Key terms: collaborative online international learning (COIL), intercultural competence, global citizenship, cross-institutional partnership
By Ashley Anderson
Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) is an educational method in which educators from two or more institutions design and facilitate collaborative online learning for students at each institution (Hackett et al., 2024). COIL is based on a collaborative learning approach in which two or more students work together to solve a problem, complete a task, or create a project (Hackett et al., 2023). During online learning, faculty act as facilitators, while students learn through interaction and collaboration with one another (Hackett et al., 2023). Many institutions and educators are choosing COIL because traditional study abroad can be less accessible for students and has a significant environmental impact (Hackett et al., 2024). By integrating online collaboration and intercultural exchange, COIL provides a flexible, cost-effective, and environmentally conscious way for institutions to prepare students for a globalized world.
Four main COIL models
COIL has four models: parallel, consultation, jigsaw, and hybrid. The parallel COIL model is the most commonly adopted model (Chan, 2025). This model allows students to work independently and communicate asynchronously with students at universities outside of their home institution. However, cross-institutional collaboration can be limited, which could limit students’ intercultural competence and collaboration (Chan, 2025). The consultation model is a role-based model in which one student group acts as mentors and the other as advisees. This model works particularly well for interdisciplinary projects, but it can introduce power dynamics that reinforce existing global inequities, especially when a Global North institution is advising an institution in the Global South (Chan, 2025). The jigsaw model is best suited for co-created and interdependent projects. Each group of students is responsible for a critical part of a shared project, which makes collaboration essential. However, this model demands high levels of coordination and institutional support. The hybrid model integrates features from the parallel, consultation, and jigsaw models. This model is best suited for institutions with advanced COIL programming and semester-long virtual exchanges, as implementation requires significant institutional infrastructure, planning, and facilitation (Chan, 2025).
Why use COIL?
Most institutions of higher education promote the development of intercultural competence through study abroad at an international partner university, but there are many barriers to this type of international experience. On average, fewer than fifteen percent of undergraduate students in Europe and the US have studied or worked abroad (Hackett et al., 2023). COIL is an accessible alternative, as it can provide international learning regardless of a student’s financial situation or ability to travel (Chan, 2025).
Advantages of COIL
One key advantage is COIL’s financial benefits, as it typically has no travel costs associated with study abroad.Students who participate in COIL gain marketable skills. Chemical engineering students in Spain, Colombia, and Mexico reported that their COIL experience boosted their confidence and knowledge, better preparing them for the job market and for work in international or multicultural environments (Vaquerizo et al., 2025). Additionally, students who took COIL courses organized by universities in Japan with partners in the USA, Malaysia, and the Philippines showed significant improvement in critical thinking, problem-solving, communication, adaptability, and creativity skills (Hennings et al., 2024).
Another advantage of COIL is cross-cultural learning, which develops intercultural and global competency (Chan, 2025). Hackett et al.’s (2023) study showed that participation in COIL increases students’ intercultural competence and cultural intelligence (Hackett et al., 2023). A 2-year COIL project titled ‘Linguistic and Cultural Diversity Across Contexts’ was implemented between universities in Spain and Poland and resulted in enhanced intercultural awareness, communication, and empathy for participating students (Waddington et al., 2026). These findings demonstrate that COIL provides a way for students to develop the intercultural skills needed to collaborate in a global society.
Because of its digital nature, COIL enables cross-cultural learning between countries where face-to-face experiences may be difficult to arrange. For example, “some of the most highly developed COIL and virtual exchange programmes include…virtual exchange between the US and the Middle East and North Africa, because travel to these areas can be difficult” (Rubin, 2017, p.30). This was the case for students participating in CET Jordan, who were sent home and unable to complete their study abroad experience in the spring of 2026 due to safety concerns (Abou-Rizk, 2026). COIL can connect students across regions where political tensions, safety concerns, or visa restrictions would prevent a traditional in-person study-abroad experience. A study in the International Journal of Development Education and Global Learning argues that students who participated in COIL deepened their learning and understanding of global citizenship as inclusive and transformative (Wimpenny et al., 2024). By removing geographical and political barriers to international exchange, COIL provides learning opportunities that would otherwise be unattainable, while still fostering students’global citizenship.
Challenges of COIL
While there are many advantages to COIL, further comparative and experimental research is needed to evaluate COIL’s impact (Chan, 2025). Wimpenny et al.’s 2024 study argues that COIL should not be used to force inclusivity through shallow intercultural contact but that it should be a core component of each student’s curriculum as an integrated learning practice (Wimpenny et al., 2024). Challenges with COIL can also include issues with technology, such as websites or video communication platforms (Waddington et al., 2026). To mitigate these issues, institutions of higher education could conduct analyses prior to implementing COIL to establish schedules that align with each country’s time zones and confirm that the majority of the students involved speak the same language (Garizurieta-Bernabe & Prakaschandra, 2024).
Next Steps
When designing a COIL course, faculty and administrators should consider how COIL aligns with their institution and course goals, language barriers, whether they have the technology available to support international communication, and what institutional support is available to them (Ulysseus COIL Handbook, 2025). To find a partner institution, faculty and administrators can draw from personal or institutional connections. The State University of New York (SUNY) Center for Collaborative Online International Learning has a Global Partner Network where faculty and administrators can purchase a membership to form connections and build partnerships (COIL Global Network, 2025). Additionally, most institutions of higher education have a global engagement office that can also assist with COIL programs. When considering partnerships, faculty and administrators should evaluate the alignment of learning objectives, language compatibility, time zones, the effectiveness of digital platforms and technologies, and the support available from each institution (Vahed, 2025). To optimize student experience, educators should offer a pre-COIL orientation or pre-test to assess students’ knowledge of COIL principles (VE/COIL Handbook, 2023). Furthermore, students should participate in peer evaluation, so the facilitators can collect data to inform further course improvements (VE/COIL Handbook, 2023).
Conclusion
COIL offers a cost-effective and inclusive alternative to traditional study abroad that develops marketable skills, intercultural competence, and global citizenship. However, these outcomes depend on thoughtful course design, strong institutional support, and high-quality implementation. For institutions and educators who value internationalization and intercultural exchange, COIL reduces barriers and provides a practical pathway to integrate global learning.
Ashley Anderson is a graduate student at the University of Alabama at Birmingham in the Higher Education Administration program.
