynchronous
Technology Tools Utilized: Zoom, Kahoot, Canva
UN Sustainable Development Goals: Quality Education; Reduced Inequalities
Project Summary:
Within the framework of the Cooperation Agreement between Sumy State University and Camarines Sur Polytechnic Colleges (Philippines), we launched an international COIL-based virtual mobility programme involving more than 60 Ukrainian and 100 Filipino students. The initiative integrated collaborative international learning into existing courses: “English Language: Communication Strategies” for Cybersecurity and Computer Science students and “Fundamentals of Language Communication Theory” for Philology students. The project focused on developing communication skills, intercultural competence, and global collaboration through joint online activities and discussions between students from different cultural and academic backgrounds. Implemented in 2021, this initiative became one of the early examples of institutionalized COIL practices at Sumy State University.
Learning Outcomes:
- Students developed intercultural communication and collaboration skills through sustained interaction and teamwork with peers from an international partner university in a virtual learning environment.
- Students improved their English-language communication competencies and digital collaboration skills by participating in joint online discussions, presentations, and project-based learning activities.