ABSTRACT
This chapter aims to guide teachers interested in setting up Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) courses through a series of steps that help provide the necessary structure and flexibility for their success. COIL is inherently different from online distance learning in that it calls for co-teaching and brings together two or more groups of students in geographically distant locations to collaborate on activities. One goal that all COIL courses share is to enhance students' learning and cultural awareness. The chapter identifies three factors that appear to be fundamental not only for the success of a COIL course but also for the sustainability of COIL initiatives across institutions: committed institutional and teacher-to-teacher partnerships; learning first, that is, joint course development that moves from objectives to activities to tools; and flexibility with structure.
