Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL)
Is a dynamic approach to education that bridges geographic boundaries and fosters cross-cultural collaboration between university professors and students around the world.
COIL transforms traditional education by fostering global collaboration among professors and students without having to leave their home institutions. It promotes intercultural understanding, active learning, and flexible engagement.
COIL encourages collaboration between students from diverse backgrounds, enriches their educational experience, and prepares participants for an interconnected world. It also enhances cultural competence, expands professional networks, and fosters deeper learning outcomes. COIL´s innovative pedagogy and inherent flexibility allow for seamless integration into existing curricula.
COIL is…
An intercultural collaboration
COIL encourages collaboration between classes from different cultural backgrounds, fostering mutual understanding and appreciation for global perspectives.
An innovative pedagogy
COIL promotes active learning through collaborative projects, discussions, and multimedia presentations, enriching the educational experience for both professors and students.
An opportunity for flexible engagement
With COIL, participants have the flexibility to engage in online activities that fit their schedules, allowing for seamless integration into existing curricula and academic calendars.
Get Involved with COIL!
Our main areas of interests are sustainable development, global business, flourishing mindset, CSR, business education and beyond! We seek to prepare our students for a truly global business environment, using sustainable development
Whether you're a business school professor aiming to internationalize your curriculum and integrate sustainability as a global practice, or a student passionate about driving positive change, COIL offers a vibrant platform for meaningful engagement and cross-cultural exchange. Join us in shaping a more interconnected, sustainable business education and advancing progress towards the SDGs through collaborative online international learning.
If you´re interested in learning more about our COILs, reach out! [Isabel Rodríguez-Tejedo]
"Working with motivated students from diverse backgrounds was enriching. Despite challenges in the COIL version of the Aim2Flourish project, it was worth it. We gained understanding of SDGs and companies' strategies, developed soft skills, and made new international friends."
Alina Gaynullina, University of Navarra
"Participating in a COIL project in my third year of university was a significant academic milestone. Collaborating with teammates from diverse cultures was challenging yet enriching. With the accessibility of global collaboration tools, it's time to embrace them and explore endless possibilities together."
Amaya Vizmanos, University of Navarra
"In 2022, I joined COIL, collaborating globally with teammates from the US, Spain, and Canada. This experience broadened my perspective, introduced me to the metaverse and SDGs, and resulted in a publication on AIM2Flourish. It was truly enriching."
Ayom Benign Imartya Srihendra, IPMI
"I can honestly say I’m glad I got to experience this type of activity during my years at university. It helped me in many different areas of my life. It opened my mind to working with people from many different countries, with different backgrounds and ideologies. I was also able to learn more about time-management and organization."
Laura Tello, University of Navarra
COILers
Dr. Isabel Rodriguez-Tejedo
Person of contact
University of Navarra (Spain)
Dr. Ruben Burga
University of Guelph (Canada)
Dr. Amelia Naim
IPMI (Indonesia)
Dr. Anjali Chaudhry
Dominican University (USA)
Ferdinand Niyimbanira
University of Mpumalanga (South Africa)
Romina Hosseingholizadeh
University of Guelph (Canada)
Yang Hoong
University of Guelph (Canada)
Dr. Daniela Senkl
University of Guelph (Canada)
Merhnaz Ahmadian
University of Guelph (Canada)
Dr. Sandra Polania-Reyes
University of Navarra (Spain)
Dr. Bnar Jawdat Ahmed
Koya University (Iraq)
Soran Kakarash Omer
Koya University (Iraq)
Dr. Nisa Vinodkumar
Koya University (Iraq)
Liliana Harding
University of East Anglia (UK)
Bryan Buckley
University Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Dr.Mary Ragui
Kenyatta U (Kenya)
Liam Newton
U of South Wales (UK)
Luis Guedes
FIA (Brasil)
Gleriani Torres Carbone
FIA (Brasil)
Output & Transference
• Student reflections on sustainability and business innovations: a global COIL (2024) perspective
• Student Reflections on Innovations and the SDGs: a COIL 2024 perspective
• Stories in the Aim2Flourish competition
The following is a sample of the stories written for the AIM2Flourish competition by some COIL teams. For a full list, please visit www.aim2flourish.com.
COIL 2025-26 Poster Room in the metaverse (Business Innovations for Sustainability: A COIL experience)
COIL 2024-25 Poster Room in the metaverse (COIL Fall 2024 Poster Gallery)
COIL Spring 2023-24. Poster room in the metaverse. Reflections on successful business innovations for sustainable development stories.
COIL Spring 2023-24. OER (open educational resource book). Student Reflections on Innovations and the SDGs: a COIL 2024 perspective 
Cover
COIL 2023-24 Poster Room in the metaverse (A Global Perspective of Business Innovations and the UN Sustainable Development Goals)
COIL 2022-23 Poster Room in the metaverse (Business Innovations for Sustainability: A COIL experience)
Physical poster presentation, 2022-23. Guelph (Canada).
Physical poster presentation. 2022-23 Pamplona (Spain).
Physical poster presentation, 2022. Guelph (Canada).
Norwich Economic Publications. COIL Podcast series. Introduction & Exemplary work
Physical poster presentation. 2021-22 Pamplona (Spain).
"Significant learning in a Collaborative Online International Learning Platform". 84th Annual Meeting of the Academy of Management (August 2024, Chicago, Illinois, USA).
"Using COIL to address global economic challenges". Development in Economics Education Conference (Sept 2023, Edinburgh, UK), presented by Dr Liliana Harding. PDF
"A COIL Study for Business Innovation in Sustainability". 7th PRME NA Biennial Meeting (2024) at University of Victoria (Canada), presented by Drs Ruben Burga, Anjali Chaudhry and Isabel Rodriguez-Tejedo
"Significant learning in a Collaborative Online International Learning Platform". 84th Annual Meeting of the Academy of Management (August 2024, Chicago, Illinois, USA) presented by Drs Ruben Burga and Anjali Chaudhry
10th Responsible Management Education Research Conference Sept 2023, Lisboa (Portugal) Project showcase café: Establishing a COIL (collaborative online international learning) network for RME
10th Responsible Management Education Research Conference Sept 2023, Lisboa (Portugal) A Collaborative Online International Learning experience using AIM2Flourish to encourage reflection on the role of companies for sustainable development
XV Jornadas de Docencia en Economía. June 2023. Murcia (Spain). Grupos de trabajo internacionales para facilitar una perspectiva reflexiva sobre el papel de la empresa para un mundo más sostenible. Una experiencia “COIL” para integrar el aprendizaje de los ODS en la formación de empresa.
9th Responsible Management Education Research Conference Sept 2022, Innsbruck (Austria) How can business innovations help the SDGs: A COIL experience
6th PRME North America Conference 2022 at George Mason U in Virginia, (USA). Teaching Innovations: a cross-cultural experience incorporating the UN Sustainable Development Goals and a Sustainability Mindset - Burga, R. (U of Guelph), Rodriguez Tejedo, I. (U of Navarra), Naim A. (IPMI).
Faculty training session: “Using Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) to teach sustainability”, delivered by Dr Isabel Rodriguez-Tejedo, as part of a training series organized by the PRME Working Group on Sustainability Mindset (online, 2 hours, August 19th, 2024).
¿Qué es la metodología COIL? Sesión de formación para profesores, organizada por el Servicio de Planificación y Mejora de la Docencia (UNav, April 15th, 2024) By Dr Anjali Chaudhry and Dr Isabel Rodriguez-Tejedo
Webinar: Bridging borders virtually: COIL as a gateway to global experiences without travel. Organized by the UN PRME Working Group on Climate (May 10th, 2024) by Dr Isabel Rodriguez-Tejedo
Entrevista en Revista Campus (nº 29, marzo 2024): "Gracias a COIL los estudiantes aprenden a trabajar con personas que tienen culturas y experiencias distintas"
Projects and awards
Proyecto de innovación docente, universidad de navarra, 2024-25
Project included in Giselle´s List # 55 (List for: University Collaborations), a newsletter, idea database and community aimed at inspiring doers in their efforts to mainstream sustainability into higher education, especially business education.)
Paper “Significant learning in a Collaborative Online International Learning Platform” recognized as "Best paper" (top 10% of accepted papers) at the 84th Annual Meeting of the Academy of Management (AOM 2024)
Excellence Award for Research, awarded by PRME UN North America (2024)
2024 Finalist for the Premio Innova
(Award for Best Innovative Teaching Project) at the University of Navarra in the “Transfer” category (projects that promote collaboration and teacher involvement from other departments, centers, or institutions (companies, universities, public entities...))
2023 Principles for Responsible Management Education
(an initiative of the UN Global Compact) Faculty Award Recognition for Excellence in SDG integration, awarded to the project “Inspiring the Next Generation: SDG Advancement Through Collaborative International Learning (COIL)”
Teaching innovation project [University of Navarra, 2023-24]
Improving the "COIL" experience to integrate the learning of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into business training: how to achieve more integrated experiences.
Teaching innovation project [University of Navarra, 2022-23]
International groups to facilitate a reflective perspective on the role of the companies for a more sustainable world. A "COIL" experience to integrate the learning of the SDGs into business training.
Teaching innovation project [University of Navarra, 2021-22]
Celebrating business innovations as engines for the SDGs. An international collaboration to actively integrate the SDGs in business education.
Experiential Learning Fund
(Lang School of Business & Economics, U of Guelph, 2022) The Experiential Learning (EL) Travel Fund normally seeks to support projects and opportunities that will enrich the learning experience of our students at both the undergraduate and graduate level. Overall, the objective of the fund is to provide equitable access to students who are interested in participating in a field course or other type of experiential learning opportunity within the Gordon S. Lang School of Business and Economics. All Lang instructors are eligible to apply. During Covid, the fund was used to fund experiential learning that did not include travel.
Past COILs
FALL SEMESTER
Students discovering business innovations for the SDGs
Participating universities and instructors:
Kwantlen Polytechnic University (Canada) - Andrea Niosi
MacEwan University (Canada) - Yang Hoong
University of Guelph - Ruben Burga
Dominican University (USA) - Anjali Chaudhry
Kenyatta University (Kenya) - Mary Ragui
University of South Wales (UK) - Martyn Rowling
Glasgow University (UK) - Paul Quigley
Universidad de Navarra (Spain) - Isabel Rodriguez-Tejedo
IPMI International Business School (Indonesia) - Amelia Naim
2nd Virtual world tour on climate change solutions (2025-26), (a co-initiative with the PRME Working Group on Climate Change Solutions)
Coordinators:
Coventry University (UK) - Dr Jaliyyah Bello
University of Navarra (Spain) - Dr. Isabel Rodriguez-Tejedo
COILing for Change: Students Proposing Smart City Solutions through Global Collaboration
Participating universities and instructors:
Florida International University - Edward Duran
Universidad de Navarra - Isabel Rodriguez-Tejedo
Brief description: teams of students analyze and propose innovative smart city solutions that improve government services' efficiency and quality of life for residents, in alignment with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This project emphasizes the practical application of technology in addressing real-world challenges within government institutions, fostering a global perspective and interdisciplinary collaboration.
Number of students: 39
Virtual world tour on climate change solutions 2024-25 (a co-initiative with the PRME Working Group on Climate Change Solutions)
Coordinators:
Coventry University (UK) - Dr Jaliyyah Bello Sara da Costa
University of Navarra (Spain) - Dr. Isabel Rodriguez-Tejedo
Brief description: a mix of self-paced (asynchronous) and live sessions (synchronous) activities and sessions led by professors from 9 universities around the world, where participants explored climate change solutions being implemented around the world.
Number or participants: 809
Topics in international trade
Participating universities and instructors:
University of East Anglia (UK) - Dr Liliana Harding
University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign (USA) - Dr. Bryan Buckley
University of Navarra (Spain) - Dr. Isabel Rodriguez-Tejedo
Masaryk University (Czechia) - Dr. Renata Čuhlová
Brief description: Teams explored topics of their choice around today´s main controversies in international trade. These included things like gender implications of globalization, the impact of the technological revolution on global supply chains, cross-border environmental concerns etc.
Number or students: 53
Discovering the role of Business Innovations for Sustainability
Participating universities and instructors:
University of Guelph (Canada) - Dr. Ruben Burga
University of Guelph (Canada) - Yang Hoong
IPMI (Indonesia) - Dr. Amelia Naim
University of Mpumalanga (South Africa) - Dr. Ferdinand Niyimbanira
University of Navarra (Spain) - Dr. Isabel Rodriguez-Tejedo
Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University (Saudi Arabia) - Dr. Sayeda Meharunisa
Brief description: Teams used appreciative inquiry interviews to explore business innovations. Together they created stories for publication on the AIM2Flourish website, posters to share with the community via the metaverse and group reflections on their experiences during COIL and their views on the role of businesses in society.
Number or students: 695
Business innovations and the SDGs
Participating universities and instructors:
University of Guelph (Canada): Mehrnaz Ahmadian; Sophie Brown; Ruben Burga, Daniela Senkl
Koya U (Iraq): Bnar Jawdat Ahmed; Soran Kakarash Omer, Sophie Brown
IPMI (Indonesia): Amelia Naim Indrajaya
University of Mpumalanga (South Africa) - Ferdinand Niyimbanira
University of Navarra (Spain): Sandra Polanía-Reyes
Kenyatta University (Kenia): Mary Ragui
Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University (Saudi Arabia): Nisa Vinodkumar
Brief description: students from various societies examined stories of corporations that surpassed their social responsibility by establishing their businesses to meet one or more SDGs. During this collaborative effort, the students had the chance to connect theories with practical learning and enhance their creativity and critical thinking skills by actively tackling real-world business challenges and opportunities. They not only proposed ideas on the linkage between businesses’ innovations to SDGs but also explored their applicability in their own countries based on the social and economic contexts.
Number or students: 216
Spring semester
Business Innovations for Sustainability and the UN Sustainable Development Goals
Participating universities and instructors:
University of Guelph (Canada) - Dr. Daniela Senkl
University of Guelph (Canada) - Dr. Ruben Burga
University of Guelph (Canada) - Merhnaz Ahmadian
IPMI (Indonesia) - Dr. Amelia Naim
Kenyatta University (Kenya) - Dr. Mary Ragui
University of Mpumalanga (South Africa) - Dr. Ferdinand Niyimbanira
University of Navarra (Spain) - Dr. Sandra Polania-Reyes
Koya University (Iraq) - Dr. Bnar Jawdat Ahmed
Koya University (Iraq) - Soran Kakarash Omer
Koya University/University of Guelph (Iraq/Canada) - Sophie Brown
Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University (Saudi Arabia) - Dr. Nisa Vinodkumar
Brief description: Teams used the UN Sustainable development goals as a lens to reflect on business innovations that help make the world a better place. In global virtual teams students analyzed the stories of AIM2Flourish finalists (2020-2023) and reflected on the role of business in society.
Number or students: 200
FALL semester
A Global Perspective of Business Innovations and the UN Sustainable Development Goals
Participating universities and instructors:
Dominican University (USA) - Dr. Anjali Chaudhry
University of Guelph (Canada) - Dr. Ruben Burga
University of Guelph (Canada) - Yang Hoong
University of Guelph (Canada) - Romina Hosseingholizadeh
IPMI (Indonesia) - Dr. Amelia Naim
Kenyatta University (Kenya) - Dr. Mary Ragui
University of Mpumalanga (South Africa) - Dr. Ferdinand Niyimbanira
University of Navarra (Spain) - Dr. Isabel Rodriguez-Tejedo
Brief description: Teams of students used appreciative inquiry interviews to explore business innovations. Together they created stories for publication on the AIM2Flourish, posters to share with the community and group reflections on their experiences during COIL and their views on the role of businesses in society.
Number or students: 422
Topics in international trade
Participating universities and instructors:
University of East Anglia (UK) - Dr Liliana Harding
University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign (USA) - Dr. Bryan Buckley
University of Navarra (Spain) - Dr. Isabel Rodriguez-Tejedo
Brief description: Teams explored topics of their choice around today´s main controversies in international trade. These included things like gender implications of globalization, the impact of the technological revolution on global supply chains, cross-border environmental concerns etc.
Number or students: 42
FALL semester
Business Innovations for Sustainability: A COIL experience
Participating universities and instructors:
Dominican University (USA) - Dr. Anjali Chaudhry
University of Guelph (Canada) - Dr. Ruben Burga
IPMI (Indonesia) - Dr. Amelia Naim
University of Navarra (Spain) - Dr. Isabel Rodriguez-Tejedo
Brief description: Teams of students used appreciative inquiry interviews to explore business innovations. Together they created stories for publication on the AIM2Flourish, posters to share with the community and group reflections on their experiences during COIL and their views on the role of businesses in society.
Number or students: 115
Topics in international trade
Participating universities and instructors:
University of East Anglia (UK) - Dr Liliana Harding
University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign (USA) - Dr. Bryan Buckley
University of Navarra (Spain) - Dr. Isabel Rodriguez-Tejedo
Brief description: Teams explored topics of their choice around today´s main controversies in international trade. These included things like gender implications of globalization, the impact of the technological revolution on global supply chains, cross-border environmental concerns etc.
Number or students: 38
SPRING semester
Critical Reflections on Innovative Flourishing Business in the Context of the UN SDGs: a cross-cultural perspective
Participating universities and instructors:
University of Guelph (Canada) - Dr. Ruben Burga
IPMI (Indonesia) - Dr. Amelia Naim
University of Navarra (Spain) - Dr. Isabel Rodriguez-Tejedo
Brief description: Teams used the UN Sustainable development goals as a lens to reflect on business innovations that help make the world a better place. To do, students analyzed the stories of AIM2Flourish finalists (2018-21) and reflected on the role of business in society.
Number or students: 122