The Office of Connected Learning

COIL Learning Outcomes

Learning Outcomes for COIL Courses at UW Bothell

The proposed framing of COIL and learning outcomes should be incorporated into all COIL courses at UW Bothell in order to ensure high quality and consistency, particularly given that the pedagogy is relatively new and may not be well understood. The LOs are based on themes found in the AAC&U’s VALUE rubrics for Global Learning and Intercultural Knowledge and Competence, as well as trends found in actual learning objectives developed by previous UW COIL Fellows. They were drafted by the COIL Fellows planning team in 2019, vetted by recent COIL instructors at UWB and the Global Initiatives Advisory Board, tested out in practice by the 2020 group of COIL Fellows, and modified based on feedback received.

The language is intentionally general. The expectation is that faculty will adapt the wording to fit their specific course.

Framing COIL in the Course Syllabus

All COIL course syllabi should introduce Collaborative Online International Learning, explaining what COIL is and articulating some specific learning benefits for students. Here is some suggested general, student-facing language that can be personalized:

This course incorporates COIL (Collaborative Online International Learning), a virtual form of global learning that invites you to actively engage with peers in a different country using online tools. We will be working with [xyz: nursing/ first-year/ 20, etc.] students at [institution] in [country]. Interactions will be both live (e.g. video conference or chat) or asynchronous (e.g. discussion boards, collaboration on a shared product, etc.) and will utilize technology accessible to students on both sides [adapt language to actual activities of the course]. For this course, we will mostly use [technology]. The expectation is that you will benefit from this experience by [specify tangible benefit, such as gaining workplace skills/ experience].

Learning Outcomes for COIL Courses

Through participation in Collaborative Online International Learning activities built into the course, students will be able to:

  1. Identify similarities and differences in cultural, political, and social perspectives on the subject matter across COIL partners (Perspective Taking).
  2. Articulate new insights into their own identity (Cultural Self-Awareness).
  3. Evaluate intercultural communication styles to achieve a shared outcome (Intercultural Communication).

How do these themes align with what you are planning for your COIL course? Your syllabus should include a variation of all three learning outcomes.