Degree Name

MA in International Education

First Advisor

Ray Young

Abstract

This capstone paper delves into and exposes the impact of participating in the Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) program has on students’ decision to study abroad. Focusing on State University of New York (SUNY) institutions, a survey was administered to 25 students who participated in a course which employed COIL principles or pedagogy in its design with the primary intent of discovering: 1) the demographics of who enrolled in the COIL courses, 2) why they enrolled, and 3) if their experience had any impact on their interest to study abroad. The survey employed methods which were largely quantitative in nature, with opportunities for qualitative input among participating students.

The findings of this survey reveal that students who did not study abroad experience a strong interest in studying abroad after participating in a COIL course; students who studied abroad before participating in the COIL course express experiencing no impact on their decision to study abroad, though qualitative input mentions that through COIL they learned how to communicate more mindfully than they had while studying abroad; students who studied abroad after participating in a COIL course express feeling more prepared/confident when considering study abroad; more than half of surveyed students studied abroad and took a COIL course, which challenges the common opinion that students take COIL courses as an alternative to studying abroad.

Disciplines

Educational Methods | International and Comparative Education | Online and Distance Education

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