Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) Hub Launches in Japan
December 5, 2014
Albany – The State University of New York today announced the launch of a new Collaborative Online International Learning(COIL) Hub at Kansai University in Osaka, Japan. The new hub will link to the SUNY COIL Center, located in New York City, to support an online international learning environment for students who otherwise may not have the resources or ability to study abroad.
The SUNY COIL Center currently works with 22 SUNY campuses through its Nodal Network and with 18 international institutions, including Kansai University, through its Global Partner Network, enabling SUNY faculty to virtually co-teach courses with faculty in other countries, connecting students at both institutions.
“Allowing students to experience some of the benefits of study abroad without leaving campus is an innovative concept that lowers costs for students while still globalizing their higher education,” said SUNY Chancellor Nancy L. Zimpher. “We are proud to engage with our colleagues and students at Kansai University in this newest advancement of the SUNY COIL Center.”
SUNY COIL Center Director Jon Rubin said, “There is a growing awareness that our students need to better understand the rapidly changing world, and the COIL model offers a unique way for our students to engage with those far away. In the past year, interest in COIL has grown exponentially and with the launching of the first Japanese COIL hub, we expect to see an expanding role for this modality across the international education landscape.”
The new hub at Kansai University in Japan will be launched this weekend at an international symposium, where Rubin will provide the keynote address and faculty, staff, and students from SUNY Ulster and SUNY Oswego will participate in panel discussions and workshops highlighting their own experience with COIL in New York State. A video made by Kansai University about the new hub is available online.
The SUNY COIL Center recently announced the details of its 7th annual conference, which will be held March 19 and 20, 2015, with the theme: “The Expanding Landscape of COIL Practitioners, Networks, and Hubs: What’s Next?” The launch of Kansai’s COIL hub is part of this expanding landscape and will provide many more opportunities for SUNY students to engage Japanese students and those of Kansai’s Asian partner institutions.
About the SUNY COIL Center
Founded in 2006, the SUNY COIL Center is a leader in the emerging field of collaborative online international learning (also called virtual exchange). This is a teaching and learning methodology which provides innovative and cost-effective internationalization strategies. COIL programs foster faculty and student exchange with peers abroad through co-taught multicultural online and blended learning environments emphasizing experiential collaboration. They also serve as portals for SUNY students considering study abroad or for international students considering study at SUNY.
The SUNY COIL Center is now also working closely with Open SUNY to embed COIL courses into the system’s Open SUNY+ programs, which bring online degree and certificate programs to a much wider audience. For more information please visit: http://coil.suny.edu.
About the State University of New York
The State University of New York is the largest comprehensive system of higher education in the United States, and more than 95 percent of all New Yorkers live within 30 miles of any one of SUNY’s 64 colleges and universities. Across the system, SUNY has four academic health centers, five hospitals, four medical schools, two dental schools, a law school, the country’s oldest school of maritime, the state’s only college of optometry, and manages one US Department of Energy National Laboratory. In total, SUNY serves about 1.4 million students amongst its entire portfolio of credit- and non-credit-bearing courses and programs, continuing education, and community outreach programs. SUNY oversees nearly a quarter of academic research in New York. Research expenditures system-wide are nearly $1.1 billion in fiscal year 2023, including significant contributions from students and faculty. There are more than three million SUNY alumni worldwide, and one in three New Yorkers with a college degree is a SUNY alum. To learn more about how SUNY creates opportunities, visit suny.edu.
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Holly Liapis
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