| Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) | Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) is an instructional approach that integrates meaningful intercultural engagement directly into a course. COIL projects center on international partnerships and cross-cultural collaboration, allowing students to learn with and from peers in different global contexts. |
| Cultural Humility | Cultural humility is an ongoing practice of self-reflection that involves recognizing personal and systemic biases, and cultivating respectful, trust-based relationships. It emphasizes approaching others’ experiences with openness and acknowledging oneself as a continual learner. |
| Diversity | Diversity encompasses the full range of differences that make individuals and groups unique. It includes varied forms of knowledge, perspectives, identities, and lived experiences. Diversity emerges from membership in different social, cultural, and intellectual communities. |
| Equity | Equity refers to ensuring fair treatment, access, and opportunities for all individuals. It involves creating conditions that address historic and current disadvantages by removing barriers and supporting the needs of equity-seeking and marginalized groups. |
| Inclusion | Inclusion is the intentional practice of understanding and valuing diverse perspectives so that every individual feels respected and able to reach their fullest potential. An inclusive environment actively fosters empathy, belonging, and equal participation regardless of personal characteristics. |
| Intercultural Competence | Intercultural competence is the ability to communicate and collaborate effectively and appropriately with people from different cultural backgrounds. It encompasses a combination of communication skills, cultural awareness, and attitudes that are increasingly essential in globalized classrooms and workplaces. |
| Icebreaker | An icebreaker is an activity designed to build rapport, encourage teamwork, and promote cultural learning. In COIL projects, icebreakers help students get to know one another and begin exploring each other’s cultural and international contexts. |
| Main Task | The Main Task is the central collaborative assignment that students work on throughout a COIL project. While project length and content may vary, COIL experiences are typically organized around a single core task that may include multiple steps or components. |
| Virtual Exchange | Virtual exchange is a broad term for educational practices that promote intercultural and digital learning through international collaboration and communication. COIL is one specific model of virtual exchange, offering structured opportunities for global engagement within a course. |