University Letter

UND's faculty and staff newsletter

Feb. 28: International Collaboration in the Classroom: Getting Started

Register for a keynote presentation and luncheon on Tuesday, Feb.28, from 12:30-1:30 p.m. (River Valley Room, Memorial Union) on “International Collaboration in the Classroom: Getting Started” with Jon Rubin, Founder & Director, SUNY COIL Center.

Following this presentation, there will be a brainstorming session for faculty interested in incorporating an element of collaborative online international learning in their classroom. Everyone is welcome to join us from 1:30-3 p.m. in the Badlands Room.

Jon Rubin, founding director of the SUNY COIL Center, is our keynote speaker for this lunch event. Across higher education, universities have looked for innovative models to advance international awareness and cross-cultural skills. One of these models, Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL), has been gaining traction with backing from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the creation of the COIL Center for the State University of New York system. The basic premise of COIL is that faculty can embed meaningful international experiences into their courses by partnering with colleagues at institutions in other countries.  The COIL approach helps students engage in sustained collaboration, working on a joint project, offering feedback on presentations, or sharing experiences. This collaboration can be implemented in almost any course or content area and in classes that are on campus or online.

Jon Rubin directed the National Endowment for the Humanities funded COIL Institute for Globally Networked Learning in the Humanities, which engaged 47 universities in developing networked classrooms. He led the COIL Center’s partnership with the American Council on Education, and most recently is directing the Center’s Stevens Initiative project in the Middle East and North Africa and its US-Mexico MultiState COIL Project.  Prior to becoming director, Jon was Associate Professor of Film and New Media at SUNY Purchase where he developed a Cross-Cultural Video course in which SUNY students co-produced videos with students in Turkey, Mexico, Belarus, and Germany. His films have been shown at the MOMA, and the Whitney Museum in NY and he has received Guggenheim, National Endowment for the Arts, Ford Foundation and Fulbright fellowships.

This event is co-sponsored by the Office of Instructional Development and the College of Business and Public Administration.