COIL

Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) expands how institutions engage through the Global Partners in Education (GPE) network.

 

COIL enables faculty to embed structured international collaboration directly into discipline-specific courses, broadening access to virtual exchange across departments, academic levels, and programs.

 

Within GPE, COIL is not a stand-alone initiative. It operates within a long-standing, centrally coordinated international network built on sustained collaboration and shared experience. Faculty design their own projects, but they do so within a community with more than 20 years of experience in virtual exchange and a shared commitment to quality.

 

Through GPE, institutions have access to:

• An international network of virtual exchange partners
• Training grounded in more than two decades of practice
• Design frameworks and toolkits that support effective COIL collaboration
• A dedicated online community space for connection and exchange

 

This model preserves faculty flexibility while anchoring collaboration within a stable, trusted, and supported international ecosystem built for long-term engagement.

GPE COIL operates within the broader Global Partners in Education Network. Through this community of partner institutions, faculty can connect with colleagues interested in collaborative teaching, access shared resources that support COIL development, and exchange ideas and experiences with others across the network.

 

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Join the GPE COIL Mailing List

 

The GPE COIL Mailing List is the primary channel for announcements about opportunities and events across the network and the broader virtual exchange field.

 

Anyone interested in COIL collaborations through GPE is encouraged to subscribe.

 

JOIN THE GPE COIL MAILING LIST

 

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Create a COIL Profile

 

Faculty and COIL coordinators can create a COIL Profile to introduce themselves and their collaboration interests. Profiles help members of the GPE community identify colleagues with shared interests and explore potential partnerships.

 

A profile does not require a specific COIL project, though one can be added if you have a collaboration idea in mind.

 

CREATE A COIL PROFILE

 

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Join GPE Connect

 

GPE Connect is the online community platform for the Global Partners in Education network. It brings together instructors and coordinators from partner institutions to share course ideas, identify collaborators, and access COIL resources.

 

More than a partner-matching tool, GPE Connect supports ongoing exchange across the network as instructors discuss challenges, share best practices, and learn from one another’s experiences with COIL.

 

Access to GPE Connect is available to faculty and staff at GPE partner institutions.

 

SUBMIT YOUR COIL PROFILE TO GAIN ACCESS TO GPE CONNECT

 

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Take GPE COIL Training

 

GPE offers asynchronous COIL training that introduces core principles of COIL pedagogy, partnership development, and strategies for facilitating meaningful student collaboration across institutions.

 

Grounded in GPE’s more than 20 years of experience in virtual exchange, the training combines short learning modules with practical planning tools instructors can use as they develop their own COIL collaborations.
Training options are available for both GPE partners and the broader community.

 

REQUEST TRAINING INFORMATION

Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) is a model of virtual exchange in which faculty from two institutions co-design and embed a shared module within their existing courses. Students engage directly with peers abroad through facilitated dialogue and collaborative, course-based projects connected to course content.

 

In contrast, Global Understanding (GU) operates through a shared Core Curriculum model in which participating institutions co-deliver a common course framework. This structure provides consistency across the network and serves as a foundational entry point to virtual exchange for many institutions.

 

COIL and GU are complementary models within the GPE virtual exchange ecosystem. While Global Understanding provides a structured shared framework across institutions, COIL introduces a flexible, faculty-driven model that allows collaboration to grow across the curriculum.

 

GU and COIL: Complementary Models

 

	Global Understanding (GU)	COIL
Structure	Shared Core Curriculum Model	Faculty-designed modules embedded in existing courses
Design	Designed and managed by the GPE Secretariat with input from partner institutions	Co-designed by partner instructors
Primary Format	A standalone or course module that adopts the GU model	Integrated into existing discipline-specific courses
Institutional Role	Establishes a consistent foundation for virtual exchange	Expands participation across departments and programs
Participation Model	Institution-level adoption of a shared course	Faculty-level design within existing courses

 

Through GPE COIL, institutions can:

• Extend virtual exchange into courses at any level and in any discipline
• Develop new international teaching partnerships
• Increase student access to global collaborative learning experiences
• Strengthen campus-wide global engagement within an established, trusted, and supported network