COIL at Cal State LA
Projects & Impact
See how Cal State LA faculty and international partners are putting Collaborative Online International Learning into practice.
Learning through collaboration
COIL looks different in every discipline
A COIL project may involve comparative research, shared problem-solving, discussion, design, presentations, interviews, case analysis, or another form of collaborative learning.
What makes the work COIL is not a particular assignment. It is the sustained collaboration between students in courses at different institutions, designed together by faculty partners.
A growing initiative
Building global learning through the curriculum
COIL at Cal State LA is still developing. Early collaborations have connected Cal State LA students and faculty with partners in several parts of the world while helping us learn how to support future projects more effectively.
International Partnerships
Faculty collaborations have connected Cal State LA with colleagues and students in countries including Colombia, Germany, Mongolia, and Japan.
Student Learning
Students encounter course concepts through direct interaction with peers studying within different social, cultural, professional, and academic contexts.
Faculty Development
Faculty partners learn from one another as they compare courses, teaching approaches, student needs, academic systems, and disciplinary perspectives.
Continuous Improvement
Reflection and student feedback help faculty refine collaborations when partnerships continue across semesters or academic years.
Featured COIL projects
See what COIL looks like in practice
These projects show how faculty across disciplines are designing international collaborations around real course content, shared student work, and meaningful intercultural learning.
Social work students in Los Angeles and Munich compared child welfare systems, policies, services, professional practices, and lived experiences through international teamwork and comparative research.
Student feedback from the first collaboration helped the faculty redesign the project with more structure, a more focused assignment, and even greater emphasis on direct international conversation.
Students across three universities used writing, peer exchange, editing, digital authoring, and public publishing to explore first-generation university experiences across different national and educational contexts.
The collaboration connects COIL with student publishing, digital communication, and an expanding pathway toward in-person global learning.
Social work students in Los Angeles and international marketing students in Colombia worked in binational teams to investigate shared social challenges and develop culturally responsive interventions and communication strategies.
Across two semesters, 96 students participated in the collaboration. Student assessment documented growth in adaptability, teamwork, cross-cultural communication, and strategies for navigating intercultural differences.
What we are learning
Impact includes what happens after the first project
COIL can generate valuable student learning during a collaboration, but the faculty reflection that follows also matters. Early projects are helping shape how Cal State LA supports future faculty partnerships.
Interaction matters
Students often value the opportunity to talk and work directly with international peers as much as the final assignment itself.
Structure matters
Clear expectations, manageable assignments, communication plans, and early preparation help international teams work more effectively.
Iteration matters
Faculty can use student feedback and their own reflections to improve a partnership when they collaborate again.
As the initiative grows
Building a clearer picture of COIL at Cal State LA
As more faculty projects are implemented, this site will document the collaborations and what we learn from them.
Projects and Partnerships
We are building the infrastructure to track participating courses, faculty, international institutions, countries, repeat collaborations, and the reach of COIL across the curriculum.
Learning and Reflection
Student assessment, faculty reflection, and project documentation will help us understand what is working, what needs refinement, and how COIL can better support meaningful global learning.
Build the next project
Interested in developing a COIL collaboration?
Cal State LA faculty begin with COIL Foundations. Faculty who need an international collaborator can also explore partner development support.