Collaborative Online International Learning
Bring the world into your classroom - No passport required
Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL), also known as Virtual Exchange (VE), lets SVSU students work directly with peers at partner universities abroad — without leaving Saginaw Valley. This page is a starting point for SVSU faculty who want to explore what COIL is, why it's worth doing, and how to build one into a course.
What is COIL and Virtual Exchange?
Collaborative Online International Learning pairs a course at SVSU with a course at an international partner institution, so both groups of students work together on shared assignments, projects, or discussions over a defined period — usually somewhere between four weeks and a full semester. Faculty from each institution co-design the collaboration around their existing course content, so COIL doesn't require building a new course from scratch. It can be a single shared project inside an existing class, or a more sustained partnership that runs the whole term.
COIL is sometimes called Virtual Exchange (VE) — the terms are used interchangeably in most of higher education, though VE is the broader umbrella term and COIL specifically refers to the classroom-to-classroom teaching model.
Where COIL Came From
COIL traces back to a cross-cultural video production course first taught in 2002 by Jon Rubin, a professor at SUNY Purchase, who linked his students with peers in Belarus to co-produce video projects entirely online. The idea proved compelling enough that the State University of New York formally launched the SUNY COIL Center in 2006, with Rubin as its founding director. From there, COIL grew from a single course model into a recognized pedagogy used by universities on every continent, with dedicated centers, professional networks, and published research supporting its use. SUNY COIL remains one of the most active hubs in the field today.
Why COIL? The Case For Virtual Exchange
Why COIL and Virtual Exchange directly benefits SVSU and its students and faculty:
Most SVSU students will not study abroad — cost, timing, work schedules, and family obligations get in the way for many. COIL gives every student, not just the ones who can travel, a real international and intercultural experience as part of a class they're already taking. Students build cross-cultural communication skills, work in international virtual teams (a skill increasingly expected in the workforce), and gain perspective on their discipline from outside a U.S. context — all without the cost of travel.
COIL is a low-cost way to internationalize a course without an overhaul. It creates a natural source of new teaching material, co-teaching relationships, and — for faculty interested in scholarship of teaching and learning — a built-in research and publication opportunity, since COIL outcomes are a well-established area of study.
SVSU already maintains active institutional partnerships across Asia, Europe, and the Americas. COIL is one of the most direct ways to convert those existing partnership relationships into something that reaches SVSU students who never leave campus — extending the value of every partnership OIP maintains to a much larger share of the student body than study abroad or exchange programs can reach alone.
How To Get Started
Path A — Build on an Existing SVSU Partnership
SVSU already has active institutional relationships with universities across Asia, Europe, and the Americas. If your discipline or teaching interests align with one of our partner institutions, OIP can help make an introduction to a faculty contact there. This is often the fastest path, since a relationship — and sometimes a signed agreement — is already in place.
Path B — Find Your Own COIL Partner
If none of SVSU's current partners fit your discipline, subject area, or the kind of collaboration you have in mind, several established networks exist specifically to help faculty find COIL partners abroad. See the “Finding a Partner” section below.
Our International Partnerships
SVSU maintains active institutional partnerships with universities Worldwide. Faculty interested in exploring a COIL collaboration with one of these institutions should contact OIP directly at intpartner@svsu.edu to discuss current contacts and possibilities. If you would like to explore our list of partners, please follow the link to our Partnerships Page below:
Finding an external Partner
Our recommended External Resources to build your program
If you're looking to find a COIL partner outside SVSU's current network, here are established, vetted starting points — organized by what you're trying to do.
Wrapped Up: A Simple 5-Step Process To Get Started
Pick an existing course — you don't need to build something new. Look for a unit, project, or discussion that would benefit from an outside cultural perspective.
Check with OIP about existing SVSU partnerships first, or use one of the external networks above.
Co-design a course with your partner faculty member. Agree on shared learning goals, a timeline (commonly 4–8 weeks), and a communication platform.
OIP can help with the institutional relationship side; The Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL) can help with instructional design, technology, and course integration.
After your first COIL module, consider sharing what worked — SVSU is building a track record of faculty COIL use, and your experience can help the next person.
Who can support you?
Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL)
CETL can help with instructional design, course integration, and connecting COIL to SVSU's broader teaching and learning resources. Contact:
Erik Trump, Director
Office: Z 231
Phone: 989-964-4189
Mail: ekt@svsu.edu
Office of International Programs (OIP)
OIP can help connect your COIL idea to an existing SVSU institutional partnership and support the international relationship side of a collaboration. Contact:
Collin Glenn, International Partnership Coordinator
Office: Wickes 230
Phone: 989-964-2593
Mail: intpartner@svsu.edu
Frequently Asked Questions
No. Most COIL collaborations are built into an existing course as a project or module, not a standalone new class.
No — that's the point. COIL is designed to be a low-cost or no-cost way to internationalize a course.
Not necessarily. Many COIL collaborations run in English, though language-focused disciplines often use COIL specifically for language practice with native speakers.
Anywhere from a few weeks to a full semester — most fall in the 4–8 week range.
CONTACT US.
Study Abroad
Kal Spencer
studyabroad@svsu.edu
+1-989-964-4268
International Partnerships
Collin Glenn
intpartner@svsu.edu
+1-989-964-2593
International Student Advisor
Hannah Turk-Lerash
hrturk@svsu.edu
+1-989-964-4059