In Testimonial: Collaborative Online International Learning

Lecturer in the Department of Political Studies, Dr. Martin Gaal, shares about his COIL experience in a recently produced testimonial video. COIL is a framework of teaching and learning that promotes intercultural opportunities through a short-term virtual exchange program. It involves an instructor from the university partnering with an instructor from a partnering institution abroad to develop a course-based project or experience. His COIL journey began last Spring after he initiated planning arrangements with a partner instructor at the Florida International University. Together they developed a discussion topic that brought together their respective course subject matter and students of different backgrounds. USask students who participated in the course were also featured in the video and spoke of their unforgettable experiences connecting and working with students from diverse cultural backgrounds.  Dr. Gaal was keen on pointing out that COIL develops the students’ intercultural competency, preparing them “to navigate a space with people of different cultural backgrounds… to work through and discuss things that are important to our lives”. The Lecturer, who is also involved with the USask Global Study Certificate Program also spoke about his goal to “Bring Saskatchewan to the world and the world to Saskatchewan”. He believes COIL is a “ fundamentally connective way” to do this and also sees it as an avenue for increased cost-efficient opportunities for internationalization at the university. To learn more about this journey, listen to our very own praise the versatility of COIL and its virtual benefits in the testimonial video below.

More from Martin and his students’ experiences https://usask.cloud.panopto.eu/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=a30db862-6749-46ee-b14a-acc20158be6b
More information on COIL https://teaching.usask.ca/curriculum/coil.php