Friday, April 5, 2024 - Virtual (in-person group meeting available)

Click here to watch the Workshop Recording

COIL Workshop Overview

This is a FREE workshop hosted by MSU Billings that is open to any faculty teaching at a Yellowstone Consortium (YC) institution. COIL, or Collaborative Online International Learning, is an educational approach that uses online teaching technologies to connect with a peer faculty member and adjoining classroom in a different part of the world to integrate collaborative international group work within a course.

The YC COIL Workshop will take place virtually, led by trained COIL instructors at the University of Montana. In this workshop, participating faculty will learn how to identify an existing course they teach as a good candidate for COIL, learn how to find potential global partners, examine a successful COIL program, and discuss lessons learned. Join veteran COIL Professor Alessia Carpoca (Theatre & Dance - University of Montana), veteran COIL Instructional Designer Jeanie Castillo (UM Online), and Senior International Officer Donna Anderson (UM Global Engagement Office) to learn how to bring the COIL methodology to your course and/or campus. 

UISFL COIL Development Grants

From Oct. 1, 2023 to Sept. 30, 2026, each year, OIS will award 10 (ten) COIL Development Grants in the amount of $500 each to faculty who have submitted successful proposals for developing COIL initiatives within a new or existing course. All faculty (as defined below under Grant Eligibility) within the Consortium are eligible and encouraged to apply. Like all grants offered through the UISFL project, all YC campuses will have equal access to these COIL Development grants.

Faculty who are interested in applying for a COIL Development Grant are HIGHLY encouraged to participate in the 2024 YC COIL Workshop.

Click Here for COIL Development Grant Details

 

Workshop Attendance Eligibility

This FREE workshop is open to ANY faculty teaching at a Yellowstone Consortium institution.

Yellowstone Consortium members:

  • Montana State University Billings - Billings, MT
  • Northwest College - Powell, WY
  • Little Big Horn College - Crow Agency, Baaxawuaashe, MT
  • Dawson Community College - Glendive, MT
  • Miles Community College - Miles City, MT

This is a virtual workshop, however, the MSUB Office of International Studies (OIS) will provide a space on MSUB campus for in-person attendance as a way of fostering a positive learning environment amongst faculty peers. Faculty who attend in person will be required to bring with them a laptop that can connect to the virtual webinar. In-person participants will also be treated to complimentary coffee and tea at 11AM as well as a complementary catered lunch, which will be available at 1PM, directly following the workshop.

Workshop Agenda
11:00-11:30AM Complimentary coffee, tea and mingling for in-person participants
11:30-11:45AM Icebreakers, COIL introduction, Finding/Developing Successful Partnerships
11:45AM-12:00PM Course Design - includes assessment & technology
12:00-12:15PM Case Studies - 3 case studies from successful UM COIL modules
12:15-12:35PM Group Activity
12:35-12:45PM Challenges/Things to Consider
12:45-1:00PM Q&A, Discussion
1:00PM-1:30PM Complimentary catered lunch for in-person participants

Workshop Outcomes

  1. Participants will gain a holistic understanding of COIL teaching methodologies and best practices.
  2. Participants will be able to assess potential COIL partners, taking into consideration unique challenges such as time differences, cultural, educational and/or language barriers, technological synergies, etc.
  3. Participants are able to design pre-COIL preparation activities that establish student readiness to initiate interactions and successfully engage with culturally diverse peers.
  4. Participants can assess and select appropriate technologies and software for a successful COIL project, supporting both asynchronous and synchronous collaboration and communication.
  5. Participants are able to design collaborative tasks and team integration activities for students engaging in a COIL project.
  6. Participants can build student learning and reflection activities associated with the course’s learning outcomes.

Presenter Biographies

 

Donna AndersonDonna Anderson, PhD, serves as Senior International Officer and Executive Director of the Global Engagement Office at the University of Montana. She has provided leadership in the areas of Education Abroad, International Partnerships and Agreements, International Student and Scholar Services, Intensive English Language Programs, and International Student Recruitment.  Donna has worked with administrators, faculty, and staff to create global opportunities; expand international components of teaching, research, and engagement activities; recruit and support international students and scholars; provide education abroad opportunities; and facilitate the development of international partnerships important to the university’s strategic priorities. In 2020 Donna submitted a proposal for UM to participate in the ACE-IIGE Rapid Response Workshop on Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) and worked with a team from UM and partner, Sophia University, in Japan to learn the COIL methodology and deliver the first COIL module at UM. As a result, Donna led the start of the University of Montana Online Virtual Exchange (UMOVE) program and helped to secure funding to support faculty in adopting the COIL methodology. Previously, she served as Director of International Programs at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville and as Study Abroad Coordinator at Loras College.

Alessia CarpocaAlessia Carpoca is the Head of the Design and Technology program at the University of Montana where she teaches scene design, costume design and scenic painting along with continuing her professional Scenery and Costume Design career. She designed professionally in Canada, Italy, Germany and the Czech Republic along with several theatres in the USA. Alessia is an active member of USITT (United States Institute for Theatre and Technology) where she serves in the Conference Committee and International Committee. For USITT, she was the Assistant Project Coordinator for the 2011 USITT-USA Prague Quadrennial exhibit. Alessia research field lies in her passion for Japanese art and culture. She spent two sabbatical semesters in Kyoto researching Ukiyo-e representation of scenery in Kabuki while partnering with the Art Research Center at Ritsumeikan University. While in Japan she also studied Manga with the Kyoto Art School. Her paper on Japanese Anime: Visual and cultural influences on Italian contemporary artists of the “Goldrake Generation” was published by Cambridge Scholars Publishing. In 2020 she participated in the ACE-IIGE Rapid Response Workshop about Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) and has taught several workshops on COIL after collaborating with Prof. Murai from Sophia University, Tokyo for two courses. Professor Carpoca has worked with the Global Engagement Office to create UMOVE - The University of Montana Online Virtual Exchange and is currently the Chair of the International Council.

Some of her design work can be found at http://www.alessiacarpoca.net/.

Education

  • MFA in Theatre Design from Northwestern University
  • BFA in Scenography from the Academy of Fine Arts of Rome, Italy

Jeanie CastilloJeanie Castillo, M.A. in Linguistics, is an educator, instructional designer, and curriculum specialist with more than 25 years of experience developing and teaching courses in a variety of fields including English language instruction, academic writing, linguistics, and career and business development. At the University of Montana, she has taught face-to-face and online classes for the Linguistics Program and for the English Language Institute. She now works as a senior instructional designer for UMOnline, assisting faculty and programs in the development and management of technology-driven learning opportunities.