The Berlin network BeCOIL created a series of videos explaining and giving further insights into the concept of COIL.
You can find all the videos here. (Please note that you will be led to an external page – YouTube.)
BeCOIL International Staff Training Week 2025 – register now!
The BeCOIL project will be hosting a Staff Week on the topic of „Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL): Creating an international impact at home“ as part of the Freie Universität Berlin’s International Staff Training Week, which will take place from June 23 to June 27, 2025.
The innovative teaching and learning format COIL (Collaborative Online International Learning) is an innovative concept that enables digital collaboration between universities worldwide. Students gain valuable experience in global team work through cross-border projects, developing cultural, collaborative and digital skills – essential key qualifications that enhance students’ employability.
The BeCOIL International Staff Training Week 2025 will be open for educators and administrative staff with an interest in and experience of COIL. It will address best practices, challenges and solutions of implementing and doing COIL. In addition, we want to connect and exchange experience and expertise in order to grow and take new ideas and strategies back to our home universities to enhance the use of COIL in our classrooms.
Please follow this link to find further information and to submit your application. Applications are now open until January 27, 2025.
Virtual BeCOIL Meetup on December 5
Prof. Dr. Daniel Michelis (Hochschule Anhalt, University of Applied Sciences, Germany) will kick off this 60-minute discussion session by sharing his COIL experiences with South Africa and Ghana. Seasoned COIL practitioners as well as COIL enthusiasts from Berlin and around the world will join the meetup.
The event is moderated by BeCOIL project coordinators from nine Berlin universities.
Online-event, Thursday, December 5, 2024, 9:30 – 10:30 AM (CEST) .
How to COIL – How to Design Collaborative Online Courses with International Colleagues on November 28
This 90-minute online course provides an introduction to the Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) approach and outlines how you can incorporate digital and international elements into your teaching. To illustrate the COIL concept we have invited Reinout Klamer from the The Hague University of Applied Sciences (THUAS), who will discuss how you can build capacity for COIL at your institution featuring an example of a COIL held at THUAS.
BeCOIL and the Berlin Centre for Higher Education (BZHL) will jointly organise the event.
Online-event, Thursday, November 28, 2024, from 9:30 to 11:00 am (CEST).
Virtual BeCOIL Meetup on June 10th
During this 60-minute discussion session Dr. Mia Cirkveni (Senior Lecturer at the Faculty of Economics and Business in Osijek, UNIOS, Croatia) will share her and her students‘ enriching experiences from participating in COIL projects and organizing a telecollaboration within the field of English for Specific Purposes (ESP). Seasoned COIL practitioners as well as COIL enthusiasts from Berlin and around the world will join the meetup.
The event is moderated by BeCOIL project coordinators from nine Berlin universities. Julia Kröcher from the BZHL will be on hand to answer pedagogical questions.
Online-event, Monday, May 10, 2024, 9:30 – 10:30 AM (CEST) .
Registration and more information
Innovative Learning Exchange: Insights from the First Hybrid COIL Bar Camp
Participants from around the world gathered in Mainz, both in-person and online, to explore diverse topics in virtual learning and share valuable insights at the first COIL Bar Camp.
On March 4, 2024, the first hybrid Bar Camp on the topic of Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) took place. The event brought together nearly 50 participants from eleven different countries. BeCOIL, Mainz University of Applied Sciences and the COIL´DE network co-conceived and co-organized the event. Student employees from the BeCOIL partner universities also actively contributed to making the event a complete success.
Diverse Topics and Engaged Discussions
At the LUX Pavilion of Mainz University of Applied Sciences and virtually, attendees discussed a wide range of topics related to virtual exchange. During the Bar Camp, numerous important subjects were covered, including the development of COIL projects, incentives for teachers and students, the promotion of UN sustainability goals, and the imparting of 21st-century skills. Data protection and ethical standards in the implementation of COIL projects were also thoroughly addressed.
Positive Feedback from Participants
Both the organizers and participants expressed satisfaction. „It was great to get to know so many different perspectives and engage in direct exchange with students and professionals from around the world,“ commented an international participant. The sessions provided valuable insights and fostered intensive exchange on various topics. The open and participatory nature of the Bar Camp allowed participants to propose and discuss topics themselves, leading to a dynamic learning atmosphere.
A Look to the Future
The first hybrid COIL Bar Camp at Mainz University of Applied Sciences was a significant step towards stronger international networking and collaboration. Such events are planned to be held more regularly in the future to attract even more participants and further intensify the exchange. The next COIL Bar Camp is scheduled for spring 2025.
COIL´DE Network
The COIL’DE network was founded in 2020. Currently, our network includes over 20 members from many different universities across Germany. We meet every four to six weeks to discuss topics related to COIL that are particularly relevant to the German higher education landscape. Our goal is to contribute to the establishment of COIL projects at universities and to expand the exchange with those interested in COIL.
How to COIL – How to Design Collaborative Online Courses with International Colleagues
This 90-minute online course provides an introduction to the Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) approach and outlines how you can incorporate digital and international elements into your teaching. To illustrate the concept of COIL we have invited Martín Hernán Castro from the HWR Berlin who will tell us about „Challenges for Management and interculturality: Findings from COILing with 3 different cultural orientations“.
BeCOIL and the Berlin Centre for Higher Education (BZHL) will jointly organise the event.
Online-event, Monday, 03.06.2024, from 9:30 to 11:00 am (CEST).
Virtual BeCOIL Meetup on May 13th
Dr. Mirjam Hauck (The Open University, England) will kick off this 60-minute discussion session by presenting her research on „VE through the social justice and inclusion lens“. The floor will then be opened for an exchange of ideas and questions. Seasoned COIL practitioners as well as COIL enthusiasts from Berlin and around the world will join the meetup.
The event is moderated by BeCOIL project coordinators from nine Berlin universities. Julia Kröcher from the BZHL will be on hand to answer pedagogical questions.
Online-event, Wednesday May 13, 2024, 2:30 – 3:30 PM (CEST) .
Registration and more information
COIL meets SDGs
Business Studies and Finance students from HTW Berlin and its partner universities Inholland (The Netherlands), HOGENT (Belgium) and CEU San Pablo (Spain) recently worked together for a COIL project. Over several weeks, the participants created their own online game around the global Sustainability Development Goals (SDGs) while collaborating in internationally mixed groups with alternating coaches from the four involved universities.
How to COIL – How to Design Collaborative Online Courses with International Colleagues
This 90-minute online course provides an introduction to the Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) approach and outlines how you can incorporate online international collaboration into your courses. To illustrate this concept we have invited Dr. Ruth Tobias from the FU Berlin, who will tell us about her COIL on „What Do You Mean?“: Experiencing Culture through Language – Joint Online Course, Jerusalem – Berlin (Hebrew-German).
BeCOIL and the Berlin Centre for Higher Education (BZHL) will jointly organise the event.
Online-event, Thursday, 18th of April from 3 to 4:30 pm (CET).