- What were the class sizes?

Dr. Tessmer: We started with 7 groups of 4-5 collaborators (if you are new to COIL, we recommend starting with a smaller number of groups). If there is an inequity in terms of enrollment in the courses, you may consider offering the COIL experience as an "Honors" project. Interested students submit an application package (including an interview?) that will determine their selection. Such a selection process will likely enhance engagement and success!

- How did you reconcile the assessment requirements of the different institutions? Were the students assessed using the same exercises, tests and examinations?

Dr. Tessmer: We did not attempt to reconcile assessments nor coordinate this process. Each instructor used their own assessment rubrics and methods, that is, assessment rubrics were left to each instructor to decide.

- Was there an in built automatic interpretation?

Dr. Tessmer: For a different COIL activity, we found that language challenges can be alleviated by promoting asynchronous exchanges. By doing so, participants have time to translate posts and/or use automatic translation tools to write their replies before posting.

- How did you have your course to be approved by MSU/your department to be part of COIL? How can students outside of MSU enroll in an MSU course?

Dr. Tessmer: Comparing COIL to a group project, MSU does not require an official approval to run such an activity as part of a course requirement. COIL is similar in the sense that it runs like a group project which happens to also involve students from another institution. Participants are not required to enroll in each other's courses. Course enrollment and credits/grades earned remain within each institution. Think of COIL as the result of an informal agreement between 2-3 HE instructors that are located far apart.

- Is the collaboration done on the COIL platform (not MSU D2L)?

Dr. Tessmer: There is a "COIL platform" managed by SUNY (pioneer institution in COIL initiatives) but it is not used as a course management system. It is more a platform to access COIL resources and network with COIL partners. Instructors who collaborate on a COIL activity can choose the digital platform they deem appropriate for all participants. It is often the case that home platforms (such as D2L at MSU) are not used for the COIL activity because it may required to much training for the remote students to get used to. Often, platforms that have a lower learning curve are preferred such as Padlet or Flip.

- How does one get involved in COIL?

Dr. Tessmer: Once you "click" with a (far apart) colleague who shares learning interests, you are on your way!

- Can COIL be used for both, undergraduate and graduate students/courses?

Dr. Tessmer: Yes, both undergraduate or graduate courses can be adapted to offer a COIL project.

- In the event that your COIL project culminates into a publishable manuscript, what guarantee would be there that the team will co-author the journal article without one "dumping" the other?

Dr. Tessmer: No guarantee that such an unfortunate event would take place... The partners should build a trustful relationship before embarking on a shared publication.

- Do the instructors need to find each other prior to applying as a team? What if they are already team mates?

If you already have a teammate in mind, you are free to apply as a team (using the Team Application form). If you don't have a teammate, you can submit the Individual Interest Form; after the deadline has passed, all individuals who have submitted their interest form will be notified about other individuals who are also looking for teammates. After you've found a teammate, you can work with them to put together a Team Application.

- Is there any age limit to the fellowship?

There’s no age limit; our fellows will be teaching faculty working at one of the higher-Education institutions that are part of the AAP consortium: Michigan State University (USA), Egerton University (Kenya), Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (Malawi), Makerere University (Uganda), United States International University-Africa (Kenya), Université Cheikh Anta Diop (Senegal), Université des Lettres et des Sciences Humaines de Bamako (Mali), University of Botswana (Botswana), University of Dar es Salaam (Tanzania), University of Nigeria, Nsukka (Nigeria), and University of Pretoria (South Africa).

- Is this fellowship opportunity for students or teachers?

The COIL fellowship is for higher-education instructors only; these instructors must be teaching at MSU or one of the African universities affiliated to the AAP Consortium.

- Can someone from Nepal collaborate with MSU for COIL projects?

For the purpose of this fellowship program, only instructors from African institutions affiliated with AAP are eligible. However, as COIL becomes more known and used at MSU, it is very likely that COIL activities will expand to all parts of the world. Additionally, if there is an existing (research) collaboration with a Nepalese institution, COIL can be considered as an additional "in the classroom" opportunity at the graduate and undergraduate levels.

All fellows are higher-ed teaching faculty (i.e., faculty or academic staff with teaching appointments), scheduled to teach academic courses at universities which are part of the AAP-Consortium:

Each fellow will receive a $750 (USD) stipend to be used for professional and project development. Additionally, fellows will receive extensive COIL training, which is currently estimated to cost at least $250 (USD) for similar training taken directly through external partners, totaling an experience valued at $1000 (USD).

However, the benefits of this program for fellows go way beyond the duration of the program itself, and some examples are listed below:

• learning best practices in multicultural teaching and curriculum internationalization
• collaboration with like-minded peers and professional networking
• content for future research, academic publications, and conference presentations
• potential recognition of work under global learning objectives when seeking reappointment, promotion, and tenure

Note: MSU faculty/academic staff may need to complete an Outside Work for Pay form due to the stipend at https://hr.msu.edu/ua/forms/faculty-academic-staff/info-owp.html. Be aware that, due to fairly recent changes in tax law, stipends are taxable. Those based outside of MSU should consult their institutional regulations. In case of questions, MSU faculty/academic staff may contact Marilyn Amey, Assistant Provost for Faculty and Academic Staff Development, at amey(at)msu.edu.

COILed projects will run between January-August/2025 as each team/pair of fellows will slightly restructure or modify their respective academic courses to incorporate their own collaborative COILed project. Although uniquely defined by each team/pair of fellows during the fellowship program, generally speaking we anticipate COILed projects that:

• Last between 3-6 weeks, with at least two planned online synchronous sessions (one at the start and one at the end of the project).
• Focus on providing an intercultural exchange through collaborative activities between students (or groups of students) from both institutions.
• Focus on one or more AAP priority areas:
• Agri-food Systems
• Water, Energy, & Environment
• Culture & Society
• Youth Empowerment
• Education
• Health & Nutrition
• Science, Technology & Innovation

This 100% online fellowship program will be composed of:

• a 5-week COIL training to support the design of COILed projects;
• a fellows community of practice to support fellows’ learning throughout the program;
• a culminating symposium/academic conference in 2025 to showcase implemented COILed projects, students’ learning, instructors’ collaborations, etc.

During the COIL training (scheduled to take place from Monday, September 9, 2024 to Friday, October 11, 2024), fellows are expected to work on their COILed projects. The COIL training will offer information, resources, tools, and collaborative opportunities in a blended format of online asynchronous and synchronous activities. See the table below for detailed information about the COIL training schedule:

An online Fellows Community of Practice is available to fellows of this program to allow for ease of communication and collaboration between each team as they delve deeper into their COILed project. Such an initiative will also bring benefits to all fellows as a whole, since it will serve as a space for further engagement, resource sharing, communication with COIL coordinators, etc.

Moreover, in support of sustainable institutional internationalization efforts and further learning opportunities for our fellows, through our program:

• MSU fellows: will join regular meetings of MSU’s COIL Faculty Learning Community, composed by MSU faculty/staff who have expertise and/or interest in COIL and curriculum internationalization;
• African fellows: will be in close contact with appointed COIL African Campus Coordinators from their universities, in support of a broader African-based COIL network.

Appointed COIL African Campus Coordinators will partake in COIL training, so they can better support the faculty teams awarded, as well as other faculty at their institution who may be interested in integrating COIL into their classrooms in the future. Additionally, these individuals will receive a small stipend for their participation ($500 USD).

In case of questions, you may contact Dr. Leticia Cherchiglia (leticia(at)msu.edu), GYAN’s Faculty Liaison & Program Coordinator. Thank you!